Breakfast near Hotel le Saint Andre on St Andre St and more...

[javaandjazz]

Good morning,
We will be staying at the hotel le Saint Andre in mid august and would like to know of our breakfast options in that area. Also...what is not to miss in Montreal for us first timers. Are there any gourmet grocery shops similar to Zabar's in NYC? Thanks, Richie

[javaandjazz]

I would just like to thank you all for your recommendations. Although we did not get to all of the places that you mentioned,we did manage to get over to Rue St. Denis, several patisserie shops,the Jean Talon market which was the best market that I have ever seen! We also had a wonderful lunch at the Jean Talon market. I have to say the patiserie shops in MOntreal are of much better quality than I have ever seen in New York City!!!! We both really enjoyed our time there and are looking forward to returning someday. All the people in MOntreal we very friendly and helpful and there were people on the street coming up to us asking us if we needed any directions when they saw us reading the maps. We found our way around the city without getting lost and even managed on the metro wonderfully. Thanks!!!!!! Richie

[leeds]

Les Douceurs du Marche has Typhoo tea, regular and decaf!
That's at Atwater Market. There's a cafe just upstairs that has the best iced coffee, they start with espresso, add French chocolate powder, milk etc. It's good.

[Sam Ottawa]

Try Camelia Sinesis. In addition to carying a wonderful selection of teas, they have tea-tasting workshops, and the shop owners' passion for tea is quite contagious.

http://www.camellia-sinensis.com/php/...

[javaandjazz]

Thanks all so much for your recs! I really appreciate it very much. We are coming up there on august 18 and I can't wait. Are there any places to by tea? I enjoy Typhoo tea but don't see it in my area that often. Thanks again.

[leeds]

Yes, it was my first visit. My friend and I left hungry. We had to eat when we got home right after. I'm 5 zero, a bit over 100 lbs & my friend is exactly your size. Aside from the portion issue, neither one of us was at all impressed with the food. Average, not 'horse'portions, would have done nicely.
To give credit where it's due, the food presentation is lovely and the decor is also nice. We will not go again.

[carswell]

Campofiorin has pretty much got it covered. A few other places to add:
- Le Margaux www.hour.ca/food/food.aspx?iIDArticle=9615
- La Gaudriole www.total.net/~emve/
- Pintxo (256 Roy East corner Laval, 514 844-0222) for Basque tapas in a cosy setting. Table d'hôte is C$28 and gets you their choice of four tapas as a starter, your choice of a main and dessert.
- Milos www.milos.ca is the best and priciest fish resto in town but has a great $20 lunch special and on Sundays a $35 table d'hôte.
- Like Le Jolifou, both are something of a schlepp but also deliver bang for the buck: Le Bouchon de Liège (8497 Saint-Dominique, 514 807-0033) and newbie M sur Masson www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/weekendlife/story.html?id=589bad2b-e8a9-474f-8867-5fc44a32658d

By the way, Leméac has a great after-10 p.m. special. Choice of first course and main (from a short list of regular menu items) plus tea or coffee for $22 a head. You can see the menu on their website www.restaurantlemeac.com

[leeds]

Pintxo's is no longer a place to recommend IMO. I was there about 2 months ago & the portions were miniscule--outrageously so. I'm not recommending it to anyone I know. That & taste was not there either. Unsatisfactory. I had the table d'hôte.

[carswell]

Hmm. I ate there in May and the food was as good as ever. Was this your first visit?

You're not the first person to complain about the portion sizes but they haven't beeen an issue for me or any of the dozen or so people I've dined with there. I agree they aren't large and I wouldn't choose Pintxo if I were hungry enough to eat a horse but I've never left the place feeling anything but sated (and I'm 6'3" 210 lbs).

[Campofiorin]

You'll have plenty of choice within that range. Try Au Pied de Cochon fo an inly in Montreal experience. Au Petit Extra (http://www.aupetitextra.com/) is a very good bistro. L'Express or Le Continental will also fit the bill. On Laurier west, there's Leméac and Alloro. On Beaubien there's Le Jolifou that is really good. You could also visit a BYOB (no corkage fee) be it La Colombe (On Duluth), Yo-Yo (On Gilford), Les Héritiers (Garneier near Laurier east), Chez Pégase (Gilford) or P'tit Plateau (Ontario East near Papineau).

