Eating your way through the market as you shop is like taking a delicious trip around the world without ever leaving the city. Sure, you can go for the ordinary ham and cheese sandwich but you can also try one (or all!) of these delicious must-have morsels that will definitely make your visit even more memorable.

Fish from Les Délices de la mer: Whether you decide to get yourself a snack of the highly addictive Atkins et frères maple-glazed salmon bites or some delicious breaded and griddled cod ($5.50) (available in summer only), Les Délices de la mer is as fresh as it gets when it comes to fish. Located in the Gaspé peninsula (just like Atkins et Frères) Les Délices specializes in locally-caught fish and seafood and carries all Atkins et Frères house-smoked high quality products.

Tacos from El Rey del Taco ($8 for a portion of 3 tacos): This “king’s” tacos are some of the best in the city. Almost everything is made on site, from the slow-braised meats to the neon-coloured complimentary nachos to the horchata. The menu is extensive but if you have a craving for tacos, my personal favourite is the Pastor pork taco. The meat is seasoned and cooked perfectly and melts in your mouth. Work is underway to open a tortilla making facility next door, so that absolutely everything can be made on site.

Spicy sausage sandwich with sauerkraut from Balkani ($4): Balkani carries many Eastern European food items, from cheese and cold cuts to condiments. However, it is for their artisanal spicy sausage and sauerkraut sandwiches that I keep going back. The contrasting flavours of the warm and spicy sausage and the fresh sauerkraut are a classic and will make you want to ask for seconds.

Bhajis with tamarind chutney from La Dépense ($3): These little crunchy carrot and leek nuggets are an explosion of flavour! They are made and cooked on the premises (only on weekends) and are served piping hot in little paper bags. For an extra shot of zing, the spicy and sweet tamarind chutney is an absolutely mandatory addition! The best part is that you can buy both the bhajis (refrigerated) and the chutney to take home!

Ice cream from Le Havre aux Glaces ($3.75 for a medium bowl): End your visit on a sweet note with a scoop – or three – from one of the best artisanal ice cream makers in Montreal. Try one of the unique and seasonal fruit sorbets or opt for the classics. Will you succumb to a scoop of the deliciously dark 72% chocolate, the rich burnt maple caramel or the nutty pistachio, my personal favourite?

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THE DETAILS

Jean-Talon Market, 7070 Henri-Julien Street, (514) 277-1588

Mayssam is the food and travel writer behind the blog Will Travel for Food. Born and raised in Lebanon, she’s lived in New York City before settling on Montreal as her home. She roams this fair city of hers – and the planet! – for delicious culinary discoveries.

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Juliette et Chocolat: This Montreal favourite has had a café on Laurier in Outremont for some time, which is still a great place to stop off after a rough day of window-shopping. But in recent years they’ve opened a big, airy, beautiful location on what is certainly one of the choicest corners of the whole city: Saint-Laurent and Prince Arthur. This is an optimal spot for people watching, while sipping a treat from their extensive and inventive menu of liquid choco-love.

Do you fancy a “Dark Grand Cru”  or an “elaborate” drink, such as the Liegois (dark chocolate, milk chocolate and a scoop of ice cream with whipped cream on top) or the Nutella (all that and choco-Hazelnut spread, too)? Or would you rather be all grown up with an alcoholic chocolate cocktail with a intriguing title: The Nutcracker, the Choco-Mojito or the Snow White? The Creole, the Chocolate Ruby or the Spiced Sun (are these Blaxploitation movies, you ask, or merely chocolate drinks?). Stop in to find out.

Suite 88: This Montreal favourite, with elegant “chocolate lounges” on lively Rue St-Denis and de Maisoneuve, is a great place to purchase chocolate treats for loved ones back home and to indulge in a chocolate sip sensation. Choose from the classic drink in dark, light or white chocolate, or from their “intense” menu: Cinnamon, pumpkin, vanilla, ginger, sea salt or mint. Or try the Chile chocolate drink prepared just like Mom used to make, if your mom was a pre-Columbian Mayan cook. Spicy!

