Just got back from a few days in Montreal. My friend Terry and I were in town for the second Police concert, and really, Montreal in the summertime is a show in itself, as any red-blooded male will attest.
My sister-in-law Vanessa pointed out that anytime my brother or I get back from a road trip, the first thing we talk about is where we ate. Montreal is the best eating city in Canada, by far, and one of the best in North America. Every conceivable style of food is available in vast quantities, as you'd probably imagine from all the different far-flung ethnic groups that make up the city. My tastes are pretty basic...just give me a good (large) meal at a sensible price, and I'm happy.
My first stop is always the Bar-B-Barn, for chicken and ribs. I've heard that Chicken Chalet makes better BBQ chicken, and Baton Rouge might claim better ribs. If I had a couple more days and maybe a higher limit on the VISA, I would have tried both those spots, although I'd fight to the death anybody who speaks ill of the Bar-B-Barn.
Another spot that my friend Stephen Clare recommended was Cafe Santropol, in the area close to Mount Royal called The Main. Incredibly large, creative sandwiches, in a funky little spot a couple blocks over from Schwartz's, home of the FINEST smoked meat sandwiches I've had. I used to like Ben's, but that had been going downhill for a few years, and sadly, closed last year.
Other standouts include Magnan's, at the Charlevoix stop on the Metro, for fantastic roast beef, and Carlos and Pepe's, right off St. Catherine's for Mexican.
Then there were the bars. Our hotel was on Rue de les Montagne, a couple streets over from Crescent, so there was no shortage of options. I'm not a big fan of flashy, Night at the Roxbury-type joints, and although there were definitely a few of those, we found some cool, laid-back pubs with great patios.
I'm sure I'll skip a couple, but here are a few...Sir Winston Churchill's, Brutopia and Hurley's, all on Crescent, and The Irish Embassy a couple streets over. For the love of God, don't buy a beer at the Bell Centre, though. $9.25 for a warm Molson draft.
Oh yeah...the concert. Pretty good. I have a review (kind-of) in Thursday's HFX in the Daily News, so I won't rehash the same shit here. I'm still on vacation, y'know.
Here are a couple of videos that I took with my digital camera. Turned out pretty good, if you ask me...
First, the opening, into Message in a Bottle. Yes, I'm behind the stage.
Walking on the Moon
