As I mentioned in the wedding post, after the festivities J and I packed up and drove our rental car to Montreal. We figured since we were already so far north, we might as well cross the border so J could get his first-ever look at Canada. The drive up was gorgeous and we crossed the border over into Quebec with no problems.
By the time we reached the city the weather had turned gray and rainy, but we braved the short walk from our hotel to Chinatown to find dinner. Big plates of tasty noodles were exactly what we needed that night. Unfortunately the rain continued the next day, so we spent slightly less time than expected exploring the city and slightly more time sheltering ourselves in bars, enjoying Canadian beers. Which is, of course, perfectly acceptable. Boreale White was one that I ordered a few times– it had a really nice citrus hint to it. When we felt ready for a snack, I knew it was time to introduce J to poutine.
Poutine, also known as french fries with cheese curds and gravy.
The bowl looked small, but there was plenty of freshly fried french fries and salty gravy to fill us both up. So good, but definitely a once-a-year (if that) treat.
In the evening we took a walk through Montreal’s Gay Village neighborhood, which I liked a lot. The street was pedestrian-only and there were tons of nice bars, restaurants and clubs.
Both of the mornings that we were there we stopped at a food court in the Desjardins shopping center for bagel sandwiches. Prior to doing research for this trip I hadn’t even known that Montreal is known for its bagels!
Montreal bagels are smaller than typical American bagels (which is a good thing) with a larger hole in the middle. The layer of sesame seeds on top added some nice flavor and crunch.
One local delicacy that we didn’t get the chance to try on this trip was smoked meat– we’ll have to find some of that next time! We bought some ketchup-flavored potato chips and maple syrup as souvenirs before leaving the city, and since I hadn’t actually eaten anything maple-flavored yet I got myself a maple-glazed doughnut from Tim Horton’s, the main coffee shop chain in Canada.
It was great– the doughnut itself wasn’t very sweet so the soft, smooth layer of maple glaze didn’t come across as overpowering. It was the perfect snack as we crossed back over the border and headed towards Boston!
