I do love the city I'm living in despite sometimes complaining about wanting to pack my stuff and move the hell out of here. But summer in Montreal is always making me feel like there's no other place I rather be. There's everything I need; food, music, shopping, "good" weather, nightlife, and tons of people-watching opportunities and obviously people I know and like.
But I must stress the aspect of food here in the city. I just love it. The variety and range is always alluring and there's always something new to discover. Truth be told, not everywhere offers good food, but for me, it's a combination of quality (or decent) food and great ambiance and service. Location is also an added factor in my liking of a restaurant because if the location is sketchy and people-watching is mediocre, I'm not going to enjoy my visit.
That being said, I love The Plateau and The Main (St-Laurent) for good food with a casual hipster ambiance. But swanky Outremont area has become a great place for food and people-watching. It's a wonderfully clean area in the city where there are a significant amount of trees, good-looking people and expensive cars parked on the streets. It's similar to the West Village in New York City. I went to eat with a friend at restaurant called Enfants Terribles (terrible name) and we set on their sidewalk terrasse under a beautiful evening weather. The food was actually pretty good and I thoroughly enjoyed my lobster macaroni.
For dessert we headed down the street for ice cream at Glaciers Bilboquet, a local favorite. To put you in context, Bilboquet tastes like Ben&Jerry...done right. The assortment of flavors is fantastic and the option to choose between ice cream or sorbet can become a painful battle with one-self as it is impossible to decide between something great and something...great. That being said, I ended my suffering by having ice cream (Mic-Mac) and didn't regret it. It was absolutely amazing. There was chocolate, coffee, caramel, cookie dough, bits of maple, and other things I'm sure as well. Bilboquet scoops and buckets can be purchased at JavaU or in the Old Port, but what makes Bilboquet even better is its great location and its little shop reminiscent of a time that is slow-paced and peaceful. It's like you're no longer in any hurry and you just want to sit on the terrasse and having ice cream with a buddy with no worries in mind.
That's what I like about my city in the summer. I'm not in a hurry. If I want to read a book while dipping my feet in the fountain of Place-des-Arts, I can. If I want to check out the latest art exhibition at MBAM, I can. If I want to have iced coffee outside, I can. If I want to lay around on the grass at Ile St-Helene, I can. And exactly because of that, when I'll actually move the hell out of here, I will miss it. Terribly. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying every bit of it.
But I must stress the aspect of food here in the city. I just love it. The variety and range is always alluring and there's always something new to discover. Truth be told, not everywhere offers good food, but for me, it's a combination of quality (or decent) food and great ambiance and service. Location is also an added factor in my liking of a restaurant because if the location is sketchy and people-watching is mediocre, I'm not going to enjoy my visit.
That being said, I love The Plateau and The Main (St-Laurent) for good food with a casual hipster ambiance. But swanky Outremont area has become a great place for food and people-watching. It's a wonderfully clean area in the city where there are a significant amount of trees, good-looking people and expensive cars parked on the streets. It's similar to the West Village in New York City. I went to eat with a friend at restaurant called Enfants Terribles (terrible name) and we set on their sidewalk terrasse under a beautiful evening weather. The food was actually pretty good and I thoroughly enjoyed my lobster macaroni.
For dessert we headed down the street for ice cream at Glaciers Bilboquet, a local favorite. To put you in context, Bilboquet tastes like Ben&Jerry...done right. The assortment of flavors is fantastic and the option to choose between ice cream or sorbet can become a painful battle with one-self as it is impossible to decide between something great and something...great. That being said, I ended my suffering by having ice cream (Mic-Mac) and didn't regret it. It was absolutely amazing. There was chocolate, coffee, caramel, cookie dough, bits of maple, and other things I'm sure as well. Bilboquet scoops and buckets can be purchased at JavaU or in the Old Port, but what makes Bilboquet even better is its great location and its little shop reminiscent of a time that is slow-paced and peaceful. It's like you're no longer in any hurry and you just want to sit on the terrasse and having ice cream with a buddy with no worries in mind.
That's what I like about my city in the summer. I'm not in a hurry. If I want to read a book while dipping my feet in the fountain of Place-des-Arts, I can. If I want to check out the latest art exhibition at MBAM, I can. If I want to have iced coffee outside, I can. If I want to lay around on the grass at Ile St-Helene, I can. And exactly because of that, when I'll actually move the hell out of here, I will miss it. Terribly. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying every bit of it.
miam, i too heart montreal!
ReplyDelete