Whether you are a professional or an amateur, this unique event allows you access to 200 wine producers and brewers from 20 different countries. On the agenda for the 3-day gathering are theme-based activities, compelling conferences and much more. You will be able to meet the producers in one-on-one encounters, sample some of the 1,200 products available (including many exclusive ones), brush up on some of the latest tools of the trade and stock up for the year!

Each year, La Grande Dégustation showcases a country or region. For the 2012 edition, Portugal is in the spotlight. Forty Portuguese producers will be on hand for you to meet; pick their brains, ask questions, discuss grape varieties and soil conditions and sample some of their best offerings. Cabernet Sauvignon and rums of the world will also be honoured in this 2012 edition.

La Grande Dégustation is the perfect complementary event (and main sponsor) of Montreal’s first ever restaurant week, TASTE MTL, taking place November 1-11. You can purchase individual tickets or a 3-day passport at any SAQ store or at SAQ.com. No need to bring your glass with you, a tasting glass is included in the price of the ticket.

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THE DETAILS

La Grande Dégustation de Montréal, 1001 place Jean-Paul Riopelle

Opening Hours:
Reserved sessions (Holders of 3-day passports, media representatives, licensees (hoteliers & restaurateurs) and SAQ wine consultants. Credentials required)
November 8: Noon – 4pm

General public:
November 8: 4pm – 9pm
November 9th and 10th: Noon – 9pm

The post WINE LOVERS REJOICE AT LA GRANDE DÉGUSTATION DE MONTREAL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Of course, with our city’s wealth of French chefs and immigrant populations (Italians, Hungarians, Spanish), each with their own traditional recipes for charcuteries of all kinds, this is a great city to become a shark for Charc’.

Our latest, greatest stop for charcuterie is at chef Segué Lepage’s new-ish wine bar, Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins. This warm and delicious little spot on Saint-Laurent was recently named one of the best new restaurants in Canada, and with good reason! The basement of his blond-wood wine bar is a temple to the transformed pig, and during off-hours, you can watch the magic through the big window in his cutting room (sale de decoupage).

Lepage really knows his stuff. His classic assiette de charcuterie features a chorus line of lomo, pâté de campagne, coppa, porchetta di testa (Italian headcheese), saucisse sèche, fennel saucisson and soppresatta. And not only is his meat board note-perfect, he also has a blackbord of specials, market-fresh plates created around his cured meats and other delicacies. Note: Le Comptoir is packed to the gills during happy hour and in the evenings, so be sure to call ahead.

There are other stops worth making on the Montreal charcuterie trail as well. At Les Trois Petits Bouchons, an atmospheric stone basement on Saint-Denis, they make their own terrines, mousses and saucisses, and pair them passionately with natural wines hand-selected by the house sommelier.

If you’re in the neighbourhood of Jean-Talon Market or Atwater markets, why not stop off to sample our favourite charcuterie kiosk? The Cochons Tout Ronds (round little pigs) of the Magdalen Islands make some pretty heady stuff: besides their hams, saucissons and other delicacies, including pigs ears and feet, last week when I stopped off they had a sale on all the ingredients for a good cassoulet (bean stew from the south of France): Salted pork, Toulouse sausage and more.

At Brasserie t!, funky little sister to Montreal’s venerable Restaurant Toqué!, the charcuterie board is as lively as the neighbourhood: expect to find a chicken liver pate, beautiful headcheese, soulful duck rillettes, served with crusty bread and a personal pot of cornichons, or little pickles.

