PASTRIES/BAKERY IN MONTREAL

Hi. My groom and I are planning a week in the Burlington area of VT for a week; however, we're thinking about taking a side trip to Montreal. Where would you suggest for the greatest pastries and coffee for an afternoon break in Montreal. Thanks.

[chongman]

I would have to agree that Duc de Lorraine had the best pastries. Their croissant was as good as Paris, they had a pain au chocolat that had really good chocolate, and I loved their rum danish.

http://www.ducdelorraine.com/english....

Première Moisson, has good pastries and anything, but they are still franchise, wich mean they have less specificity... For that one, I'd suggest the one in the Jean-Talon market, wich will also offer you the opportuniy to wander in the market and the area around.

But...

Montréal, most keept secret about bakery is
Les copain d'abord, on 1969 Mont-Royal east. This is a significantly smaller bakery, but the made the best Croissant and brioche in town. If your there on Saturday or sunday try the "Brioche à la fleur d'oranger" (orange flower brioche?)

For the bread maniac, the place is Le Fromentier, on Laurier east, near street Fabre. On bread they are just the best and the most diverse...

They also have a nice selection of cheese.

I just got back from a weekend in Montréal, and I agree that the greatest bakery is indeed Première Moisson. My preferred location is the big one next to the Second Cup coffee shop (conquering Canada as fast as Starbucks has the US, but one can't deny the quality of the drinks is good) on Bernard in Outremont. We sampled both pastry items (pain au chocolat, blueberry danish, apricot croissant) and lunch items (turkey sandwich, ham sandwich, feuilleté au jambon et fromage, tomato potage). The pastries easily surpassed anything I've ever had in the States, with the pain au chocolat especially approaching France-level goodness. All three earn points for not being overly sweet, a quality that unfortunately afflicts too many American pastries. The soup and sandwiches were outstanding as well, the feuilleté especially bursting with gruyère flavor. The Outremont neighborhood is beautiful as well, with main streets recalling my home, the Hyde Park area of Chicago, or the Auteuil district in Paris. The surrounding residential side streets are charming, again reminiscent of Hyde Park or Oak Park, Illinois, and definitely merit a drive through.

I visit Montreal twice a month, and am still drawn to La Brioche Lyonnaise. The pastries are fantastic. And the lunch is wonderful....

My most favorite spot is a bakery cafe called Olive et Gourmando's in Old Montreal. (on the corner of St. Pierre and St. Paul I think) - tres chic. Really good but closed on Sun and Mon. Ask around - everyone loves this place - it's way hip and busy for breakfast and lunch. Everything I have tried there is good. Really good. Have fun!

If you want to go in style, you could try the Jardins du Ritz, the indoor garden of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Sherbrooke. They serve lunch in a lovely setting, and I'm sure there are excellent pastries to choose from.

Premiere Moisson has great pastries and multiple locations, should be easy to find.

Since it appears you will be on your honeymoon, maybe I shouldn't ask, but "afternoon break" from WHAT?

Trust me, it doesn't come better than this:

Pâtisserie De Gascogne
237 Laurier W.

and

Duc de Lorraine (home of the best croissants in mtl)
http://www.ducdelorraine.com/english....

Hy,
Where can I find a short term cours in bakery-pastry in Montreal.
Thank you.

http://www.academieculinaire.com/
http://www.ithq.qc.ca/