Since 2006, my trips to Montréal have limited to an annual vacation for the Christmas holiday. It’s grown from three days to as many as ten days, so I’ve had a lot of time to absorb the vibes of my favorite city. But distance and cost reduced my options the rest of the year.
Seven weeks ago, I moved to Boston. For the first time, I’m within easy driving distance and airfares are around $200 less roundtrip, compared to my previous location.
And so, I’ll be spending a long weekend in Montréal on June 15-18! The annual holiday trips traditionally get a version number (2011 was v.8) but trips inside the year will officially be designated as yyyy-mm. Errr… so…
As is my wont, I’ve spent some time thinking over the restaurant choices. Here’s our plan:
For such a short trip, by comparison, the plan was easy: pick a restaurant we’ve been to before, and add two new ones to the mix.
Comptoir: People in the service industry consistently list this restaurant among their favorites, if you ask them. That’s a good sign. I’ve had this buried in my list for a couple years, and it rises to the top for 2012-06.
Chronique: Similar story… this restaurant has been on the list for probably 3-4 years, always hovering in the wings, never called upon. So it gets a spot in the dining list.
Activities: besides the obligatory daily workouts at
Nautilus Plus, I think we’ll check out the
McCord Museum. And as much as I love Montreal in winter, I’ll be excited to see the city in summer for the first time since 2005.
Looking ahead to Montréal v. 9.0 in December: still in the early planning stages, but for meals, I’m thinking of an homage to the chefs who have played a role in making Montréal in the modern era. Normand Laprise, Graziella Battista, Martin Picard, David McMillan and Federic Morin, Derek Damman, Marc-André Jetté and Patrice Demers, among others.
I think it will be fun!
Photo: The kitchen, as seen from the bar: Le Chien Fumant
