Brian and Phil’s Montréal Secrets
The delights of Montréal's Gay Village will be the centre of action for the first World Outgames this summer, but if you feel the need to take yourself out of the spotlight of St Catherine Street or explore some shops more exotic than Simons, we suggest a few side trips to some of our favourite quartiers of Canada's francophone metropolis.
Food: Montréal has a wealth of excellent dining options, but the Plateau neighbourhoods around Parc La Fontaine are especially blessed (Metro Mont-Royal). You can find everything from trendy bistro fare to Algerian tagine. Act like a local by taking your partner or new-found love to Le P'tit Plateau located just west of Saint-Denis on Marie-Anne. This small neighbourhood bistro features luscious dinners of caribou, rabbit, etc., in delightful presentations. The dining room is small, so reserve early for either the 6:30 or the 8 pm seating (514- 282-6342). A good, and slightly larger, alternative is Au 917 at 917 rue Rachel est (514-524-0094). The food is largely French inspired, tasty, and the profiteroles may cause you to throw in the towel on the marathon! Le Poisson Rouge, located at 1201 rue Rachel est, features lovely fresh preparations of fish and seafood, also in a small neighborhood dining room. Make a reservation early in the week, especially if you want to dine on Friday or Saturday (514-522-4876). For a taste of the tropics, savor the créole specialties of the French island of Réunion at Le Piton de La Fournaise The food is exotic and the surroundings are colourful and friendly at this neighbourhood favourite (835 rue Duluth, reservations at 514-526- 3936). Stop at the SAQ and pick up your favourite bottle of wine before tucking into these places. However, there are literally dozens of small restaurants scattered along the major streets, as well as through the neighbourhoods, and most are both interesting and affordable. They do tend to be on the small side.
A little farther south and much closer to the Village is La Paryse, a Montréal institution among students, a few professors, lesbians, a few gay men who can extract themselves from the Village, and just about anyone else who likes burgers, fries, beer, and cake. Located at 302 rue Ontario est (just west of St-Denis), this is one of the most fun and Metro Mont-Royal funky burger shops in the city. They do not take reservations and the wait can be long if you go at peak times, but this is one of the best places for québécois comfort food.
Brunch (a totally separate category of food): Weekend brunch is practically a by-law in Montréal, as folks wait in line for their weekly fix. An excellent choice is L'Anecdote at the corner of St-Hubert and Rachel. Families and hipsters gather over excellent café au lait and traditional crepes and omelets. Get there early on weekends or prepare to stand in line. There are also a number of very good brunch places on Avenue du Mont-Royal between St-Denis and Papineau, including the newly trendy Caffé Art Java (837 Mont-Royal est) and the long trendy l'Avenue (922 Mont-Royal est). L'Avenue often features various types of mannequins in the window in various states of undress, the bathroom décor is high style, and the line-up to get in is often very, very long. But if you head east on Mont-Royal, you will find more places for brunch that are very good. If a big breakfast does fit your training schedule, stop by Mr. Pinchot, a neighborhood boulangerie hidden at the corner of de Brebéuf and Marie-Anne. The excellent croissants and other pastries are often served up by cute, charming neighborhood disco boys and girls.
Drinking: It is probably almost impossible to imagine a need to look for bars outside of the Village, but here are a few impressive and/or unusual suggestions. One of the best and most popular bars east of St-Laurent is L'Ile Noire (342 Ontario est). It looks like an English pub meets Québec, has a very diverse Québécois clientele, and a huge list of single malt scotches and beers. A little farther east on Ontario is Le Cheval Blanc (809 Ontario est), the first microbrewery in the city. About 20 years ago when this part of the city was a lot more “rock et roll”, the clientele was really diverse and one of Brian’s old neighbours was a server who saw more than her fair share of brawls in the place. Now it is just a terrific and unpretentious place to enjoy wonderful beers. If you like entertainment with your beer, check out Jello Bar’s (151 Ontario est) live acts in a cool retro setting or Sofa Bar-Porto (451 Rachel est). Neither of these bars is particularly gay (although many years ago Sofa was a gay bar), but they aren’t really straight either.
Sunning: Before or after dinner, the Plateau is an excellent place to shop, relax, and people watch. If you have had your fill of the village flesh parade, take a walk to the lake in Parc La Fontaine for more relaxed boy and girl watching and cruising. If the sun is out, so are the bodies. The Parc also features outdoor concerts and movies on summer evenings that are free for all. You may even see a movie being filmed.
For women, boulevard St-Laurent between Prince Arthur and Avenue du Mont-Royal is a good place to girl watch. A lot can happen on this stretch, but much depends on the temperature, time of day, and the general swirl of commotion.
Shopping: A walk along Avenue du Mont-Royal between St-Denis and Papineau will introduce you to an eclectic mix of shops and cafes. Farfelu Maison has a cool selection of housewares to choose from, and the array of fashion boutiques seems to change from season to season. For more serious cutting-edge shopping, stroll along St-Denis or St-Laurent from Avenue du Mont-Royal to Sherbrooke. A growing cluster of furniture stores can be found on St-Laurent north of Mont-Royal. For a real taste of Québec « produits de terroir », head up to the Marché Jean-Talon for the freshest locally grown fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and everything else edible grown in Québec (Metro Jean-Talon).
Cooling Off: If the August heat has you searching for the air conditioning, there is no better place to cool your heels for a couple of hours than at the Ex-Centris movie theatre on St-Laurent just north of Sherbrooke (Metro St-Laurent). The theatres are plush temples for cinema buffs and the movies are commonly cutting-edge foreign or Québécois productions. If you prefer a more educational indoor experience, the Point-à-Calière Museum of Archeology (Metro Square Victoria) is a great place to while away the afternoon and learn about the early history of Montréal. Located in the old port area, the exhibits are a great orientation to the city. Finally, one of the best museums in the city is the CCA (Canadian Centre for Architecture), located at 1920 rue Baile on the west side of downtown. There are some people who believe that the CCA is the only thing with enough drawing power to make Brian walk west of McGill College.
Whatever you decide to you in Montréal, you are sure to have a good time. The city revels in its summer festivals and revels in celebrating with locals and visitors alike, charming them with its tree-lined streets, hip urban style, and its devil-may-care attitude. Amuse-toi bien!
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