When we travel, we love to sample the delicious food of the different cultures we encounter. You can really find out how people think and what is important to them when you sit and eat what they eat. It’s best when you’re invited to someone’s house for a home cooked meal, but if you’re new in town– the next best thing is just to wander into a restaurant and hope for the best.
And if you are in Montreal, pretty much any restaurant you wander into will be a treat. The Quebecois love to eat, and real good food is all around.
Apparently the French Canadians love their coffee. Coffee shops are everywhere. Espresso and cappuccino….pretty good there! (The Italians had better watch it…the Quebecois are catching up.) Their pastries and baked goods are just as incredible to look at as they are to eat. Just one bite of some chocolate chip cream filled eclaire and I was in heaven! I was told their bagels are wonderful…smaller but sweeter than our’s. Unfortunately I did not get one. Maybe next time!
The people of Montreal also love good hearty meaty food. I guess that is to keep them warm during their brutal winters. We had their smoked meat sandwich (their version of a Reuben). The cheese was melted on the outside of the bread. Man was that good!
And they make “poutine”. French fries, covered in brown gravy, then cheese curds piled on top of that. Then they piled pulled pork barbeque on top of that! Hmmm. Well. Kinda “heavy” for me, but it did taste good. I can see it would help keep hard working people warm in a blizzard.
The best part of it all, however, was the happiness of the people who served us in the restaurants, and the obvious pride they took in their city and culture.