[javaandjazz]

HI,
Sorry about that. Is 30-40 without drinks possible? Even less if I am not asking too much. Thanks so much, Richie

[javaandjazz]

Thanks so mcuh for your replies. Those places you both recommended sound simply wonderful. What about dinner? Not too expensive,I am on a budget on this vacation. We like most anything. Are there any French restaurants that are mid-priced? Are there any mid-priced restaurants that are not to be missed? This is a first time for both of us and we are really looking forward to it. Thanks, Richie

[carswell]

Not trying to give you a hard time, Richie, but affordable can mean vastly different things to different people. Can you give us a per-person dollar range (US or Canadian) for a meal before drinks, tip and taxes?

[carswell]

If pastries and coffee are your idea of breakfast and you aren't early birds (I believe the store opens at 9 a.m.), you'll be only a few blocks away from Brioche Lyonnaise (1593 Saint-Denis, 514 842-7017). It's also a pretty good place for a light lunch (quiche, sandwich). For a fine breakfast -- especially with eggs -- in a relaxed French setting, walk a few blocks north on St-Denis to L'Express (3927 St-Denis, 514 845-5333), which opens at 8 a.m.

Every foodie visitor should spend an hour or two at Jean-Talon Market, especially this time of year. Best to go early on Friday evening or noonish on Saturday or Sunday.

Another foodie hotspot is Laurier Street West and East.
- West, on either side of Park Ave., is home to food boutiques like Gourmet Laurier and Anjou Québec, several cooking supply stores, one of the better SAQ outlets and many bakeries, pastry shops, coffee shops, cafés and restaurants. Plus cake boutique Cocoa Locale is a couple of blocks south on Park, the Fairmount bagel bakery a block north and St-Viateur Street (with the eponymous bagel factory, Greek gourmet shop and caterer Le Petit Milos, espresso bar Café Olympico, Italian grocer Latina and more bakeries, boutiques and cafés than you can shake a baguette at). Park Ave. and side streets also contain several gelato/ice cream shops of interest, not to mention the original Frite Alors!.
- Laurier East, between St-Hubert and Papineau (Laurier metro station), has a high concentration of first-rate pastry shops (e.g. Fous Desserts, Les saveurs du Plateau), cafés (Byblos, Les Entretiens), bakeries (Le Fromentier), cheese mongers, charcuteries, chocolateries, sushi shops, etc. in addition to a nice neighbourhood feel.

[leeds]

Hi! we need to know your criteria pls...what kind(s) of cuisine are you looking for, etc.? (Also, some excellent restaurants have been recommended here previously.)
One good point about where you're staying is that it's very close to the Metro Station, Berri-UQAM, which is the center of the metro system & means you can go in all directions easily!

As far as a gourmet grocery shop, we don't have one huge store, but many small good ones!
I recommend that you visit the market:
Marché Jean-Talon, 7070 Henri-Julien Ave.
Premiere Moisson has a bakery/cafe here - great all-butter croissants etc. You may also check cheese shops: Hamel, and Qui Lait Cru!?! (raw milk products, yum!) Then there's the excellent Le Marché des Saveurs du Quebec--ALL Quebec products, which has an excellent selection of food, including fish, meats, patés. Like I said, everything made in Quebec.
metro station: Jean Talon
Another place that I recommend: In Old Montreal- Olive & Gourmando, 351 St. Paul, artisanal bakery (breakfast/lunch), featuring fab brownies etc. AND on Friday and Saturday only: chocolate bread, not cake! Dark dense bread, not sweet, with HUGE chunks of dark Valhrona chocolate baked into it!
metro station: Square Victoria
Also:
Meu-Meu: ice cream shop on St. Denis below Mt. Royal; very different flavors, mostly made with organic ingredients, there's a selection of frozen soya milk ice cream.
metro station: Mt. Royal
St. Denis is a great street for walking around, hanging out and finding lots of restaurants, cafes, boutiques etc.