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THE DETAILS

Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins, 4807 Saint-Laurent, (514) 844-8467

Les Trois Petits Bouchons, 4669 Rue Saint-Denis, (514) 285-4444

Les Cochons Tout Ronds, 7070 Avenue Henri Julien, Jean Talon Market, (514) 904-2645

Brasserie t!, 1425 Rue Jeanne-Mance, (514) 282-0808

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

Van Horne Cuisine du Marché: Art is a high priority at this beautiful little white bistro on avenue Van Horne in Outremont: there’s a Richard Bernstein litho of Picasso behind the bar and a wall gallery of Lichtenstein plates in the dining room and the food is high art as well. Young chef Eloi Dion, who was previously a commis at the ultra-chic private supper club 357c, is actually at the stove in the bistro’s cozy space, and serves up plates that are wildly creative, expertly prepared with an eye towards aesthetics. A recent dinner included a roasted veal salad with piri-piri and a pan-seared savoury pumpkin cake, followed by a deconstructed apple tart that was so fresh and popping with flavour that it may as well have fallen straight off the tree.

Les 400 Coups opened last year amid great fanfare: Marc-André Jetté, well-known on the food scene here from stints at Laloux, Bu, Chez L’Épicier and others, opens his haute bistro in Old Montreal with partners Patrice Demers (pastry chef) and Marie-Josée Beaudoin (sommelière). The menu is iconoclastic, the buzz is high and a reservation here is already sought-after on weekend nights- this enRoute accolade only solidifies this resto’s rep as a new Montreal classic.

Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins: Ségué Lepage’s small spot on St-Laurent is almost impossible to wedge yourself into during 5 à 7 (happy hour) time on a weekday, that’s how popular the place is. He’s figured out a winning formula- an accessible wine list complimented by small plates with fresh seasonal accents constructed before your eyes behind the bar in the main-floor kitchen based on the array of intensely delicious, traditional charcuteries that he crafts in his basement kitchen/lab. Lepage is dedicated to upholding and innovating on the rich tradition of Québec cuisine while keeping flavours fresh and inventive. Le Comptoir is what Montreal cuisine is (and should be) all about.

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THE DETAILS

Van Horne Cuisine du Marché, 1268 Van Horne, (514) 508-0828

Les 400 Coups, 400 Notre-Dame East, (514) 985-0400 ‎

Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins, 4807 Saint-Laurent, (514) 844-8467

The post 3 MONTREAL RESTAURANTS NAMED BEST IN CANADA appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Few countrysides are as lovely, interesting and full of activities as the Eastern Townships—from village Farmers’ Markets to colonial churches, haute gastronomy in five-star inns and outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking, boating, horseback riding and several well-established, verdant cycling routes.

Off the Beaten Track: Would you like to visit North America’s second biggest operational lavender farm? Bleu Lavande, a family-run farm that harvest fields of the pungent purple flower near the town of Fitch Bay, is one of the area’s most unusual attractions and a great place for a picnic and for the whole family to stretch their legs. Learn about the extraction process for lavender essential oil and its medicinal and culinary uses, and shop in their extensive boutique (lavender salad dressing or lip balm, anyone?) Tip: Just before the turnoff to the farm, there’s a disused covered bridge with a sole picnic table that would be a great place for a private picnic, too.

Would you rather walk the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Coaticook? Hike to the highest peak on Mont Orford? Do a tour of village cafés, churches or historical houses? See Ayer’s Cliff’s finest bard, David Francey, perform an intimate concert at The Piggery theatre? Do a cider-tasting at one of several local ciderhouses? Simply veg out with a Tom Collins on an Adirondack chair facing Lake Massawippi, Memphremagog or Lac-Mégantic? The Townships have something for everyone.

Alpine Spa: Less than an hour’s drive from Montreal’s South Shore, the five-year-old Balnea Spa is a unique retreat in Bromont, the gateway to the townships. Built to resemble a high-architectural ski cabin, with a stunning view on a glassy lake and the mountains beyond, this “thermal retreat” is an uber-Nordic spa experience. New this year, lakeside wooden personal soaking pools and plenty of couches, daybeds and even hillside beanbags make Balnéa an incredible place to flake out for an afternoon, year-round. Bonus: You can also now replicate an on-thego version of the Balnéa experience at the Montreal airport.

