Articles

Montreal - Sub Categories

  • Québec Cheeses (15)

    Local cheeses, all purchased from Montréal. Related: the [l:albums/travel/montreal/poutine Poutine!] pages contain information about fresh cheese curds. Cheese Shops

    • [l:node/1154 Fromagerie Atwater]
    • [l:node/144 Fromagerie Hamel]
    • [l:node/1162 La Maison du cheddar]
    • In a pinch and after-hours - grocery stores such as IGA, Provigo, Metro, Super C, etc. There is bound to be a good place to buy cheese from where ever you stay in Montreal.
    Note that the US has some very strange, bizarre, and restrictive food import policies - see [l:travel/montreal/schwartzs-jewish-deli#comment-5229 Meat, Cheese and US Border Crossings comment] for details.

  • Jazz Fest (29)

    Summer Jazz Festival. More than just jazz. More details at: [l:travel/montreal/montreal-jazz-festival]

    • 2012 Montreal Jazz Festival (6)

      Writeup, along with some video clips also available: [l:blog/2012-07-06/montreal-jazz-festival-2012]

    • 2013 Montreal Jazz Festival (13)

      Pictures and video clips of some of the final four days at the 34th Edition of the Montreal Jazz Festival which ran from 2013-June 28 through July 7. Also included are some pictures from other events going on at the same time. The best shows for me were as usual at either the Blues stage, or the Tropiques/Groove stages next to it: [l:albums/travel/montreal/jazz-fest/2013-montreal-jazz-festival/fatoumata-diawara] [l:albums/travel/montreal/jazz-fest/2013-montreal-jazz-festival/the-harpoonist-the-axe-murderer] [l:albums/travel/montreal/jazz-fest/2013-montreal-jazz-festival/anthony-joseph-the-spasm-band] The pictures below have more info and some video snippet links too. There is also a [l:http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkd3PNh_1yPTqRqrVEGJaa-9tn8C4xyhN playlist of all snippets on YouTube]. And a few more photos, including full size photos, are at the [l:https://picasaweb.google.com/104075696510996624769/2013MontrealJazzFestival?authuser=0&feat=directlink Google Picasa Album] July 9th saw the start of another festival: [l:albums/travel/montreal/jazz-fest/2013-montreal-jazz-festival/festival-de-percussions-longueuil-2013 Details on Festival de Percussions Longueuil 2013] opening show. [l:http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/default-en.aspx Official Montreal Jazz Festival] site. [l:http://montrealcompletementcirque.com/en/ Montreal Completement Cirque] site. [l:http://internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/en/ International Fireworks Festival] site. [l:http://www.percussions.ca/ Festival de Percussions Longueuil 2013] site.

  • Poutine! (11)

    A dish unique to Quebec. [l:http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20130531-how-the-quebecois-came-to-love-poutine BBC article: How the Quebecois came to love poutine]. Fries, Gravy, and fresh Cheddar Cheese Curds (fromage en grains) make poutine! An exclamation point seems necessary for this dish. The process of making cheese from milk goes through a step that results in curds. These are small chunks of solid cheese that are not yet pressed into molds for the final aging process. Fresh cheese curds only last a day or two, therefore are only available in places where a lot of cheese is manufactured. Cheddar cheese curds are available widely in Montreal, and it is the key ingredient of poutine. Fresh cheese curds are easy to recognize - they will make a squeaking sound when you eat them. From fast food joints to celebrated chefs, there is no shortage of places to get poutine in Montreal. [l:http://www.montrealpoutine.com/ Montreal Poutine] has good information on all poutine places in that city. Poutine fries should at least start crispy, and have sufficient amount of gravy to smother the fries. The run-down looking Poutine Lafleur has pretty good poutine. This is the standalone place on Rue Wellington and not the chain of the same name. Maamm Bolduc was not as good - not enough gravy or cheese - but many consider it one of the best, so worth checking out. Many places that claim to be famous, or are very old diners that should probably have good poutine, do not. French fries may be limp and not crisp, sauce may be tasteless, and they dish may not be warm enough. So for a short visit, just try the known-to-be-good places, do not experiment. La Cantine, closed in 2012. This bistro on Mont Royal had excellent poutine, in very nice surroundings. The fries stay nice and crispy to the last bite. There is a photo provided below, which now serves as a memory only! Surprisingly, some fast food joints have good poutine too - such as La Belle Province. And Frite Alors! has amazing fries, and good poutine too. 2013: Schwartz's has gotten onto the poutine act: [l:albums/travel/montreal/schwartzs-hebrew-delicatessen/schwartzs-poutine]. It is essentially fine as a novelty item, but the basic poutine elsewhere, and the smoked-meat sandwiches at Schwartz's, are both best eaten without anything else added to either dish.

  • STM - Métro and Bus (8)

    Montreal subway and bus system. External link: Photographer [l:https://instagram.com/explore/tags/mtlmetroproject/ Chris Forsyth's #mtlmetroproject]

  • Le Petit Alep (10)

    Great good, awesome ambiance. Near Jean Talon metro station.

