What to eat and drink in Montréal
Where a tour guide noshed in Montréal February 2024
Danny, you gotta stop eating out said my bestie the other day, as we devoured the lovely Japanese coleslaw at l’Express. Often my go-to post workout lunch choice, l’Express is one of those spots where I love to date myself and, it is true that I take myself out on a lot of dates….
Look, I’m a city boy who lives in a really great food city. I enjoy a beverage and bar top and I justify the frequency of my outings by the fact that I’m not having kids and don’t own a car to transport rug rats. No gas, paid parking, parking tickets, insurance, diapers, daycare or any of that stuff. Filthy gin martinis and beef tartare are my babies. Here’s a list of dishes and drinks I had last month in Montréal!
1.The Castelfranco at Garde Manger
“You don’t make friends with salad” is passé date. Radicchio, caramelized pecans, blue cheese and apples is what makes up this sweet and savoury masterpiece at Garde. I’m obsessed. It kind of reminds me of the endive and blue cheese salad from Dominion back in the days. The truth is, everything here is wonderful and especially when served by beautiful bartender Loris whose dog I have a crush on. Don’t tell Damascus!
2. Momentum cocktail at le Vallier
I can’t believe I used to work brunches here like 15 years ago. Ouff she’s getting old… Whatever happened to the good ol’ bistro you know? It’s that nothing wows you place, it’s that just always good, consistent and doesn’t break the bank type place. I love le Vallier for this. Steve the bartender makes his signature cocktails and serves them with sass. I love our banter and burning my tongue on their French onion soup between cocktail sips. The Momentum, which sounds like a gay club for the early 2000’s is made of Madison Park gin, lime juice, soda, black Sambuca and torched rosemary. Merci la vie.
3. Grilled Mortadella from Café Miracolo
The new kid on the block from the Majestique crew is Miracolo. Some of our tours end near this new establishment and my bestie lives 300m away which means I’ve been a handful of times since their recent opening. I’m in love with the gnocchi and pesto dish. I recently went on a date here, with another human this time mind you… and we loved the grilled mortadella with pistachio and salsa verde. The raw bar bartender and bonafide oyster shucker Jonah is such a pleasure to joke around with between dishes and last week’s make out sessions… Sorry about that one bello!
4. Chicken sandwich from Serranos
One of the few OG Mile-End spots remaining, sparing itself from evictions by greedy landlords and chains like Lululemon, is Rotisserie Serranos. Y’all have heard of Montréal Portuguese chicken but Peruvians do it better. Not a biased opinion being half Peruvian, I swear. It’s all about the Ají which is a word we use for spicy pepper but also for the spicy sauce made with that pepper and this tastes great when served on a Portuguese bun, so there. This family run joint has been around since I was a a niño and I’ll never get sick of the chicken sandwiches with onion, lettuce, mayo, extra ají, tomato and all that served with a classic Inca Cola and I normally don’t phoque with pop drinks!
5. Poached Salmon on Chervil at l’Express
I’ve been trying to switch it up at l’Express, I promise. By switching it up I’ve created another Danny classic. I describe the dish as light but filling, and the type of meal that’s a decadent post gym meal without being overindulgent. It’s a lovely piece of poached salmon fillet sitting on top of a chervil mash in a lemony buttermilk sauce that just made me horny while writing this. I always end my time there with the macaron of the week and a macchiato made by the so bubbly Léon. I really love it here.
It’s weird that I’ve never really had Elena’s pizza. The bike ride from my place is a lovely and decent 15 minute ride. It’s a ride where I constantly amaze myself with the new openings and closures that Saint-Henri has to offer. My ex-neighbour (and still friend) from Parc Ex and I used to grab the kale from my garden and use her Caesar recipe weekly as the star of our dinner parties. Her trick, use as much mustard as egg yolk. Our favourite word: emulsify. We’d have too much wine and use that word so out of context and on repeat. The kale caesar at Elena is just so perfect. The sauce gets into every little crevice of the kale leaves that scream you DO make friends with salad. As I get tipsy off the too many glasses of orange wine at the bar with my salad, I slowly begin to hear Jess’ voice whispering in my ear: emulsify, emulsify.
That’s it for February. Join us on the best Montréal food tour for a curated selection of food businesses, their stories and the hoods that house them. Bon appetit!