Travelers’ Rest: Want to sleep in a treehouse or a yurt with a mountain view ? What about a night in a spa retreat ? Would you rather camp lakeside? All options for lodging are available in the Eastern Townships, including Hovey Manor, a five-star Relais et Chateaux inn that has been a dearly beloved and sought-after retreat for decades (it’s also family-run: the Stafford family has owned the hotel since 1979). Modeled on George Washington’s Mount Vernon mansion, Hovey Manor belonged to Henry Atkinson, an American captain of industry, until it became an inn in 1950. Since then, its stunning views of Lake Massawippi and pastoral English gardens bursting with floral life make this 32-room inn an ideal and refined holiday destination.

Chef Roland Ménard has been creating ultra-contemporary and sophisticated seasonal menus for the dining room for 30 years, and his kitchen is fed by their kitchen garden just below the Montcalm suite, as well as the harvest from an A+ farm in the nearby village of Ste-Catherine-de Hatley. The Manor’s wine cave is also reputed, and they distinguish themselves by pairing local specialties such as cider and icewine, with dishes that showcase the local bounty of the season.

In the winter, different activities beckon: A sleigh ride, a snowy lake view, or an evening curled up with a book from Henry Atkinson’s book collection the library. Hovey Manor is possibly Quebec’s best-loved historical hotel, and a great way to immerse yourself in the past with all (and we mean all) modern amenities.

The concierge at Hovey Manor enthusiastically recommended the Compton agricultural market in September and the Harvest Festival. As well, there are plenty of other gourmet activities year-round, including two gourmet tours: One is on the “Orford Express” train, and the other a luxury cruiser that offers stunning sunset dinner cruises on Lake Memphremagog, as well as several other escapades. There’s also a wine route, for those who want to get their tasting on.

The post ESCAPE TO QUEBEC’S EASTERN TOWNSHIPS appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Dispensing wine advice at restaurants is a job usually associated with men, so it’s great to see that Montreal bucks the trend. And with honours: Elyse Lambert (pictured above) for example, was voted best sommelière in the Americas in 2009 and travels often to the wine-producing regions of the world. While she’s become a bit of a celebrity in Montreal, her tips are part of the package when you have dinner at the super trendy Le Local, where she works. Elyse appears on a local TV show, tasting and dissecting wines in French – but she’s not the only sommelière who’s good on camera.

The beautiful Aurélia Filion of Le Club Chasse et Pêche restaurant (one of my favourites) – has created quite a buzz with the snappy videos she posts on her blog. She films herself talking about wine, in a room with bottles in the background. The result could have been massively boring, but she actually draws in the viewer with her unaffected enthusiasm and charisma.

Equally blonde and mignonne, sommelière Marie-Josée Beaudoin co-owns Montréal’s hottest new restaurant, Les 400 Coups and also finds time to blog. Her wine list is filled with surprising finds and her pairings can be refreshingly atypical. One hit currently on the menu is the glass of Jurançon (Château Jolys 2008) that is proposed with the impossibly delicious dessert called “Green” (apple granité, pistachios, olive oil, micro cilantro leaves, ultra-creamy white chocolate yogurt). Another bold choice is the local red wine sold by-the-glass (Chateau Taillefer Lafon 2006), made just north of Montreal in Laval. While not always a crowd-pleaser, it’s quite a curious discovery.

Working much further uptown than the three others, who are all in Old Montreal, Etheliya Hananova is one of the best things about the hip little restaurant Lawrence. She may draw stares from customers for her gorgeous looks, but gets her cred in the business from a solid formation and a shining personality. She’s on-hand almost every night to help regulars and newcomers alike navigate what food critic Lesley Chesterman of The Gazette calls “a great little wine list”.

