Every Montrealer, it seems, is an authority on the city’s culinary scene. Julie, my breakfast server at the five-star Sofitel Golden Mile—a superior meetings choice on Sherbrooke Street—described the indigenous hunger for exploring the city’s epicurean landscape, while jotting down five favorite haunts.
Shopkeeper Nicholas spoke knowledgeably about Spanish and Portuguese hot spots. Artist Jacques told me why all Rue St. Denis cafes occupy the left side of the street (to better catch the sun) and all about Montreal’s Bring Your Own Wine (BYOW) culture. An enviably fit jogger enthused about the all-vegetarian eatery Crudessence, while I panted up those hard stairs leading to Mont-Royal’s panoramic lookout.
Other conversations would follow, making it clear that food and drink are automatic conversation-starters around town.
Local pride runs deep in Montreal, with gastronomy high on the list.
“Montrealers have been foodies long before the word existed,” says Arjun Basu, content director for custom media leader Spafax, publisher of Air Canada’s nationally celebrated En Route in-flight magazine. “We can be quite passionate about where to eat, what to eat and even when to eat it. Montrealers are a demanding clientele with an absolute disregard for trends—good food is good food, and a strong food culture raises the bar for everyone.”
Serving over 80 different international and regional cuisines at 5,000-plus restaurants around the city, Montreal is twinned with Lyon, which rivals Paris for the best food in France. The sister cities also share a bond as members of the selective Delice Network of Good Food Cities Worldwide, founded by Lyon in 2007. For groups, this diversity and quality translates into a range of exceptional culinary interactions, including gourmet cooking classes, walking tours, farmers markets and innovative dining experiences.
Food trucks are now on the scene, too, part of a growing street food movement. At the 12th International Congress of Human Genetics held in Montreal this October, a truck arranged by Tourisme Montreal served delegates Quebec’s signature dish of poutine outside the convention center.
Where to start?
“Ask someone where to eat before coming here,” Basu says. “Everyone has a favorite, and it’s probably worth trying them all.”
It’s tasty advice that locals like professional guide Ronald Poire—the Food Guru of Montreal—take to heart.
An avowed gourmand, Poire specializes in developing and leading culinary tours for Tourisme Montreal and VDM Global, a leading Montreal DMC he joined as special project manager in 1998.
“Experts of our own heritage, our young chefs fire up their kitchens by blending tradition with audacity,” says Poire, whose custom programs and seasonal walking tours of Old Montreal and Little Italy are ideal for small groups. “Your taste buds will not leave this city unsatisfied.”
‘class’ acts
Encyclopedically savvy about Montreal and its culinary lineage, Poire took me on a driving tour of leading group-ready venues for cooking classes and team building that was as entertaining as it was educational.
Featuring gleaming modern kitchens on two floors, La Guilde Culinaire (www.laguildeculinaire.com) is a convivial culinary arts school on the border of historic Mile End and Little Italy. The school welcomes groups for classes and private events. The friendly staff teaches everything from traditional Quebecois dishes to ethnic cuisines from around the globe, chocolate-maker extraordinaire Christophe Morel provides regular classes, and the kitchen accessories boutique and specialized food store is loaded with great gift ideas.
In the heart of Little Italy, the Mezza Luna Cooking School (www.ecolemezzaluna.ca) is a group must.
“I have a beautiful relationship with my students,” says owner Elena Faita, one of Montreal’s most beloved personalities.
Along with her food celebrity son Stefano, Elena conducts interactive demonstrations of rustic Italian cooking for groups of up to 24. Also available for private parties, her authentically Italian kitchen is annexed to another Montreal institution, Quincaillerie Dante. Founded in 1956 by Elena’s father Luigi as Montreal’s first Italian hardware store, the business has evolved into an eclectic emporium selling everything from spaghetti to shotguns.
Another Montreal landmark beckons just blocks away: the legendary Marche Jean-Talon (www.marche-jean-talon.com), which dates to 1933 and is North America’s largest open-air market.
“This is the people’s market,” Poire explains, referring to the complex’s long history as an immigrant hub. “It’s Montreal’s best place for produce and great for breakfast.”
One of four public markets in Montreal, Jean-Talon is ideal for off-agenda excursions. Facing the marketplace is Le Marche des Saveurs du Quebec (www.lemarchedessaveurs.com), a tantalizing treasure trove of agricultural and artisanal products from Quebec, including 225 varieties of cheese alone.
