Gastronomic Extravaganza

I know, I know, a new blog post is looooooooooong overdue.  This entry is going to review this past weekend when Ronita visited and we ate all over Montreal, so basically it's going to be a bunch of pics of food.  But really delicious french-canadien food.  Following I'll put another that actually talks more generally about what I've been up to, but first the food.

So our adventure began Saturday.  After Ronita arrived we decided to walk over to Schwartz.  It is a fun chaotic diner, a "montreal landmark" known for their delicious smoked meat.  And that really is the best dish.  Most everyone at the cafeteria-style table-of-six seating gets the smoked meat sandwich with fries and a pickle to share.  Add a local cherry cola and the meal is complete.

After chilling for a bit to make sure we didn't burst from that big good sandwich, we headed out to a pub to catch the Habs-Leafs game.  Of course the Habs won, but it was fun watching the crazy fans and an experience to watch the game in French.

Sunday we got up early and went to Atwater market which featured a long row of delicious meat vendors and a delicious little boulangerie.  Here we ate the quintessentially French dish for lunch: croque monsieur (plus a Fois Gras pate).  Both of these were extrodinarily delicious and a bargain at their price.  Then of course, we had to get dessert, and it was difficult choosing among the many drool-inducing options.  But alas we did and used the metro ride back to the apartment to digest lunch so we could truly savour our dessert once we got back. 

Later that night was--know I know I should've done this sooner--but it was my first poutine.  In the 3 months prior I had failed to try the dish Quebec is famous for.  Poutine is one of those dishes (as described by Anthony Bourdain) that sounds and looks disgusting but is actually outrageously good.  

And it is exactly as Bourdain described (even went to where he did!)

Poutine:  french fries with gravy and cheese curds.

Monday morning we went for one of the other foods montreal is famous for: bagels.  Supposedly they rival NYC for the best bagels, and though I've never had a NY bagel and really am not much of a bagel connoisseur, these bagels were good.  We went to the two stores that are in competition for the best bagel in Montreal (and are also within walking distance of each other): St. Viateur and Fairmont.  Personally I liked Fairmont more, but both were very good.

For dinner that night we stopped at this cute small crepe shop a block from my apartment.  The guy there is a sweet older gentleman who makes the crepes right in front of you.  Mine was an apple-cheese crepe with cinnamon :)

Later that night we went to a little dessert cafe (very cute) called Juliet et Chocolate and basically slipped into chocolate comas.  These were induced be such delicious extravagance as The Peanut (hot chocolate with peanut butter--it basically tasted like 12 melted reeses mixed together, and was incredibly incredibly rich)  and a brownie of which I don't remember the name, but it was: Chocolate cake and white chocolate cake mixed into brownie batter, then the brownie topped with caramel.  Oooooh, it was good.

Pre-eat

Death by chocolate or simply chocolate induced coma?

Tuesday we tried yet another Quebec treat:  Beaver tail.  No, not an actual beaver tail, it's a fried piece of dough topped with various toppings (maple syrup with some chocolate was my favorite), tastes a bit like funnel cake, only sweeter.

Then tuesday night, Ronita's last night in Montreal we went out to a nice restaurant endorsed by Anthony Bourdain:  Au Pied du Cochon (The Pig's Foot).  This restaurant is not at all vegetarian friendly, to put it mildly.  

We started off with some wine.  Normally I don't like wine, but the one the server recommended was a delicious sweet, sweet, sweet white wine.  I loved it.  Then came the appetizers.  Ronita got the Bison's tongue (which was very good and tender, tastes kind of like steak).  I got the tomato tartlet which was basically a delux gormet pizza with horseradish.  It was delicious and original, I'd never had anything quite like it.

Next course, foie gras.  Ronita got the Fois Gras Poutine (see above), while I got the Foie Gras Tartlet:  pastry, vinegar, mashed potatoes and the foie gras.  Although Foie Gras has not become one of my favorite meats, the mashed potatoes made the dish divine.  It seems like an odd combination, but it worked perfectly together and the flavors melded and sparked.  Obviously I will never be a food critique so suffice it to say it was delicious.