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THE DETAILS

Lawrence, 5201 St-Laurent, (514) 503-1070

Le Local, 720 William, (514) 397-7737

Les 400 Coups, 400 Notre-Dame East, (514) 985-0400

Le Club Châsse et Pêche, 423 St-Claude, (514) 861-1112

Photo Credit: Andrea Doucet Donida, Alexandra Forbes

The post MONTREAL’S TOP SOMMELIERES appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

“Sister” is the operative word here; on a recent Saturday night out with a girlfriend, we noticed that most of the other tables for two in Bocata were similarly occupied with sets of ladies, dressed to the nines, who had stopped off for glasses of wine and small plates before hitting a hotspot in Old Montreal—say Velvet Speakeasy on the nearby Rue Saint-Gabriel.

Bocata’s best feature, besides the cozy feeling you get from lounging around a centuries-old greystone cavern with full bookshelves gleaming in candlelight, is the 15 page wine list (also housed within the pages of repurposed books). Not that food is an afterthought for chef Benjamin Leonard; indeed, half-glasses of the wines listed on the board ensure that you can pair with every course.

The menu features small-plates, still, we chose to graze on a first course and a main plate each: It’s spring, after all, and light is right. The arugula and smoked-duck salad plate spilled over with fresh greens, and was accented by a pancetta and apple vinaigrette. The lobster and sweet-corn salad was more sculptural, laid out like a painting on a plate with accents of pickled shallots and tomato.

For mains, on our server’s recommendation, we tried a square of perfect halibut, with a mushroom duxelles with artichoke. The all-day braised triple-A beef cheeks were served in a hotpot, accented with potato emulsion, and washed down with a light red. Perfect for a chill spring night.

Barroco is as warm and inviting as its sibling next door, with a more formal-dining vibe. The menu itself seems to emulate the restaurant’s name (Baroque in Italian). A “taste of spring” salad announces the first endives, embellished with brussels sprouts, pecans and gorgonzola. They also privilege fresh-caught fish and seafood; there’s a catch of the day option (market-priced), a dish of grouper and grilled octopus, and a signature paella that’s packed with lobster, shrimp and scallops.

The menu also features full-meat dishes, such as a steak with chimichurri that ranks among the best in town, as well as studied full-course meals such as guinea hen with cognac and truffle sauce, with purple potatoes and manchego. Locavorism is not the standard though, as their smoked salmon is from Ireland. For those who happen by in-season, Barroco has a take on the Lobster Shack that’s positively, well, baroque.

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THE DETAILS

Bocata, 310 Saint-Paul West, (514) 507-8727

Barroco, 312 Saint-Paul West, (514) 544-5800

The post BOCATA AND BARROCO IN OLD MONTREAL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

So it comes as no surprise that Le Filet, the fish-and-seafood version of Chasse et Pêche, has been packed since day one. Working in their favour, besides keeping the flagship resto’s cooking steadily excellent over time, are the relatively low prices and the novelty factor of speacializing in things from lake and sea in a town not known for that.

If you like extra-attentive service, white tablecloths and a certain sense of occasion, stick with the always classy and romantic Chasse et Pêche, which, at its Old Montreal address, is easier to get to for most out-of-towners. But if you love the loud hum of a popular new place and prefer your dinners easy and informal, Le Filet should be on your must-try list. The place, with a long bar and an open kitchen, is always hopping with a hip-and-youngish crowd, decibels bouncing off the metallic wall panelling.

And the food? As expected, on the night of my visit, it was stellar. Pelletier and Marsolais have had help with that: chef Yasu Okazaki, also a partner, is the whiz manning the stoves. (A fourth partner, Patrick St-Vincent, is a sommelier who really knows his stuff and put together a very impressive wine list.)

If Club Châsse et Pêche built its reputation partly on the always excellent surf’n’turf dish, at Le Filet, too, they play that card to great effect. The heavenly, buttery and golden black cod came with tiny chorizo croutons. An oh-so-crispy scallop sat atop a melt-in-your-mouth chunk of pork shank oozing its juices onto the silky polenta that served as a base. The lobster and breaded sweetbreads were nearly as delicious, their textures a slight bit too similar to stand out.