Havre Aux Glaces in Jean-Talon market: A quick stop-off in the bestest ice-cream store in any farmer’s market anywhere gets you a medium-sized cup of thick, tasty Belgian hot chocolate for $2.75 (and believe me, a medium is enough). You get to choose between a sprinkle of cardamom or pink pepper, or sip it plain while you wander through the winter market.

Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois: A Montreal classic. This is one of our favourite chocolate shops and she has the most tasty, sinful, decadent little espresso-sized hot chocolate, one of these will hold you all week. On St-Viateur, a coffee from one of the Italian cafés that flank her shop washed down with a Genevieve Grandbois chocolate shot is a neighbourhood secret.

THE DETAILS

Juliette et Chocolat, 3600 Saint-Laurent & 377 Laurier West

Suite 88, 3957 Rue Saint-Denis & 1225 de Maisonneuve West

Havre Aux Glaces, 7070 Avenue Henri Julien, Jean-Talon Market

Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois, 162 St-Viateur West

The post MONTREAL’S BEST HOT CHOCOLATE appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Autumn brings an array of crops to Jean Talon Market, Atwater Market and farmers’ markets around town, who in turn supply Montreal restaurants specializing in the freshest of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

While winter squash like butternut, acorn, spaghetti and pumpkin (the small round ones make the best pie) might spring to mind as the typical traditional fall harvest crop, brassica greens – kale, broccoli, bok choy, mustard greens, kohlrabi, turnips and rutabaga – also love Quebec’s weather this time of year. They’re versatile, high in nutrients and some are spicy enough to skip the hot sauce.

Huge baskets of Roma tomatoes call out to chefs intent on making the best sauce in the city and friends and families who get together for sauce-making parties (I have a jar waiting in my fridge!). Fresh herbs, carrots and beets add colour and flavour to meals, not to mention all the locally produced onions and garlic available right now, perfect for storing well into winter (garlic cloves freeze really well).

Among the lesser-known crops that liven up plates this season are celeriac, daikon and Jerusalem artichokes. Celeriac – one of the most under-appreciated vegetables, according to my farmer friends at Ferme Lève-Tôt – looks like a mini brain, but can be stored for months and adds a mild, creamy celery flavour to soups and other cozy-making dishes. Daikon and other storage radishes add bite to stir-fries, and Jeruselem artichokes are a good starch alternative to rice or potatoes – though potatoes are also a plentiful fall harvest crop.

With such heartiness abounding, I need to stress that sweetness isn’t sacrificed at this time of year – look out for cantaloupes, honeydew and small, sweet watermelons, as well as small purple plums and, of course, apples of all varieties. ’Tis the season to make pie! And eat it.

Finally, perhaps add a dash of history to your harvest season and visit Maison Saint-Gabriel, a 19th-century New France farmhouse and museum in Pointe-Saint-Charles, where the gardens overflow.

THE DETAILS

Jean Talon Market, 7070 Avenue Henri Julien, (514) 277-1588

Atwater Market, 138 Avenue Atwater, (514) 937-7754

Maison Saint-Gabriel, 2146 Place Dublin, (514) 935-8136

The post FALL HARVEST TIME AT MONTREAL’S MARKETS appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Though Marché Jean-Talon is Montreal’s go-to Farmer’s Market all year round, I always look forward to summer as the season when the market, like the city itself, fully busts into bloom. Certainly, producers who have been labouring in greenhouses to get ready to sell plantables and hanging-baskets of multicoloured floral tangles of joy are happy to see the warm sun in order to bring out their wares. But it’s also time to start buying—and cooking—the local bounty of seasonal fruits and vegetables and other delicacies from agricultural producers around Montreal who all gather in the hub of the Market to bust out the green. Plantables: When it comes to my own garden, Jean-Talon is where I buy my plants. It’s worth coming here simply for the selection of herbs and leafy greens, some of which are rare and hard-to-find. This year, I bought lemon mint, ginger mint and peppermint as well as the regular kinds, to assure that my summer mojitos can be mixed in several minty varieties.