This too induced "wow, so good, but too much" thinking (though not as epically as Juliet did)

Of course, we had to get dessert.  I got apple crumble (melt-in-your-mouth apple crumble topped with delicious vanilla bean ice cream).  Ronita got maple bread pudding (which I found too sweet).  But, we both finished our entire meal....then were very happy for the nice long walk back to the metro.

(Ronita's Maple-bread-pudding bowl, after)

Then yesterday we went to a gourmet sandwich shop started by the owners of Toque! (perhaps the most well known up-scale restaurant in Montreal).  And their sandwiches were divine.  The combinations were delicious and original, but more than that the ingredients were fresh.  That and one more stop at the bakery for pain au chocolat and an eclaire was a perfect end to our gastronomic extravaganza.

One Month Gone!

Sorry, I'm not good at updates and such.  So many distracting things...cafes, TamTams, farmers markets, those things called classes and I guess some studying too.  Those are my excuses.  Let's see, two weekends ago was the first home football game of the season against Concordia.  There are two francophone universities and two anglophone universities in Montreal. Concordia is the other anglophone school.  Hearing the Canadian anthem before the game was one of those moments in which I realized I really am in a different country.  It happens fairly rarely here - though I'm reminded everytime I hear the temperature in celcius. Anyway, apparently the McGill team isn't that great (they won one game last year-the first in three years), so it was a surprise when they scored a TD within the first minute of the game.  Everyone that came was decked out in red (the McGill Redman - which is an eagle-looking bird is the mascot).  There were exactly two cheers everyone chanted, the lack of creativity was slightly amusing but then became annoying.  So that was a fun friday, though I didn't stay the whole game and went to chill at someones apartment at half-time.  Apparently McGill lost in the last minute, so their reputation is unchanged.

On Sunday I went back up to TamTams.  I don't remember if I described it before, but it is this mass drum playing/chilling/dancing event that occurs in Mont Royal parc.  The musicians are from all different backgrounds and walks of life, but play together really well. One way to illustrate the general attitude: while you are browsing the vendors who layout their stuff on the sidewalk or moving to the beat of the drum in the crowd, you will smell the occasional waft of smoke  from the surrounding lawn that is that interesting combination of cigarette smoke and weed.  It is a great atmosphere and an awesome way to spend Sunday afternoon. 

This past weekend was fun too.  I had a date Saturday.  We went to see Inception - which is an incredible movie for all 5 people who haven't seen it yet. and then dinner.  It was nice and fun.  Sunday was super chill, I just went to a dance class at the rec, and tried to do some homework.

This week I also went to the New International Students' Reception held in a very nice building on campus (akin to Alumni House at WM).  There I met many Americans - one was a PhD Neuroscience student from Chartiers Valley, Pittsburgh, PA.  So that was a weird coincidence.  But I also met a really nice girl from Malaysia, so we talked about a whole lot of stuff.  Actually talking to her gave me the most international experience thus far.  I described how Christmas is my favorite time of year with all the decorations and festive mood, and she asked if it was similar to Chinese New Year, because it is not a big cultural holiday in Asia.  That was interesting and it was really fun talking to her. 

Tonight I just got back from "People's Liberated Knitting Front" which sounds a lot more radical/activist than it is.  They're just a group of really chill knitters who meet at a cafe near campus and knit/socialize.  It may sound lame to some, but it was really fun and ironically I met more people from the US than from Canada.   But a Habs game was on at the same time so got on the subject of hockey and we were talking about the Olympics game (which I am ashamed to admit I didn't watch). They talked about how it was a huge moment, and there was so much national pride, etc.  Which was fine by me, Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal so in some ways it's still a win for Pittsburgh.

