FRENCH MUSIC IN MONTREAL

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With the Quebec Folk Festival (the Internationale de Musique Folk de Quebec) in full swing and culminating with some great shows this weekend, this seems as good a time as any to tell you where to find traditional Quebecois music in Montreal… … More

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HOW TO SPEND A DAY LIKE A PRINCESS IN MONTREAL!

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Warning: The following article will either make you very jealous or inspire you to book the next flight to Montreal. Every woman deserves at least one day a year when she can treat herself like a princess. You work hard, clean, cook, are a devoted mother, wife, girlfriend, sister, child, friend… The time has come to take some time for yourself and have fun, like royalty! … More

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OLIVE & GOURMANDO: WHERE HOLLYWOOD STARS EAT

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Because of our diverse architecture and four distinct seasons, Montreal is a go-to destination for Hollywood film productions. And since most of the big movie stars stay in Old Montreal during shoots, so don’t be surprised if you see one chomping on a huge sandwich at Olive & Gourmando, a fantastic local bakery and café.

http://www.youtube.com/v/AExUtm8ihUM&hl=en&fs=1

On any given day, you’ll find Olive & Gourmando chock full of business people, tourists and locals, all happily munching on their pastries or signature sandwiches. Try the Cuban, which is filled with pork, cheese and chipotle mayo, or the chicken sandwich with mango, tomato and avocado. The bread is baked in-house, so everything is really fresh and flavourful.

If you go for lunch and want to eat on-site, arrive early – the place gets packed in no time.  But most people choose the take-out route and eat their sandwiches on the bench outside the restaurant or near the waterfront, which is just a block away. On weekends, people even drive down from the suburbs to have a croissant or Valrhona chocolate brioche for breakfast. As for tourists, a number have told me that a trip to Olive & Gourmando quickly becomes a morning ritual for the duration of their trip. And I can’t blame them… Olive & Gourmando is home to what is probably the most beloved brownie in town.

Olive & Gourmando
351 St-Paul West, Montreal, H2Y 2A7
http://www.oliveetgourmando.com/index_flash.cfm

Business Hours
Tuesday to Saturday, 8 am to 6 pm
Closed Sunday and Monday

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LUNCH TO GO FROM EUROPEA ESPACE BOUTIQUE

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On a sunny day in Old Montreal, it can feel like a crime eating lunch indoors. But in a gastronomic paradise like Montreal, it’s even more of a crime to pick up crappy fast food to eat by the waterfront. Luckily, Europea Espace Boutique has the solution for you, ready to go in a cute little lunch box. … More

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GRAZIELLA ITALIAN RESTAURANT: GNOCCHI WITH A TWIST

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Served in a tomato sauce brimming with fresh cherry tomatoes and asparagus, the gnocchi were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Between bites, I found myself wondering how I’d gone for so many years oblivious to the fact that this dish existed. … More

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MONTREAL€�S 5 BEST ICE CREAM SHOPS

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Montreal can be really hot and humid in the summer. Fortunately, you can find deliciously refreshing frozen treats pretty much everywhere. And since there’s no way I could eat it all myself, no matter how hard I try, I thought I’d share my favourite places for ice cream with you. … More

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BAR ET BOEUF: SEVEN COURSES FOR $59!

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There’s a new restaurant in town, and does it ever look promising! Bar et boeuf, which opened on May 6, offers an intriguing menu – duck foie gras terrine with hibiscus, Brussels sprouts with rice krispies, wild sea bass with green peas, wasabi-spaghetti squash – for an even more intriguing price: seven courses for $59 (or $109 with 5 glasses of wine)! … More

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FRENCH KISSES ::: 4 PLACES TO KISS IN MONTREAL

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kiss (kis) v. The touching of one person’s lips to another place, which is used as an expression of affection, respect, greeting, farewell, good luck, romantic affection or sexual desire. The word comes from Old English cyssan, “to kiss”, in turn from coss “a kiss.”

Find out where the best places are to kiss in Montreal. And get my special invitation…
… More

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HEY CUPCAKE!

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It’s been many years since Carrie Bradshaw brought the cupcake back from its decadent hibernation. And the cupcake craze has been roaring ever since.

Montréal has a few places to indulge in petits gâteaux (aka cupcakes), and Les Glaceurs is one of my faves. … More

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CHATTIN€� WITH RICHARD BURNETT

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Back when I was a wee lad of just 17 years, I was living in a prairie city where “gay” was… well… pretty queer. Each week I would get my dose of homo culture by picking up the local alt-weekly newspaper. Flipping quickly to the back, I would revel in the words (and rants) of the Three Dollar Bill, Canada’s first syndicated gay column.

Times have changed, and now I live in one of the most diverse and liberal cities in the world where gay is… well… pretty fabulously normal. But despite the changes in time and geography, my respect for the Three Dollar Bill has not diminished.

I recently sat down with the incomparable Richard Burnett (Mr. “Three Dollar Bill” himself) to sip sangria and chat about Montréal.

Watch the 2-minute interview and check out Richard’s Must-not-be-Missed-List. … More

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