As we head into spring and the days grow longer, one good idea is to go for an afternoon stroll around the Plateau neighbourhood (the restaurant sits across from the public tennis courts and a short walk from both Mount Royal Park and Saint Laurent Boulevard), and leisurely make it to Le Filet on foot or by bike for an early dinner (the place doesn’t open for lunch).

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THE DETAILS

Le Filet, 219 Mont-Royal West, (514) 360-6060

The post LE FILET: MONTREAL’S BEST NEW SEAFOOD RESTAURANT appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

If I may be perfectly honest, the reds are nothing to write home about: you’d need a whole lot more of sunshine and warm temperatures for that to happen. But the whites are perfectly drinkable and often quite delicious – as long as you know what producers to seek out. Top wineries are the very small Les Pervenches and the bigger L’Orpailleur, both located in a region called the Eastern Townships, a mere 45 minutes outside the city.

That’s not all: Québec wineries are actually better known for push-the-envelope sort of products that are sure to impress your wine snob friends back home. Ever heard of honey wine? How about ice cider? Both are local specialties that are much more refined and “grown-up” than one might guess.

Honey wine is still produced in miniscule quantities, and a bit of an acquired taste – although the Macle family in the Laurentians does a great job at keeping it low on the sugar content and high on freshness and acidity.

Ice cider, in the other hand, has recently become somewhat of a Québec specialty, sipped chilled or used to spike up fancy cocktails on both sides of the border. Bottles are expensive because of how labour-intensive it is to produce (apples must freeze on the vine and be picked at a very precise temperature, so they can be pressed immediately to retrieve their frozen nectar). Think of it as a cousin of Niagara’s better-known Icewines, but just as interesting and complex as a dessert wine that also pairs beautifully with strong cheeses, like a Roquefort. Get started by trying some of the award-winning Neige and Domaine Pinnacle products.

You can try all these things at local restaurants, but if the idea is to buy some to take back home, you’ll have to visit one of the city’s several SAQ wine boutiques (the only ones allowed to sell fine wines in the province). But here’s the catch: not all SAQs are created equal. The so-called SAQ Express or SAQ Classic stores are more basic and have few offerings of specialty products.

When shopping for Québec products, go instead to the outlets at the Atwater or Jean-Talon markets (which have what are called Terroirs d`Ici corners stocked with local stuff), or to the bigger SAQ Sélection right downtown, on De Maisonneuve street near the Quartier des Spectacles and The Bay department store.

There you’ll find local gems like the cassis liqueur made by a French expat and his daughters on the beautiful Île d’Orléans, or the apéritif La Marquise, which comes in such a pretty sculpted bottle that it wouldn’t even need to be so tasty to be a perfect gift. And if there’s ever anything specific that you tasted somewhere and want to bring home, be sure to check their website. Type the name of the wine (or cider) in the search box and it will tell you which store in town has it in stock.

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THE DETAILS

SAQ Sélection, 440 De Maisonneuve West, (514) 873-2274

SAQ Atwater Market, 110 Atwater Avenue, (514) 932-2574

SAQ Marché Jean-Talon, 200 Jean-Talon East, (514) 276-1512

The post QUEBEC WINES AND CIDERS AT THE SAQ appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Thankfully, the whole process of choosing wines for your meal is dealt with lightly and with plenty of good humour. All the tapas-sized dishes have cheeky names (yuppy duck tartare, anyone?) and the menu suggests not only an accord (pairing) but also a désaccord (an off-the-wall, unusual pairing that might seem, initially, to disagree with the food).

One might feel very adventurous when visiting Accords and try having their smoked ribs of bison with a white table wine from Domaine de la Rectorie, in France, for example, although I seriously recommend sticking with the more conventional pairing of a Vacqueyras red, also from France.

I, for one, stuck with the proposed “accords”. My duck tartare with fig and tiny nuggets of foie gras went nicely enough with the recommended Mordon 2009, from the Domaine Chamonard. As the night was windy and chilly, I chose something rich and comforting for next course (a great excuse to stay on the red wine!). Out of the kitchen came three big-bellied pasta pillows filled with pulled braised oxtail covered in a sticky, beefy sauce. The second wine pairing was also successful, but hey, how can one go wrong with a 1999 Pessac-Léognan?