In Old Montreal, Ateliers & Saveurs (www.ateliersetsaveurs.com) is a unique concept offering cooking classes, wine tasting sessions and bartending and cocktail workshops for groups of up to 125 people. Steps from the Notre-Dame Basilica, this classy venue is ideal for social and corporate gatherings, offering a range of lively activities, including trips to the market and culinary competitions. Catch up on your French beforehand, too; as with all of Montreal, the mother tongue leads the way here.
Nearby, Academie Culinaire (www.academieculinaire.com) is one of Montreal’s leading cooking schools. Featuring ultra-modern kitchens and instruction from renowned chefs, the school is perfectly suited for corporate groups of up to 120 attendees seeking structured culinary training and team-building activities.
Our last stop was the acclaimed Restaurant Europea (www.europea.ca), where groups go behind the scenes at one of Montreal’s two Relais & Chateaux restaurants. The artistry of Executive Chef Jerome Ferrer, who sees Montreal as “a pioneer when it comes to culinary ingenuity of creators and connoisseurs,” is translated into a diverse range of culinary classes, workshops and team-building programs.
Bidding adieu, Poire described Montreal as a “place where you can taste the city’s multiculturalism as you walk through its streets,” which brings us to the delicious adventure that is Montreal’s dynamic dining scene.
Second Helpings
There are a number of signature restaurants in Montreal that are synonymous with their famous chef-owners, including Philippe De Vienne of Olives et Epices and Martin Picard of Au Pied de Cochon (both frequent guest instructors at Mezza Luna), and Normand Laprise of Toque!, Montreal’s other Relais & Chateaux restaurant. The ultimate guardian of Montreal’s traditional culinary flame, though, is Lenny Lighter.
In 1938, his father Moishe, an emigre from Romania, took control of a restaurant on Saint-Laurent Boulevard (spiritual heart of Montreal’s Jewish community), where he worked as a busboy. First he named it the Romanian Paradise. As World War II broke out, he renamed it Moishes Steakhouse (www.moishessteakhouse.com), and a legend was born. Uniquely serving steakhouse classics and superb wines alongside traditional kosher fare, Moishes, with consummate host Lenny (and brother Larry) at the helm, is going stronger than ever.
“Moishes has always been the place in Montreal where influencers from politics and business have gotten together for food, drink and important conversation in an environment they trust will be discreet,” he says. “After long welcoming gatherings for up to 40 people to our private back room, we have just launched our private lunch program, where groups can have exclusive use of the entire restaurant on weekdays from noon to 4 p.m.”
The recently renovated institution was voted one of the “World’s 10 Best Steakhouses” by Forbes Traveler in 2008.
With innovation and experimentation hallmarks of the Montreal dining scene, the past and present continually mix in inviting ways.
In Old Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighborhood, the trio of Joe Beef, Liverpool House and the event-ready McKiernan (www. joebeef.ca) are the playful offspring (there’s an oyster bar squeezed in there, too) of their creative, scene-setting parents Frederic Morin, David McMillan and Allison Cunningham.
Other leading chefs have created more affordable “sisters” to their A-list restaurants, ideal for smaller gatherings.
Located alongside the Contemporary Art Museum in the Quartier des Spectacles, the glass-boxed bistro Brasserie t! (www.brasserie-t.com) is the offshoot of Toque! from pioneering chef Normand Laprise. Immediately adjacent is the Mediterranean-themed F Bar (www.fbar.ca) from Carlos Ferreira, whose legendary Ferreira Cafe on Rue Peel has been called “the best Portuguese food outside of Portugal.”
From the owners of Old Port standby Le Club Chasse et Peche (the Hunting and Fishing Club) comes Le Filet (www.lefilet.ca), a lively seafood bistro located in the romantic Plateau Mont-Royal district. After winning Iron Chef America this year with his creation of lobster poutine, Montreal-born sensation Chuck Hughes has followed the success of his rocking hot spot Garde Manger with the bustling Le Bremner (www.chuckhughes.ca), which, like its sibling, sits invitingly below street level in Old Montreal.
In a city where food is history and gastronomy is culture, planners and their groups have a wonderful feast in store. Chances are you’ll come away an authority, too, like Arjun Basu: “The house cocktail at Chasse et Peche, the Buttstrip, is Quebec in a glass. Brisket paired with a great wine? Go to Jolifou for chef David Ferguson’s crazy mix of French, Tex-Mex and Southern BBQ influences. And for a uniquely Montreal experience, Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins—not quite a wine bar, not quite a restaurant—doesn’t quite exist anywhere else.”
Regular Meetings Focus East contributor Jeff Heilman is always hungry for Montreal—bon appetit!