  • Marché Adonis (4)

    Excellent middle-eastern grocery store - large selection of fruits, ready-made food, feta cheeses, tzatziki, and sweets. They now have a home page: [l:http://www.adonisproducts.com/pages/accueil_en.asp adonisproducts.com] DISCLAIMER: please note that this web page has no association with the Marché Adonis business. And this site is not in Quebec, so English readers are the majority here, and French may not be understood by most. Thank you!

  • Marché Jean-Talon (8)

    The Jean-Talon market is a couple of blocks east of the intersection of Jean-Talon and St-Laurent, near the the Jean-Talon metro station. Newly refurbished in 2005, visit this place for fresh fruit, groceries, cheeses, bread, fish, desserts. Great food available in the market itself, additionally, surrounding area is Little Italy, which has many good restaurants.

  • Schwartz's - Hebrew Delicatessen (12)

    Absolutely the most addictive food in the world, the best smoked-meat in the world.

BIXI Montreal Key and Dock

BIXI Montreal Key and Dock

How to use the BIXI Montréal system with a subscription key.

The key is shown on the left top of the picture.

Insert the key into the key slot. The LED indicators will start blinking orange and then turn green on a successful unlock and then the bike can be removed from the dock.

Be sure to remember to take the key with you! It is very easy to forget it, and that could turn out to be a very expensive $1000+ mistake if someone uses the key to "permanently borrow" a bike

If the LED indicators turn red instead, as happened to me a many times, just remove the key from that dock and try another one.

And on returning the bike make sure the LED turns green before you leave the dock.

The BIXI smartphone app is also an essential tool, so set that up beforehand. It shows a map with available docks and bikes on a map and can also be used to keep track of all your trips in real-time so can be used to check the start time of the current bike rental.

More info: BIXI Montreal Subscriptions for Tourists

L'Gros Luxe Grilled Sandwich with Poutine

L'Gros Luxe Grilled Sandwich with Poutine

Grilled cheese sandwich. With poutine inside. Crispy bread, crispy fries, cheese... Another fantastic Montreal creation. L'Gros Luxe in the Plateau.
L'GROS LUXE 3807 Rue Saint-André, Montréal, Canada.
Very nice cafe/bar too, with great drinks.

Romados Poutine

Romados Poutine

Rotisserie Romados at 115 Rue Rachel Est in Montreal is famous for their grilled chicken.
Sure, chicken is fine, but the poutine is better! It comes in a huge portion and it is a big meal in itself. In addition to the standard poutine sauce they also add their signature spicy sauce. The dish also includes a quarter-chicken (cut-up and boneless). Price: CA$9 (2013).
This is mostly a takeout place though they do have a few seats that are filled most of the time.

Rotisserie Romados Phone: +1 514-849-1803. Open usually between 7 am to 9 pm.

Festival de Percussions Longueuil 2013

Festival de Percussions Longueuil 2013

Mélissa Lavergne and other artists.
This was the opening show with Mélissa Lavergne, the official Ambassadress of the Festival.

"Discover Australian aboriginals musical traditions."
Festival dates: Tuesday July 9 through July 14.

Some video clips posted to this playlist on YouTube
Individual videos:
Percussions Opening Clip 1
Percussions Opening Clip 2
Percussions Opening Clip 3
Percussions Street Show Clip 1

Meta and the Cornerstones

Meta and the Cornerstones

Meta and the Cornerstones (Senegal).

Official Jazz Fest Entry

Video snippet on YouTube

Porn Flakes … The Rolling Stones!

Porn Flakes … The Rolling Stones!

Porn Flakes, The Greatest Rock’n’Roll Story… The Rolling Stones!

They played 3 sessions, for a total of 3 hours, including the final 11PM show on the last day, which is where this photo is from.

Probably a big thing for Rolling Stones fans. Saw a bunch in the crowd with old Rolling Stones concert T-Shirts!

Official Jazz Fest Entry

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band

One of my top favorites at the festival.
YouTube video snippet (Warning: audio is very bad on this phone video recording)

Official Jazz Fest Entry
"... he brews up a magical potion blending funk, soul, calypso, Afrobeat and spoken word. Accompanied by The Spasm Band and bringing in a new album produced by Meshell Ndegeocello, he brings us a concert as danceable as it is listenable."

Fatoumata Diawara with the band

Fatoumata Diawara with the band

The best show this year!
See Fatoumata Diawara for another photo and details.

Fatoumata Diawara

Fatoumata Diawara

On stage is Fatoumata Diawara from Mali.

The best show of this year! Played at the Les Tropiques Bell stage.

Dancing up a storm video snippet at YouTube
Closeup video snippet at YouTube

Official Jazz Fest Entry
"...her spellbinding album weaving traditional Wassoulou chants laced with modern rhythms and tinged with a jazz/blues ambience."

The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer

The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer

The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer.
"Raw, primal, feverish blues, that’s what—harmonica and Telecaster-fired blues"
Official Jazz Fest Entry
Video snippet on YouTube
The "Axe Murderer" plays the guitar, the drums, and also sings all at the same time.

Blues and Groove stages are usually the best shows for me here, and this group was one of the highlights.