Also, tomatoes: Montrealers are expert balcony tomato-growers, as the dozens of varieties of tomato-plant starters suggests. I’m seeing a resurgence of interest in growing heritage varieties, many of which have been off the market for decades.

Edibles: If you’re visiting from out of town, it’s worth stopping by the market for a stroll—there are plenty of samples to munch on, including the first tomatoes, sprinkled with salt. The seasonal harvests, or “arrivages” as they’re called in French, are the market’s biggest draw. For example, Rhubarb is a big draw at this time of year: if you don’t have a kitchen of your own here in Montreal to cook up a compote, many local bakeries and pastry shops, such as the aptly named Patisserie Rhubarbe can offer up seasonal treats. I’d also check out the ice-cream shops and the crepe-maker to see what they have on special for spring.

And last but never least in Montreal, it’s new-milk season in Quebec’s multitude of cheese farms, so the cheesemongers will, by the end of June, be stacked with the season’s brand-new stocks of our amazing local cheeses, such as 14 Arpents, Casimir and Riopelle.

THE DETAILS

Jean-Talon Market, 7070 Henri-Julien, (514) 277-1588

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Jean-Talon: Sugar Central

A walk through Montreal’s largest farmer’s market is a great way to find a huge selection of maple products from cheese to meat, literally, including the maple-pecan sausage from William J Walter, a sausagemaker in the market, and the Cru des Érables, a Quebec-made cow’s milk cheese. The maple-tappers from operations around Montreal come into the markets at this time of year to sell their wares- like the maple syrup in the traditional cans (a great take-home present), which come with recipes for maple baking on top. You can also buy various maple butters and sugars, for baking or simply (in the case of maple butter) to spread on toast.

Canadian Tire

Jean-Talon is also a great place to try Tire (pronounced tear, meaning “pull”), otherwise known as a “sugar pop”, without leaving the city limits. The sweet syrup of the maple sap, poured on crushed ice or snow and twisted up with a tongue depressor, makes for a sweet mouthful of sticky goodness: it’s an oldie, but good. Another place to pick up tire is in front of the Mont-Royal metro stop; this is a popular gathering spot late at night for partiers who want to get their sugar on.

Sugar Pie, Sugarpie!

Bakeries such as local chain Premiere Moisson also draw inspiration from the plentitude of maple at this time of year to bake up ready-made treats: maple cake, maple squares, maple croissants. This amazing tarte au sucre (maple-sugar tart) from Pains et Saveurs is the most amazing maple dessert I’ve ever tasted, probably because it contains nothing but eggs, butter cream and maple sugar, and it’s not too sweet and a little salty.

Frozen maple treats: Beyond syrup on snowThe now-classic maple crème-brulee ice cream at Havre-aux-Glaces is a seasonal favourite. The secret lies, again, in its not-too-sweet taste— plus this ice-cream has cracked the secret to perfectly-balanced burnt maple caramel.

For those who like hard stuff with their hard candy, maple or otherwise, may we suggest Sortilege. Described on the SAQ website as “miscellaneous liquor”, this maple-infused whisket is anything but.

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Guest Blogger: Melora Koepke

The post MAPLE SYRUP PRODUCTS IN MONTREAL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

What’s the first thing famous chefs want to do when they visit a city? Check out the markets, of course. And with top-rated Brazilian chef Roberta Sudbrack, in Montreal to cook at Ferreira Café, it was no different…

In town to participate in the High Lights Festival (she cooked for two nights at the perennially-hopping Ferreira Café), on her first day in Montreal, chef Roberta Sudbrack headed off to check out local products – with our crew in tow!

During the years when she was the private chef of the Brazilian president, and also at her fine dining restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, chef Sudbrack has earned a reputation for skillfully transforming humble ingredients from the tropics, like bananas and okras, into delectable creations. Yet while in Montreal she’s been a lot more curious to see what bounty this part of the world had to offer.

