Brunching Out

When visiting Montreal, I like to branch out a bit and do brunch. Well, really, I'm not generally an early riser, so most days, even at home, what I consider breakfast, others would likely call brunch.  A favourite little "resto" in Montreal's colourful "le Plateau" area is Les Entretiens.

Here's a diplomatically round table for six.  

Who'd like to join me?

While sipping your Mimosa, why not tip your head back and take a good look at the attractively patterned hammered tin ceiling?  Careful not to tip too far back!

If you're feeling a wee bit dizzy from gazing upward 

(surely not from your Champagne & OJ!), you could wander around la salle a bit and check out the art.  It's all for sale.  Just put it on your bill along with the cost of your omelette, pourquoi pas?



















I've been wondering just what it is about this little bistro that makes me feel so at home.  And then it dawned on me...

This is my kitchen at home.

This is a cozy corner in my kitchen at home.

Okay, so here's the test to see just how observant you are.

What is it about Les Entretiens and my kitchen that are almost identical?

Sorry there's no prize, other than the smug self-satisfaction of knowing you're right.

La Bolduc

One of the many things I love about Montreal is the wide choice of restaurants, cafés and bistros.

 A colourful favourite is La Bolduc,

Echoing the writing on the wall of the post just previous to this, La Bolduc sports a fine specimen of graffiti.  I can't help but wonder, though, if it's been commissioned to be painted, does it still qualify as graffiti?

Or is wall art by any other name still graffiti?  In any case, this rather abstract design looks to me like an artist's impression of the hefty lunch I ordered.

After consuming the whole thing, I felt very familiar with the concept of "hefty."  This burger involved ground lamb (oh, that does sound barbaric!  My apologies to any vegetarians out there) and goat cheese; two things I almost never eat at home so am compelled to order when confronted with them on a menu.

The restaurant is named after a colourful and extremely popular Quebecoise entertainer who made her way to widespread popularity (that is, within the confines of the province of Quebec) in the 1930's.

 Wikipedia informs us:

Mary Rose-Anna Travers, (June 4, 1894 – February 20, 1941) was   a French Canadian singer and musician. She was known as Madame Bolduc or La Bolduc. During the peak of her popularity in the 1930s, she was known as the Queen of Canadian Folksingers. Bolduc is often considered to be Quebec's first singer/songwriter. Her style combined the traditional folk music of Ireland and Quebec, usually in upbeat, comedic songs.

Let's add a tinge of nostalgia to the scene, shall we?

Eh oui,, c'est bien moi p'is mon chum, Pierre
(*thanks to Kim Klassen for the photo texture)

At any rate, these two oldies but goodies had a wonderful lunch in great company, 

sitting out on la terrasse chez Mme. Bolduc.

And here, for your further edification and entertainment is a little "heritage moment" from the annals of Canadian popular history.

What's For Lunch?

We are feeling a little lacklustre and in need of sustenance.

This will do famously! (or should that be "famishedly"?)

*
New York memories of Salade Nicoise at the Markt Restaurant .

The yurt-like shape of the salad echoes the rooftop structures that we viewed from our apartment windows.

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Today, however, back in the burrow, I'm enjoying some homemade cabbage soup to combat the damp limping away of June.

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Antique Café

Do you notice something a little odd about this photo? I flipped the image so that we could read the writing on the wall...er...window!

Is it hot in here or are my glasses fogged up?

Tasty tidbits and tasteful decor.


Adding to the pleasure of our stay in NYC was breakfast at the Antique Café, just around the corner from our apartment. A continental breakfast was part of the B&B deal, and we could choose from a variety of fresh-baked muffins, croissants, chocolatines, etc. to go with a bottomless cup of robust coffee. Part of the charm of the place was an older waiter, tall, thin, and slightly weather-beaten, with what I think was a mid-Western American accent. He was unfailingly attentive and upbeat in the face of our bleary-eyed morning mumbles.

***

A New York Jones

C. and I were introduced to the Great Jones Cafe by a charming young man whom C. knew from McGill days. It was hidden away in an unremarkable corner with an unprepossessing exterior. Without our guide we would have probably walked on by. Inside it was hot and noisy and filled with tempting aromas of a kind of Tex-Mex variety. Sitting there felt like we were part of a genuine New York scene, filled with students and academics and hipsters and not a tourist in sight. I think we passed undetected.

***

You raise up your head

And you ask,

"Is this where it is?"

And somebody points to you and says

"It's his"

And you say,

"What's mine?"

And somebody else says,

"Where what is?"

And you say,

"Oh my God

Am I here all alone?"

Because something is happening here

But you don't know what it is

Do you,

Mister Jones

*

(B.Dylan)

La Belle Thailandaise

La Belle Thailandaise furnished 4 hungry people with 4 different dishes of succulent, tasty, filling, exciting suppers at surprisingly reasonable prices. I can't wait to go back to try something different! I do believe my former flirtation with Thai food has blossomed into a full-blown love-affair! Plus, it's bring your own wine; life is so civilised in Montréal.