The non-initiated and wine buffs alike are advised by the young-and-cute sommelier Philip Morriset (who worked for years at the excellent Club Chasse et Pêche, in the same neighbourhood) and can choose from a vast selection of wines-by-the-glass.

In colder months, diners are seated between wine cabinets and a stone wall, but as soon as the Montreal spring permits they open their beautiful terrasse. As owners Guy A. Lepage (of Québec television fame), Chantal Fontaine and Jean-Pierre Des Rosiers say, “we’ve given ourselves the restaurant that we’d like to go to as customers”.

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THE DETAILS

Accords, 212 Notre-Dame West, (514) 282-2020

The post ACCORDS, A WINE BAR IN OLD MONTREAL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Portuguese cuisine is known for its full flavours and, of course, fish! (The seafaring nation boasts the highest fish consumption per capita in Europe.) Olive oil is very important and garlic, coriander and parsley are used liberally. At the heart of it all is the principle of using quality ingredients, prepared simply to preserve the distinct, robust flavours. Oh, and the wines, both red and white, are a delight.

All of which which makes Portus Calle a place you should really visit, because not only are they the perfect spot for lunch or dinner, but they’ve also got a great boutique where you can buy wine, port, olive oil and much, much more. The media dinner we attended was held in honour of one of the restos’ upcoming High Lights events which features the renowned chef Johanne Vigneault, owner of La Table du Roy in Les Îles de la Madeleine. Portus Calle chef/owner Helena Loureiro created a menu with Vigneault to give a taste of what they’ll be serving during the foodie fest.

Rushing in from the nippy eve, we started with a warming sip of the restaurant’s house port, which prepared palates for the menu to come: carpaccio of young veal with sprouts, a trio of cultivated scallops, scrambled eggs with chorizo and asparagus, lobster bisque with sea foam and grilled shrimp, Mediterranean bar fish with baby clams and a wild rose sorbet touched with pastis.  Mmm…good!

The cuisine was simple and delicious with a fusion of subtle flavours. An interesting touch was the bread, served in a cloth bag, with butter and tiny black olives, whose sharp taste was a nice surprise. The carpaccio was sliced to perfection, and a perfect beginning. But the scallops – oh, the scallops. One had a miso vinaigrette and tasted slightly Asian, one was utterly natural with only lemon juice and one was touched delicately with fruits, adding a sweetness to the sea sense.

The asparagus dish was interesting with the crisply-cooked chorizo adding a spicy sensation to the mildness of the eggs and asparagus. And then the lobster bisque, served to sip from a tiny cup. Lovely! The bar fish was perfectly cooked, with the white flesh melting on the fork. The simple butter, oil and parsley base let the fish flavour come to the fore. Dessert was perfectly light, its tartness balancing out the elegant meal.

If this seems like your kind of thing, check out the events below where you can taste all of this yourself…

Double Trouble (February 21 & 22)

Portus Calle’s Helena Loureiro invites Portuguese chef and oenophile Margarida Cabaço into her kitchen. Cabaço loves wine pairings and in 2001 she produced her first wine, Monte dos Cabaços, with winemaker Susana Esteban. Together, Loureiro and Cabaço are sure to serve up an evening you won’t soon forget.

Magdalen Islands and Portugal in the Same Boat (February 24)

For the past 30 years, Chef Johanne Vigneault has been cooking at La Table des Roy in the Iles des Magdalen. Her refined menu is based on what the markets provide- sashimi with bay scallops, creamy polenta with Pied-de-Vent cheese, to name just a mouth-watering few. She will also be teaming up with Portus Calle’s Helena Loureiro to create a seafood lover’s feast.

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THE DETAILS

Portus Calle, 4281 St-Lawrence Street, Metro: Sherbrooke

Montreal High Lights Festival, February 17-27, 2011

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