I feel I should start by saying that my aunt is an A-MA-ZING cook. She has dangerously low vision, but she loves to entertain and puts incredible meals on the table. She is of the opinion that a dinner that last less than 2 hours was probably only a snack. Her idea of "something we tossed together" starts with cocktails and appetizers, moves through wine and lasagne, through an optional cheese course, and on to two choices for dessert with coffee.
And, yes, that's what we had on our first night in Montreal. We weren't sure when we'd get in, so she said "I'll just do 'potluck' and pull something out of the fridge when you come in" and that's what we had. No vacation is bad that starts out like that.
Our second night - still with my aunt - was a stuffed porkloin, after leek soup, and before another two home-made dessert choices.
I should mention that breakfasts while at the Quality Hotel were... well... we didn't get breakfasts there. Instead, whether with Marie or on our own, we stopped at Tim Hortons for donuts. They do great donuts (of all different varieties) as well as muffins and croissants, and apparently good coffee, too. Seriously. SO much better than Starbucks, without nearly as much attitude.
Our third night - when we were at the Le Meridien Versailles - we went to l'Academie on Crescent Street. We had gone to another location of l'Academie with my aunt three years ago. It's an "Apportez Votre Vin" restaurant, so we ran out and got some wine from the local SAQ, and then tucked ourselves in on their top floor for a great meal. Christopher started with a Caesar salad (apparently a slightly bland dressing), and I started with Coquilles St-Jacques. The first time I had Coquilles St-Jacques was also in Montreal - at my aunt's. If you've never had it, it's basically a "seafood stew" in a creamy white sauce, topped with whipped potatoes and a little cheese - and it's all served on a shell. It was amazing. Better than I had imagined it would be. I kept saying to Christopher "This is so good. I'm sorry you can't have any." (He has a possible shellfish allergy), but I couldn't stop myself from barrelling through it. Main courses were Chicken in a Pink Peppercorn sauce (mine) and Bacon-wrapped filet (Christopher's), and dessert was a Chocolate-Hazelnut torte with a crispy/crunchy crust. SO good.
Saturday, back at my aunt's, we had a couple of my cousins over, as well. Another amazing meal, this time centered on chicken. She obviously never runs out of recipes or ideas!
On Sunday, on our drive north to Mont-Tremblant, we stopped at what is apparently the ultimate "you've got to stop here on your drive north" breakfast place: Au Petit Poucet. What a great place! A great big, rustic interior - complete with a massive fireplace in the center (and various taxidermied animals on the walls). The staff were fun and polite - in both English and French - and the food was amazing. This is an eggs and bacon and hash browns and pancakes and ham and syrup kind of place. Tons of food. Not bad prices. Worth every good word we heard about it. Heck - even worth a trip up there from the city just for brunch!
Okay... That's a little more than half of the trip, so I think we'll stop there for now.
More food coming your way, soon.
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