Scenic Vieux Montreal

To visit Montreal without visiting Vieux Montreal would be a crime. Here is a shot of a 18th century restaurant, one of the oldest in Montreal, located near the waterfront. We took this shot after a long day spent wandering this wonderful city.

Wine Flows Freely in Quebec

I'm always fascinated by visiting grocery stores in other countries... they always provide an interesting glimpse into the everyday products people use, the local cuisine and much more. You also get a sense for prices and the differences from country to country. For example, buying extra virgin olive oil in Italy is much less expensive than the U.S. The same goes for maple syrup here in Canada vs. the U.S.

So, we stopped in a SAQ Depot store while in Hull, Quebec (right across the river from Ottawa). When we drove past it, I saw that they were a wine and spirits store and I wanted to pick up a bottle of Canadian wine as a souvenir. By the way, if you haven't heard of SAQ (I hadn't)...

The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) is a state-owned corporation responsible for the trade of alcoholic beverages.

As a state-owned corporation, the SAQ provides a major income stream to both levels of government in the form of taxes, duties, and a dividend payment to the Quebec government.

Now, the SAQ Depot wasn't just any old wine store. Yes, you can buy a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or rum. However, if want to buy several bottles of everyday wine, SAQ allows you to pick and bottle your own wine in bulk.

As you come into the store, you'll spot a long wall lined with wine "stations" as I'll call them. Each station provides information on the wine, pricing and a tap for tasting and filling bottles.


After you've selected the wine you want, take a taste to make sure it lives up to your standards. I selected a nice red wine.


If the wine works for you, you can fill up as many bottles of wine as you need. We watched someone fill a case while we were there.


You then walk over to a contraption that allows you to cork the wine before you take it to the front and check out. If you'd like, you can even buy foil for the neck or labels. They pretty much have it all.


There are 6 SAQ Depot locations in Quebec including in Hull (Ottawa), Montreal and Quebec City. You'll also come across other SAQ locations like SAQ Express, SAQ Classique, SAQ Selection and SAQ Signature. Each one has a slightly different emphasis. SAQ Convenience stocks about 400 different products that can be quickly purchased while SAQ Signature focuses on more exclusive options.

Montreal Travel Blog

More of why I loved Montreal and can't wait to go back.

Apple Ice Wine and other Souvenirs

When traveling for pleasure (or business), we like to look for unique souvenirs - something that doesn't look the usual cheesy T-shirt or snowglobe but it more typical to a particular region or country.

On our last day in Montreal, we stopped by a local SAQ Express to pick up a bottle of wine for a friend. While there, I bought a small bottle of ice cider or ice apple wine for us to enjoy. You can pick up small gift-sized bottles for around $4.50 CAN at SAQ locations or larger bottles for under $20 CAN.

The brand on the left is what we picked up - Domaine Pinnacle Ice Apple Wine. Other brands that can easily be found include...

Merridale Estate Cidery
Cidrerie du Minot
La Fache Cachee' de la Pomme
Cidrerie Michel Jodoin
Domaine Steinbach

Of course, one of the most common souvenirs picked up in Canada is maple syrup. You'll easily find maple syrup for sale in areas like ByWard Market in Ottawa, grocery stores or souvenir shops. In general, you should pay around $4.50 CAN for a 250 ml jug of No. 2 syrup (most used for pancakes, waffles, etc.) No. 1 syrup is darker, richer and more expensive as it is typically used for cooking and by gourmands. Souvenir shops will overprice for maple syrup but you should be able to find good deals. Glass bottles shaped like maple leafs are much more expensive and don't travel as well. Plastic jugs offer good value and portability while cans of syrup are usually purchased by locals and are the least expensive. Tins, while attractive, don't quite travel as well if mishandled.

Time is Short in Montreal

It should come as no surprise that two days in Montreal is far too short to truly enjoy this city. We barely scratched the surface of Viuex Montreal, haven't had a chance to go up to Mont Royal, didn't eat outdoors on Crescent Street (though we may fix that today) and didn't get a chance to head over towards the Montreal Jazz Festival. That may get resolved, too, but all of it will be a teeny taste of "the real thing". Such is life - it just spurs us to come back another time.

This morning, we grabbed breakfast at Vasco da Gama, a little Portuguese cafe' recommended by the concierge at the Sofitel Montreal. Located at 1472 Peel Street, inside you'll find a nice assortment of pastries, sandwiches, omelettes and other light fare. Be sure to include a Pastel de Nata, a custar-based pastry, with your meal for only $2.00 CAN. You can pull up a chair by the front or out on the sidewalk.

Typical Pastel de Nata - only $2.00 at Vasco da Gama

Afterwards, we wandered along Rue Sainte Catherine where there are scores upon scores of shops - you'll find plenty of Canadian and International brands. For some nice Canadian souvenirs, stop by the Roots store 1025 Rue Ste-Catherine Ouest. Roots is a nature-themed Gap-like store with branches all over Canada and four stores in the U.S. We made it down to a central square, across from a Hudson's Bay store but then headed back as we had to check out.

This afternoon? We'll see... if anything, we'll be heading back to Cardinal later today and then probably dinner in Brocksville.

A Dining Feast in Montreal

A Slice of Europe (and pastry) in Montreal

We've only been in Montreal a day but it doesn't take one long to figure out that dining in Montreal can be a delectable experience. Technically, we've only had two meals with a snack thrown in for good measure. For lunch, we went to the Plateau to a pizza place on Boulevard Saint Laurent called Pizzadelic. Recommended by several guidebooks, Pizzadelic is not a run-of-the-mill pizza place. Selections range from traditional pizzas like margherita to selections that have fresh seafood. These square-shaped wood-fired pizza come in 8" and 11" sizes and tends to range around $9.50 CAN to $15.00 CAN, give or take. The massive menu has other selections like sandwiches and pasta courses like Fettucine Alfredo with Filet Mignon. If you can, nab a spot facing the street (they'll slide open the glass wall on nice days) or a seat on the back terrace. The atmosphere is otherwise dark but elegant.

For lunch, we stopped in a small pastry shop in Vieux Montreal for tarte tatin and apple turnovers. Delicious. I wish I had grabbed a card... I can tell you it was two doors down from Marche' de la Villette at 324 rue St-Paul Ouest.

Dinner was back at the Plateau where we had an amazing dining experience at Primadonna. The restaurant attempts and pulls off a menu of Italian and sushi. Yup... one restaurant... two polar opposite menus. They do pull it off though prices for sushi are steep. I hadn't eaten sushi in a while so I had tako and sake sashimi (the portions were quite small) and a rainbow roll. Again, all very good but just not completely filling. My wife had an excellent arugula salad and pasta with lobster in a very tasty mushroom and tomato sauce. Dessert was a diminutive but addictive mascarpone cheesecake with key lime sorbet. The bill for the four of us was steep - a little over $100 each before tax and tip.

So far, so good. Now we're off to breakfast.