Her first stop was at La Mer fish market, where she inspected the beautiful organic salmon from British Columbia and oysters from Québec (Malpèques). A happy discovery: a wide variety of oysters could be tasted right on the spot, as an expert shucker described each one. The chef found a specific variety of corn needed for her High Lights dinners at the oh-so-Italian Milano market on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. She got a kick out of her quick stroll through the heart of Little Italy, with its many quaint coffee shops where the locals go to watch soccer on TV while nursing their double espressos.

Next up was the Jean-Talon Market, where even during winter one can find a dizzying array of fruits, veggies, herbs, jams and, of course, maple syrup products. She seemed particularly impressed by Fromagerie Hamel, Montreal’s top cheesemonger. After tasting six (very) different artisanal Québec cheeses, she quickly elected her favourite: the incredibly complex and nutty Louis D’Or, made in a village two hours East of Montréal by the Fromagerie du Presbytère.

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THE DETAILS

Ferreira Café, 1446 Rue Peel

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The good news is that, after ten years covering a massive food festival such as this, you learn to pick ‘em- events that look promising, innovative and one-of-a-kind, no matter what your interests are or what your budget is. So here, without further ado, are the Montreal Buzz’s Top 5 High Lights Wine and Dine events:

Best table (sold out version): That would have to be the decadent President’s dinners at Toque!, which are now sold out at $300/plate. This year, the festival’s Honourary President is French chef Anne-Sophie Pic, the only female chef to hold three Michelin stars. Though the tables may be gone, come back to the blog for coverage of the opening-day hors d’oeuvre event, starring Pic.

Best table (tickets still available): So many amazing options, oh so hard to pick just one. Would it be Melissa Craig from Whistler’s Bearfoot Bistro at Chez L’Epicier? Boston’s Barbara Lynch at Pullman? Emmanuelle Leftick at La Fabrique? Anita Lo at Koko? I’m going to make the call and say Mindy Segal at Laloux. Segal is a famous Chicago chef who began in the sweet stuff and has since branched out to whole-course meals, which is what she’ll be doing at Laloux in conjunction with their resident pastry chef, Michelle Marek…

Best culinary tour: With so many great guided tours, it’s a tough call whether to take a walk around Old Montreal or the more residential neighbourhood of Little Italy—but in the end, we vote for chocolate. Welcome to the gourmet world of chocolate makers! Since Montreal is a little chilly in February, this culinary tour gets extra points for actually taking place in a vehicle.

Best pairing: Cognac and Chocolate at Pullman bar a vins (can you sense a theme developing here?) features Montreal chocolatier Chloe and French cognac producer Francine Forgeron teaming up for a tasting menu and custom-made chocolates for the occasion.

Best free event: Call me a meat nerd, but I’m super excited about some of the demos during this weekend’s Charlevoix at Jean-Talon Market event. As visitors to Montreal know, Marche Jean-Talon is the bustling hub of the city’s food culture, and what better place to bring to the city what the Charlevoix region of the province of Quebec has to offer: some of the best meats, cheeses and other products in the country, grown and raised locally, organically, and with heart. All day Saturday, the region’s producers will be demoing recipes that feature their wares, from the deli meats and charcuterie of Boucherie Lyn Tremblay to an Emu-liver salad from Quebec’s foremost Emu farm.

Guest Blogger: Melora Koepke

Photo Credit: ©Festival Montréal en Lumière, Convivial- Francois Pesant: ©Festival Montréal en Lumière, La Fabrique- Victor Diaz Lamich: Marche Jean-Talon & Restaurant Toqué!- © Tourisme Montréal, Stephane Poulin

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As part of the Montreal High Lights Festival, the Festival of Quebec Cheeses will have more than 50 Quebec cheeses to taste and a vast selection of wines during its 6^th edition. Here’s a head start: try Caseus, Le Louis d’Or, Le Pizy and Mont-Jacob, which are all top prize winners and more than delicious, so you will probably buy one (or two!) after tasting.

During the event you’ll be able to chat with master cheese-makers. They will explain how different regional qualities (for example: how types of grass affect the milk used for the cheese) define the character of their products. As well, you will have the opportunity to see (and sip!) wines that pair best with the Québecois cheeses.

