LA BELLE PROVINCE

We recently stopped by Montreal to finish up some content for upcoming issues and had a great time as always. It’s always refreshing to visit this city in “La Belle Province” because the culture is a departure from what I’m used to in Toronto. Here is a photo essay of some of the people and places we checked out during our stay.

I’ve always been impressed by the architecture in Montreal. Its old world charm makes you feel like you’re in a totally different country.

We finally met up with the good people over at Appetite for Books, our first stockist out in Montreal. Jonathan and Michelle not only run one of the city’s best bookstores, but also some of the best cooking classes around.

Meet Alex from Rooney Shop, one of Montreal’s highly acclaimed Men’s stores. Rooney is known for its careful selection of clothing, accessories and publications. I love the fact that ACQTASTE can align itself with great shops that appreciate independent publications and that goes to show the breadth of our readership. We are honored to be carried there alongside other great publications like Inventory, The Green Soccer Journal, Monocle and many more.

One of our contributors out in Montreal, Natasha, put us onto a Pork Club BBQ that she was involved with running at local spot Dépanneur Le Pick-Up. It’s always fun to check out the food movements that are local, not overly publicized and off the beaten path.

Meet Bartek, the man behind the Pork Club BBQ.

We have our fair share of friends in the Japanese knife world so it was great to make another one in Montreal. Guillaume De L’Isle runs Montreal’s L’Émouleur, a shop dedicated to Japanese knives. Like Toronto, Montreal is a city that has a growing love for Japanese knives so the next few years will be exciting for Guillaume.

We also had the opportunity to finally meet David & Fred of Joe Beef. A couple of great guys doing great things in Montreal. More on them SOON, so stay tuned!

Alex & Derek of DNA is another dynamic duo doing some amazing things in Montreal’s food scene. We also have more from them, so stay tuned!

One of the things I always put on my list for when we visit a city is to check out their food markets. Many years ago, when I first visited Montreal, I had the opportunity to shop at the Atwater Market or Marché Atwater and I was very impressed not only by the size of the market but the fact that it was a combination of indoor and outdoor vendors. This time around I was introduced to the Jean-Talon Market or Marché Jean-Talon and I think it’s safe to say that this market is one of a kind. Not to compare Jean-Talon with Atwater, but its size alone puts it in a league of its own. It took us 1hr to do an entire round of the market and that’s quick considering they host 300+ vendors.

I admit that part of the reason it took us so long to do our rounds at Jean-Talon was because we kept giving in to our cravings. In this particular case, we HAD to stop and try this spicy merguez sausage on a skewer.

One of the best bratwurst experiences I’ve had in a while.

Lastly, what’s a trip to Montreal without poutine. If they claim to have started this Canadian delicacy they better do it good right? La Banquise is one of the spots that everyone claims is the best at doing poutine. And by everyone, I mean every Travel Channel show featuring Montreal. It wasn’t my ultimate poutine experience but overall it was cool to see all the different variations they do.