Classes are going well, though the material is starting to pile up, and I have my first midterm next week!  I can't believe the first month is basically over, it went by so quickly!  Here are a few pictures covering this and the previous post.

Mont Royal during International Students' Day

Taken from the F1 race track on Ile-Notre Dame, the dome is from the 1967 Expo in Montreal, on Ile St-Helene

Vieux-Montreal

Vieux-Montreal

Pub Night

View from Mont Royal on a beautiful day

TamTams in Mont Royal

Nicole from Malyasia

2 weeks later she remembers that she has a blog

So much has happened since my last post!  Let's see, the week after orientation classes started, on the wednesday.  But on Monday I went on a bus tour (that surprisingly didn't feel too touristy) through the international office.  So I met a bunch of people from around the world: a few from Singapore, Mexico, Norway, and a few from the US.  One of the girls I hung-out with was from Ohio and took two years off after high school to travel the world with Disney on ice.  Yeah, I know, I thought the same thing: how cool is that!  I wish I had the skills and guts to do that, but anyway.  That was fun and we went up Mont Royal and the Olympic stadium so I got some gorgeous views of Montreal.  We also ate at a very nice restaurant in Old Montreal (though apparently it is actually a chain).  But the day was a lot of fun.  Then classes...and they are the same as classes anywhere, though on a bigger scale.  And the really really nice thing is that almost all my professors record every lecture.  I was surprised, but other students expected it and were surprised when profs didn't record the lectures.  I guess it goes along with bigger classes. 
The first weekend of Spetember we had a 3-day weekend (one of the two for the WHOLE SEMESTER). But that's another story.  Anyway, I explored some more of Montreal including Ile St-Helene and Ile-Notre Dame.  Both are basically big parks (Ile-Notre Dame is man-made and has the race track on it).  So I had fun just meandering around and getting semi-lost before taking the metro back.
That weekend I also went to the Marche Jean-Talon, which is a big permanent farmer's market. It is so much fun!  The hustle-and-bustle and all the good smells, and fresh but cheap produce combine to form a great atmosphere.  It is also cool to hear all the bargaining in French.  I'm definitely going back soon.  Of course then that means I will have to start eating more vegetables and actually making meals.  But it is a sacrifice I am willing to make just so I can shop there.  I also went over and explored Vieux-Montreal for a bit.  It's fun just to walk around the cobblestoned, narrow streets, but it has a definitive tourist-y feel.
This past weekend I went to a pub with some friends (it's fun just to say that). They suggested I try the Screaming Orgasm: Vodka, Baileys, Amaretto, and Kahlua.  But I opted for something tamer.  That was actually probably one of the most fun nights I've had so far since Frosh.  Also this weekend I (literally) climbed Mont Royal.  It was fun getting lost on the random semi-trails, though the mosquitos were out enjoying the mild weather as well.  I feel like there is so much more that's happened, but I can't think of it now. 
I'm still alive and well. And the Steelers won on Sunday :)

Apartment! and Frosh!

So I found a place and am completely moved in, have been since Tuesday.  My roommate and her parents just arrived today and they are getting settled in now.  So much has happened since my last update!  The day after I moved in FROSH started, which is orientation.  It is extremely different from that in the US.  For a basis, the Canadian drinking age is 18, so most of the events are centered around the, um, legality of alcohol.  It started when all 1,200 science first years line-up outside one of the gymnasiums.  They split us into groups of 40 (I was in the first group because I got there 40 minutes early).  They-and this is entirely student coordinated and run-then tell us to run around the corner into the gymnasium.  As soon as we cleared the door we were attacked/tackled/grabbed by frosh leaders in neon green shirts who dragged us back to their respective groups and then ran off to get more first-years of the group. 
WARNING: Those over 30 or those who are reading this and don't like to hear about college-aged students' shenanigans should probably skip to the next paragraph.   But the theme of the event seemed to be sex.  All the frosh leaders had alliterative names (Hands-on Hannah, and A***-loving Adam, etc.)  And all the groups had sex-themed mottos, our was: Groups 4-Puke and Score (all these became chants later).  As soon as we got to our groups they asked us our names, whipped us around and wrote a similar phrase on the back of our frosh t-shirts using our name.  I won't put down what mine was in case those of the older persuasion are reading this despite my warning.  But they also labelled us all over with 4 (so they don't lose us and we don't defect to other groups).  We then went down to the main field and using our mugs they gave us, could get free beer and mingle.  All the frosh leaders were drunk and soon many of the students were as well.  It was fun, I got to meet a bunch of people whose names I don't remember and who I probably won't ever see again.  Then that night we went to a club on the top of a sky scraper with a beautiful view of Montreal.  It was really nice.

