2023 will go down as the year the world elbowed Covid-19 into the rear-view mirror and returned to traveling.
In our case, the year kicked off with South America and a cruise around Patagonia, followed by a road trip up to Canada.
Our northern destination was Montreal, widely known as the Paris of North America and to us, our birthplace. We had made many visits home over the years, but this time we made sure to visit “MONTREAL”, not just family and friends encamped in the Montreal region. The two are not synonymous.
Much is made of Montreal being a “French” city. More accurately it is a “bilingual” city, with French being the majority language and English widely accepted throughout the city. But increasingly, as this recent trip hammered home, Montreal has transformed into a MULTI-lingual metropolis.
Walk down the any city’s street, and especially the main shopping artery, St. Catherine’s Street, and odds are you may hear neither French nor English. You’ll hear a babble of unfamiliar languages from, for example, African women with broad smiles, or young African men or elegant Middle Eastern women in hijabs. Order an Uber and your driver is likely to be a young Lebanese shipped off to Canada with an endowment for a small Tesla, a little business to be worked alongside academic life at McGill or Concordia universities.
In short, the fur trading settlement French explorer Jacques Cartier founded in 1535 on the banks of the icy St. Lawrence can at times seem more “continental” than sophisticated Paris or London.
The skyline seen from where Cartier planted a cross on Mont Royal is captivating, showing the outlines of a navigable big but comfortable city.
Many readers (of a certain age) will recall Montreal’s 1967 World Fair, whose signature was the famous glass Biosphere that housed the United States pavilion. This architectural masterpiece by noted American architect Buckminster Fuller still stands near the more contemporary Ferris wheel and blue and white striped tents erected for this summer’s run of the famed Cirque de Soleil.
Montreal has a vibe, and summertime in the city is the peak experience. A cascade of entertainment satisfies Montrealers’ urge to be outside during the warm months: Formula One racing, the Montreal JazzFest, the Montreal World Film Festival, the Montreal Comedy Festival to mention a few.
But first, let’s talk about dining, reason enough to visit the city anytime of the year.
Because Montreal, like New York, is home to large numbers of immigrant communities, you can find some fabulous food here.
We began our visit reliving childhood memories at the lower end of the food chain, so to speak. A chicken BBQ joint known as Chalet BBQ. It serves fabulous roasted chicken, scrumptious French fries and gravy, and a signature Montreal favorite, Cole slaw. The booths remain the same as we sat in as kids. Perhaps reupholstered, certainly cleaned, but essentially the same.
The next day we chose for lunch Dunn’s, one of the homes to Montreal’s signature smoked meat sandwiches. Again, accompanied by sides of delicious fries and Cole Slaw and similarly upholstered booths.
Interestingly, on this visit we never encountered Poutine, the now world-famous French fry, cheese curd and gravy concoction. Don’t know why. Quite possibly poutine has achieved cliché status in its birthplace.
Our arteries now clogged, our forthcoming dinners would be healthier and more international.
First up: a famous international Greek restaurant called Milos. Founded in Montreal by Costas Spiliadis, who arrived as a student, it became popular with local Greeks and then grew into a popular chic eatery, somewhat removed from its humble psarotavernas roots. Spiliadis returned to Athens to open his second, and then expanded his dream to London, Miami, New York, Los Cabos and Las Vegas. On the way are Dubai, Toronto, Palm Beach and Singapore.
There is also Trattoria Trestevere, a nice enduring Italian place where we once celebrated our wedding rehearsal with family and friends. Still there and still very good, traditional Italian fare.
Next came the Portuguese Casa Minhota, which like the Greek Milos, specializes in fresh fish and seafood. The restaurant is wedged into a stretch of humble but rough immigrant quarters on St. Lawrence Boulevard, historically known as The Main in many Mordecai Richler books, now better known as part of the Plateau.
Next, down in the old historic port, or Vieux Montreal, is a home-bred upper-end eatery so refined and exclusive it doesn’t even bother putting its name outside.
This cozy resto, as they call them here, specializes in seafood. Like others in Montreal’s competitive food scene, the owners take great pride in offering quality, freshness and presentation. Oh, the name of the place is Garde Manger. Remember it. You won’t see it. They like it like that.
While dining is a central feature of Montreal life, so is the bar scene, either downtown or in the Port or Old Montreal. It is fun, eclectic, and very hip. The Winston Churchill has even survived changing tastes as a bit of an historic toss to Montreal’s English roots.
Now to shopping! US visitors to Canada have the advantage of a very strong US dollar, a 35-cent advantage to be exact at this writing. If you’re looking to improve your wardrobe, you’ll find plenty of options here. Some bargains are to be had, but not always because the edgier stuff can be pricey.
If you are more traditional kind of person, there is plenty of that surviving in Montreal. One major department store, Ogilvy’s, pays a daily tribute to its long Scottish ancestry with a bagpipe performance outside its St. Catherine Street entrance. The store used to be a somewhat stuffy emporium for the wealthier clients of Westmount and Outremont. Today, truth be told, Ogilvy’s is home to most of the world’s top designer houses that lease space under its roof. Not many bargains here.
Before closing, some additional photos of “la belle ville de Montreal“, its churches and cathedrals, and its rich history. Soak up its beauty and “joie de vivre”, a city that swings to the beat and under the benevolent eye of one of its favorite sons, the Hallelujah poet and songwriter, Leonard Cohen.
