1st time in quebec [General]

2010 Jun 23
Hi everyone! My name is Mark and i'm a foodie from San Francisco. I will be visiting quebec for two weeks and would like some recommendations on where to eat breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner/snacks. I will be staying in ottawa so any local restaurants/eateries/street food vendors that you guys love throw them at me. I'm not picky at all. Thanks in Advance! =)

-mark


2010 Jun 23
Where abouts in Qc?

2010 Jun 23
i'm gonna be in Montreal, Ottawa, Sherbrooke and Gatineau.

2010 Jun 24
montreal must is "Au Pied Du Cochon"

2010 Jun 24
And if you are going to APDC, make sure you make a reservation in advance! I asked to sit at the kitchen bar last time I went. It was really interesting watching the kitchen in action.

2010 Jun 24
i've heard of that restaurant. they specialize in foie gras right? and it was on anthony bourdain's no reservations. Everything on his show that episode is on my list. Also that poutine place that's open late.

Thanks guys! keep em coming =)

2010 Jun 24
where in ottawa are you staying? how many dinners will you have here?

dinner at atelier for something different:
Atelier

murray street for any meal:
Murray Street Restaurant

2010 Jun 24
Check out a Cora's Breakfast and Lunch in probably any of those places. It is a small but very good chain.

In Montreal - Schwartz's Smoked Meat. And of course a montreal bagel.

2010 Jun 24
i'd also suggest the manx for any meal of the day.

The Manx

2010 Jun 24
There are so many better places for breakfast than Cora's.

In Montreal: La Gaudriole (www.lagaudriole.com/)
In Ottawa: Stoneface Dolly's or The Buzz

Also, in Montreal, I like Olive et Gourmando.

2010 Jun 24
Les Chenets

Traditional French Cuisine

2075 Bishop Street
Montreal, Quebec
tel: (514) 844-1842

Traditional French cuisine in a historic downtown setting. Les Chenets has offered a gourmet dining experience in Montreal for 30 years. If you enjoy Cognac, this restaurant has the largest Cognac collection in the world.

Crazy selection of wine as well...

2010 Jun 24
Domus in Ottawa for some local flavour.

Beavertail obviously.

Best Liquor Store (LCBO) in Ottawa is at Rideau and King Edward.

Brou Ha Ha, and La Trappe a Fromage in Gatineau (Hull) for a good selection of Quebec cheeses, beers, and assorted regional specialties.

2010 Jun 24
For a good, Canadian Groumet meal I would suggest Murray St Restaurant.
www.murraystreet.ca

I haven't tried the brunch yet, but I can attest to Dinner and Lunch being superb. DOmus is another good local one, I'd throw my vote behind it. Also if you mak it into the Glebe (Kitchsy upscale hippy neighbourhood) Than check out Urban Pear, they do a great lunch.

For a fun touristy/food related activity you may want to look into a visit to Mariposa Farms.
www.mariposa-duck.on.ca


2010 Jun 24
If you are looking for places in Montreal a few suggestions were made here: Forum - Montreal

My lunch recommendations would be Planet Coffee, La Bottega and the Byward Market Square. (All these places are located in the Byward Market.) Other lunch suggestions are here: Forum - Byward Market Lunchtime

As for Ottawa my dinner recommendations would be Domus or Sweetgrass for local fare as well as the Manx, Chez Lucien and Ahora. (These restaurants are also located in the Byward Market.)

If you are a beer drinker you should definitely try Beau's Beer. They are a brewery from Vankleek Hill about an hour east of Ottawa and many restaurants in town have their beers available.

2010 Jun 24
Sweetgrass is the most distinctive place in town in my opinion, although all the joints on Murray St are good.

2010 Jun 24
I am a huge fan of Au Pied du Cochon in Montréal. It's a must!

On the Gatineau side, I would suggest "Les Fougeres"
Les Fougères

Also, the hotel attached to the Casino du Lac Lemay has nice restaurants also..

2010 Jun 24
SF Eater: Marche Jean Talon is a fantastic covered market in Montreal. It's an excellent place to grab snacks or light meals

2010 Jun 24
Montreal

Stroll along Duluth street with a bottle of wine (if you don't have one, there IS an SAQ (liquor store) right on the street) and pick a restaurant to dine in. Most of the restaurants on that street are BringYourOwnWine.