Two locations for the Festival of Quebec Cheeses

At Complexe Desjardins, you can sample the tasty products in the main concourse. While up at Jean-Talon Market, chefs from Charlevoix, a charming rural area of Quebec where the river, forests and climate contribute to a grassy land rich for goats and cows, will host free workshops in the Mandoline Room. Among the five topics offered each day will be the region’s specialties: lamb, veal, smoked salmon and foie gras. Montreal chef Jean-Paul Grappe will work with four Charlevoix chefs (Jean-Michel Bréton, Mario Chabot, Steve Rondeau and Pascal Gavel) and producers to discuss the yummy variety of products.

Jean-Talon market is the internationally famous outdoor market that is open all year round (yes, even in our snowy months!). This is a really fun market, so you should put aside at least a couple of hours to stroll, to see – and to sample. Many stands put out a free offering of their produce, so you can munch on a bit of local cucumber or celery while trying a sharp cheddar. There will also be free workshops conducted by cheese producers from around Quebec.

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DETAILS

February 17-27: Montreal High Lights Festival

February 19-20: Festival of Quebec Cheeses

Jean-Talon Market, 7070 Henri-Julien, Metro: Jean Talon

Complexe Desjardins, 150 St-Catherine Street West, Metro: Place des Arts

The post SAY CHEESE AT THE MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS FESTIVAL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

While the markets are brimming over with fresh produce during harvest season, I like visiting the markets at Christmastime.

Jean-Talon  market was dressed up for the holidays last week with all the flavours and colours of the holidays—from Emo-blue poinsettias to the conifers grown on Quebec soil, local producers reminding us that tress are also Terroir.

Montreal’s public farmers’ markets are not only places to do your grocery shopping, but also gathering places for the community. The market is also an ideal place to seek out the ingredients for a traditional or modern holiday feats—Foie Gras half-baked in a terrine is a traditional Christmas treat from the Old Country, and these days, chefs around town like to sass it up with maple syrup, ginger and ice wine.

Even something so simple as a garland of pepper and fresh, rosy oranges add to the holiday feel…I picked up a pocketful of chestnuts to roast and glaze

Hint: There are several places in the markets to get fancy, high-end Hot chocolate, and having sampled them all, the Insider chooses the Havre-aux-Glaces variety—hot chocolate at an Ice-cream shop can’t steer you wrong.

Aroound the corner at Chocolats Privilege, an army of chocolate Santas weagerly wait to come home with you—or, you can pick up supplies like couverture chocolate and tools to make your own…

Guest blogger: Melora Koepke

The post DIY: MONTREAL CHRISTMAS TOUR appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Yesterday I was doing my weekly grocery shop in the beloved Jean Talon Market when my tummy started a’rumblin’.

It said to me, “Daniel, please feed me something delicious and nutritious!”

It’s understandable that I might get hungry in the midst of a myriad of culinary choices that the market offers. But with all those options to chose from, one can get overwhelmed. Luckily I remembered a recommendation of a friend, Canadian foodie Sarah Elton.

La Crêperie du Marché serves up traditional French crepes in the heart of the market. The crepes, which come in two general categories (Savory or Sweet), are made of products only from Quebec, such as sarrasin (gluten-free buckwheat flour), fresh eggs and famous local cheeses. I opted for the ‘Spinach, Egg & Cheese’ option, and was initially impressed by the immenseness of the portion, and then crispy, warm, yumminess of the crepe.

Jérôme, the French owner of the shop, has had crepe-devotion for his entire life. He learned the magic of the crepe at La Crêperie de Josselin, in Paris, and brought his culinary craftiness to Montreal. La Crêperie du Marché was born!

So when you’re wandering through the Jean Talon Market, and feel an internal calling for something delicious, head over to La Crêperie.

You won’t be disappointed.

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THE DETAILS

La Crêperie du Marché
514-238-0998
Jean-Talon Market
7070, Henri-Julien
www.creperiedumarche.com

Insider Info: La Crêperie uses 100% biodegradable cups, utensils and plates. Which allows you to have a truly environmentally friendly meal while you’re in the Jean Talon Market. Brilliant!

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