Just moved to Montreal, looking for good grocery store in Plateau with local produce

[lilfish]

We just moved from Toronto to the Plateau in Montreal. In Toronto we were devoted Fiesta Farms shoppers ... great selection of local produce, good cheeses and breads, 'healthy' and organic foods, both imported and Canadian goods, amazing vegetarian selections ... etc. We've only been here a week so haven't had a chance to look around all that much but so far I haven't seen anything similar. The closest option seems to be shopping at a variety of small (and expensive) fruiteries, bakeries, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions for a Fiesta Farms style store around here?
On a related note, any tips on good local CSAs or food shares?
Thanks!

[vermontrealer]

We live in the Plateau, and I can't think of anything that would quite fit that bill (though I'm not familiar with Fiesta Farms)--one ideal store within easy walking distance. We end up shopping here and there: Fruiterie Muscat (St. Denis @ St. Joseph) for fruits and vegetables (it's not cheap, but it's a nice store; there are a few similar ones scattered in the Plateau), Vieille Europe on St. Laurent for local cheeses and gourmet items, one of the several Plateau bakeries for breads/baked goods. The more "health" and "organic" stores have, in my experience, disappointing produce. There's also a small outdoor Farmers' Market in the Plateau:

http://www.marcheduluth.com/

More often, we make the trek to the Jean-Talon Market once or twice a week (there are threads devoted to it on here if you aren't already familiar) and stock up on many of the things you're looking for, while treating ourselves to lunch and ice cream.

Enjoy the Plateau, neighbor. :-)

[rakeypakey]

This is the CSA I joined, the drop off is on Berri behind the Mont Royal metro station every Wed between 5:30 - 6:30 : http://www.lesjardinsdupetittremble.ca/

Even if you haven't signed up for a vegetable basket they sell individual fruits, vegetables, eggs etc.

[lagatta]

I don't know where you are in the Plateau, but if it is westerly, you must discover supermarché PA - rather small for a "supermarket" but very well stocked. www.supermarchepa.com on avenue du Parc, between St-Joseph and Laurier. Great weekly specials, lots of fruit and veg (some, but not all, local).

Once again, it depends where you live, but many parts of the Plateau really aren't far from Jean-Talon Market.

[eoj]

I recall from when I first moved to Montreal from Ontario that the bread prices seemed expensive. That's just what bakery bread costs in Montreal. But you can get good, real bread from a nearby bakery in *any* part of the Plateau. I'd be surprised if it was possible to be more than 10 mins walk from a good bakery.

Jean Talon market is the way to go for local produce at good prices. It's a short bixi or metro ride from most places in the Plateau. I like Maison du Roti for meat and there's a nice cheese shop up on Laurier, and of coures Le Fromentier. But it depends which part of the Plateau you're in, whether these are convenient or not.

The Plateau retains the European style of food shopping with many small, independent shops preferred over a single monster grocery store (though there's a huge Provigo on Mont-Royal if that's your style).

[The Chemist]

Agreed. You typically have to go to different places for different things. Eventually, you know where the cheapest X is, and you go there for that. I have a nice circle which I do when I need to stock up. It includes the others mentioned here but I would add Charcuterie Fairmount (3833 Boulevard Saint Lauren) to the list for anything porc related. Oh man, just thinking about those sausages now...

On a personal note, I really prefer the idea of going to a bakery for bread, a poissonnerie for fish, etc. Supermarkets are sterile by comparison.

[eoj]

Is that the charcuterie that sells the super smoky bacon that you can buy unsliced? I never remember the name of the place but it's on St-Laurent around there. They also carry a yummy brand of frozen perogies.

[Plateaumaman]

Welcome, lilfish. My family in Toronto loves Fiesta Farms but it is nothing compared to Marché Adonis! You must check it out. http://www.adonisproducts.com.

Of course that's not in the Plateau so we plan our outings there, book a Communauto and off we go. Otherwise, we grab things at the Fruiterie du Plateau on Roy, get cheap organic products and more at Segal's on St-Laurent, cheese at Vieille Europe, head to the markets mentioned here. We don't get to Marché Jean-Talon as often as we'd like since we can walk to Marché Fermier on Sundays or pick up good vegetables in front of metro Mont-Royal. I also really like Supermarché Sakaris which has a nice mix of ethnic produce, and Soares for Portugese stuff. Well, anyway, lots of choice. And if you are close to it, lots of people swear by Supermarché PA.

I also like the CSA already mentioned here, Jardins du Petit Tremble, particularly as they will deliver to my home in the dead of winter. Nice not to have to cart all those rutabagas home in the snow when it is -30C. Something else you can do here and not in TO is order online from IGA, which can be handy in winter also.

[lagatta]

If you don't have to go as big a shopping as Plateaumaman (with kids and all) you can also easily get to Adonis by taking the métro to Sauvé and the bus west to Acadie (it doesn't take long). It is quite a spectacular place, and the pastries (savoury and sweet) are more than a bit tempting.

Segall's is quite the place. Organics as in packaged and frozen stuff, good for cheap dairy (including goat milk's cheese, milk and yoghourt) and staples, but not the best or freshes produce. It is very, very cheap and always packed.

[kpzoo]

Taking public transit, I'd recommending heading to the Adonis at Place Vertu instead. Metro to Cote-Vertu & hop on the bus to take you out a bit further west. Bigger, newer, less crowded location. Love, love, love that store.

[SnackHappy]

Is it really bigger? The two times I went there, it felt smaller than Sauvé, and I thought the floor plan was just terrible. Although it does look very nice.

[kpzoo]

I don't know the square footage of both, I will admit. Compared to their original location I used to go to years ago, they are both cavernous. For some reason, the Place Vertu one feels bigger to me, but it may not literally be bigger. But it's definitely newer. ;-)

[lagatta]

It is certainly a lovely store and one of the few state-of-the-art design supermarkets in the Montréal area, but it is a lot farther from the Plateau. Yes, you can get to Côte-Vertu on the orange line, but you are doing a long U ride. I live due north of the Plateau and just take the orange line a few stops and then the Sauvé bus west. The fact that both legs are short makes it far more accessible. I also ride my bicycle there, but mostly in mild weather - when it is really hot it is too far to get perishibles back safely, even with an insulated bag. They have some remarkable deals, including a fast lunch (falafel, shish taouk etc) at their prepared foods counter. They aren't the best place for local produce, but I buy almost all my produce either at JTM - or PA.

There are a lot of worthwhile shops close to JTM, in particular a knot of Sino-Cambodian and Sino-Vietnamese shops on St-Denis from de Castelnau to Bélanger, just north and just south of Jean-Talon métro.