The following two days were much of the same, with Thursday being a carnival-like day on the main field (again free beer), followed by a pub crawl.  It was a lot of fun - not because of the drinking, but because as we walked around for the pub crawl in written-on frosh shirts we shouted chants: Group 4's motto, "We're crossing the street, we're crossing the street," "Everything's a chant, everything's a chant,"  And they taught us an anti-Concordia (another downtown rival) chant, and the McGill chant (which contains much profanity and I won't repeat here).  I skipped out on the club that night because I was too tired, and was probably the best decision because....

The following day was Beach Day!  And the buses left at 9AM, many people were still drunk.  But beach day was awesome, kind of a spring-break-type feel with a DJ, a bunch of water stuff (slides, a water trampoline, kayaks) to do.  It was a lot of fun.  We went yet again to another club Friday night, and it was a blast. It's a gorgeous club with good, relatively cheap drinks, and a really good DJ.  The only down-side was that the dance floor was packed and ridiculously hot. But it was a blast and a great way to get to know people and have fun.  I'm going to miss having the green frosh bracelet that let us skip the lines and get in free at all the places.  It was an awesome few days, and now I am just back to chilling and getting ready for class--which starts Wednesday!

Day 8: A whole week in the city

So after a week here, I have a few leads on apartments.  Not sure though what will work out ultimately.  In the meantime of stressing/pulling my hair out about housing, I've gotten my student ID!  Also, we went segway-riding!  It was really easy and a lot of fun.  Our guide took us around a legit F1 racetrack, some of those turns are tight!  They were actually doing a lot of stuff on the track to get ready for the NASCAR race coming up.  See the picture below.  And this coming week orientation/craziness begins, and I think for the duration I will still be living out of a hotel...but something will work.  Maybe I should start shopping for a cardboard box just in case... : P

Day 4: Apartments, where are you?

So it's the fourth day in the Montreal.  So far I've seen 2 apartments (one too far, the other too $$$).  So I keep looking, and craigslist-stalking.  But in the meantime we went to Vieux-port, visited a museum with the archeological dig of Old Monteal below (which we then walked through), and watched a fire-works display (there was a little quebequois girl next to us-kids seem even cuter when they speak in french).  Yesterday we walked around Mile-End, another neighborhood with a bunch of unique townhouses and boutique shops, and saw the TamTams on Mont Royal.  The TamTams are really very cool, just a bunch of people who don't know each other get together each sunday and play their drums and assorted instruments.  Really high-energy and fun!  And since it is Monday we woke up before 10 today and now it's back to apartment hunting.  Wish me luck!

First Post (I feel this title to creative enough...well at least descriptive...it's late and I'm rambling)

Ok, so I have one more day at home, then off to Scranton to see family and finally off to MONTREAL! 
Status: 
Passport...check
Canadian Money...check
Phone service...working on it, so after Thursday mid-day don't try to call me until you recieve further instructions

Hotel reserved...check
Apartments to visit.....I've made contact.
Packing...haha, funny you mention....
I keep getting distracted by lunches with friends, and books I want to reread before I have to leave them behind, and other silly little things.  But it's almost here.  AHHH!