Aux Vieux Duluth is highly overated, I try to avoid that place as well as Casa Grecque.

Some places of interest: Tapas Confusion du Monde. Casa Mateo (Traditional Mexican). Toque (french).

Another nice area with some cute restos is Old Montreal. Walk among the cobblestone streets and find a cool place.


2010 Jun 25
Montréal: Au pied de cochon (dinner), Schwartz (for lunch/smoked meat).

Ottawa: Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro

and good luck in Sherbrooke. :)

2010 Jun 25
I'm hoping to hit DNA this weekend in the old port of MTL...reviews are great but you have to like organs it would seem....

www.dnarestaurant.com/


2010 Jun 25
WOW! thanks everyone for all the input! =)

Now time to research all these places. I'll keep you all posted on where we end up going.

Thanks again!
-mark

2010 Jun 27
we went to Benitz Bistro and had a fabulous meal. on Somerset, the area is very quaint.

2010 Jun 29
two off the beaten path montreal options:

le spirite lounge
if you are open to weird experiences and having no control over your meal, le spirite lounge is great. it is vegetarian and hard to find. once you do find it, you have to agree to the rules in order to eat there.

1) You must finish everything on your plate, or pay a set fine (which will go to charity). You can chose either a small or large portion, so choose wisely.
2) There is no menu. The meals are made fresh daily and will differ from one day to the next. Hope you're not a picky eater.
3) If you order dessert, you must finish it. Or be banished from the restaurant FOREVER.

reservations are a must. it is in the gay village.

1205 rue Ontario Est, The Village
1 514 522 5353

a video about the place:
citizenshift.org

a review while not 100% positive on the food (the reviewer doesn't like vegetarian food), it does explain what to expect in the restaurant
www.montrealfood.com

byblos - persian food
this is a great place to go for brunch. it is usually busy. the food choices are traditional

here are two fairly accurate reviews. i love the oriental omlette (contains flour, sugar, cardamon, rose petals) or the feta omlette and pots of mint tea

montrealbreakfastreview.com
www.montrealfood.com

1499, ave. Laurier E corner Fabre
Montreal, Québec, H2J 1H8

2010 Jun 30
In Montréal, I'd also add:

St. Viateur bagels for, well, what I believe are the bestest bagels on earth: www.stviateurbagel.com/main/

La Banquise for crazy-go-nuts poutine: www.restolabanquise.com/

2010 Jun 30
And on the sweeter side...

Montreal:

- if going to St-Viateur Bagel: walk about a block and a half further, across the street, for Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois: chocolatsgg.com - expensive but of great quality. A little goes a long way.

- if going on Duluth street: just before St-Hubert, you'll find Les Chocolats de Chloë: www.leschocolatsdechloe.com - an impressive and eclectic collection of handmade chocolates with some unique flavours, such as basil or fig and balsamic vinegar

- if going to the Marché Jean-Talon: I highly, highly recommend Chocobel, at de Castelnau between St-Denis and Drolet. It's the best chocolatier in terms of quality and savours that I've been to, and I've now sampled from nearly 20. Better even than Donnelly Chocolates in Santa Cruz (who is so not the best chocolatier in North America, sorry, three in Montreal alone beat him).

Gatineau:

- If near the Casino, you can find an interesting SAQ liquor store, and up on St-Joseph, you'll be a block away from Maison Chalouin - very nice Provençal family of chocolatiers recently established in the area

- If you're near downtown and close to the Portage bridge (leading to the Parliament buildings), up on Promenade du Portage you'll find Miss Chocolat: www.misschocolat.com - more unique flavours offered, such as one made with Masala curry liqueur or one rolled in nori.

2010 Jul 4
You can try l'Oree du bois in Chelsea.

I liked Baton Rouge in Hull and Yame in Gatineau (Greber)

You missed the sugar bush season but i think that some places open for tourists in the summer.

Oh, and if you're in Ottawa in August, don't forget the Greek festival

www.ottawagreekfest.com

Cheers,

Alan