Montreal: Part Deux

As you know I spent the past few days in the lovely city of Montreal {see more pictures here}.  I had heard the food-scene was amazing, but also was a bit apprehensive in that typical Canadian fare is very meat-heavy which makes it difficult for a girl who rarely eats meat.  WOW, was I ever wrong!  I would argue that our meals rivaled that which I ate in France and in Italy -- a bold statement especially coming from the ultimate Francophile.  

First and foremost, my favorite restaurant hands-down was Olive + Gourmando.  I had read about it on food blogs and when we saw it was only a few blocks from our hotel we decided to stop there on our first day for lunch.  The food was so amazing that we ended up going back two more times throughout our trip!  Every single thing we ate at this restaurant was perfection.  We had perfect pastries, decadent truffle mac & cheese, and most memorably an amazing snack of homemade ricotta with lemon, microgreens, cinnamon/cayenne butternut squash, and grilled sourdough bread on the side.  If you are ever in the Montreal area I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Another wonderful experience was visiting the Marche Jean Talone in Little Italy.  We wandered around sampling row after row of fresh seasonal produce.  Surrounding the market were tiny little shops selling breads, meats, cheeses, and pastries.  Street performers {including one couple who sang the most adorable rendition of "La Vie En Rose"} were scattered throughout the property just adding to its European ambiance.  

Speaking of pastries, oh my goodness.  I felt as if I had been transported back to Paris, as we had some of the most amazing sweets ever.  One restaurant that really stood out was Juliette & Chocolat which specialized in every form of chocolate you could imagine.  From chocolate cakes, tarts, truffles, candies, pastries, drinks, even salads {yes, they have a special raspberry chocolate vinaigrette they serve on their salads which is simply divine} I felt as though I was living inside the wonderful French film "Chocolat."  Bon appetit!