chocolate lovers’ montreal a valentine classic

Our self-guided tour, Montreal for Chocolate Lovers, was featured on My Gourmet Connection - a food lover’s guide to great flavor.

What a great gift for your favorite chocolate lover, and at $14.95, it’s outrageously affordable!

muvbox - a design-friendly, affordable lunch spot

Leave it to design-friendly Montreal to combine green technology with scenic vistas and affordable food.

Muvbox, a new take-out restaurant in Vieux Montreal, is a 20-foot shipping container by night and a solar powered boîte serving clam chowder, pizza, and lobster from the Magdalen Islands by day.

I arrived just before noon on a Wed, at the recommendation of a friend - knowing nothing about the design, but eager to try a lobster roll that cost less than $10.

It was a sunny day with a delicious breeze coming off the water, and the place was hopping: the shaded deck was full, half a dozen people waited in line on the building’s north side, and red-aproned staff moved quickly and efficiently at the heart of the miniscule space.

My lobster roll came in a paper box, in keeping with the box theme. The split hot dog roll was nicely toasted, making a warm shell for chunks of claw meat with slivers of celery and bound by a little mayo. The most popular meal was the special - clam chowder, lobster roll, chips and a drink for $14.95.

My friend pronounced the Margherita Pizza ($5.95) delicious and a good value. (The resto’s founder, Daniel Noiseux, brought the wood-fired oven to Montreal 25 years ago.)

Located on the quai next to La Maison des Eclusiers, the minimalist structure looks onto a gorgeous view. And at night, the restaurant itself adds to the scenery. Painted black, white and red, with giant lobsters on the end, the box has awnings that retract and sides that fold up to enclose kitchen and deck.

If you go:
Muvbox is located at the corner of McGill and rue de la Commune
Open from 11:30 am to 7:30 pm, weather permitting

orchestre philharmonia mundi de montréal holds benefit concert

I love not-for-profits, where folks are bound by a common interest, complementary skills, and an itch to make the world a better place.

The Orchestre Philharmonia Mundi de Montréal, incorporated a year ago - a whirling dervish of energy, talent and good intentions - is a great example.

By day, 50 dedicated musicians, ranging in age from 20 to 81, work as hair stylists, doctors, lawyers, students and chefs.

They share their passion for classical music at weekly rehearsals, and perform winter and spring symphony concerts under the direction of Jean-Pascal Hamelin - who also serves as principal conductor of Orchestre Symphonique des Jeunes de Sherbrooke, and is a co-founder and artistic director of the recording label PALEXA.

This Saturday, Aug 29, OPMM is holding a summer benefit concert at The Playhouse, in Mile End.

“All members pay fees in order to participate in the orchestra, but this is not enough to pay for our conductor, our practice space, or our sheet music,” says violinist Andrea Feder, a twenty-something producer within Montreal’s indy film scene.

“An orchestra is not cheap to keep up. All the work is done by a volunteer committee, but there are still hard costs to manage, and dreams of buying our own percussion equipment.”

This weekend’s concert is an addition to the orchestra’s regular program. It’s also a way to experience the talented group on more intimate terms.

Small ensembles will play chamber music, including violin solos and wind quintets - as well as Scottish traditional music, Tango (a contribution from the orchestra’s Argentinean players), and even an excerpt from Fiddler on the Roof.

“It’s our way of keeping in shape for the season to come,” says Feder.

And about making the world a better place?

Aside from the benefits of beautiful music, the group subscribes to the “one person at a time” theory. Among the musicians is an oncologist who uses the orchestra as therapy for a stressful job; a retired ballet dancer, who took up the violin later in life; a school teacher who recently arrived in Canada to live with her mother; an engineer who moved to Montreal to work on the Olympic stadium and decided to stay.

And one more note: The Playhouse is known for booking bands before anyone has heard of them. Support the orchestra now, and you’ll not only be part of the In crowd - years from now, you can say you knew them when…

Have you seen OPMM perform?  Do you know someone in the orchestra?  Let us know what you think!

If you go: OPMM at The Playhouse, 5656 ave du Parc, Saturday, August 29, 2009, 7:00pm - 10:00pm. Tickets are $8.

bixi is easy, affordable, fun

There are times when I want to get from one end of Montreal to the other, and I don’t want to go underground. I don’t want to deal with parking or spend money on a cab - and it would take too long to walk.

Enter Bixi, the city’s new bike rental program. It’s easy, affordable (especially if you’re doing lots of short to’s and fro’s), and fun.

The bikes themselves are sturdy beasts, with lightweight aluminum frames, and wide tires that make cobblestones navigable and take the sting out of stormwater grates. Seats are wide, and the padded handlebars upright - making balance easy.

Shifting is easy, too - flick your wrist to turn a ring and change the gears. Unless you’re climbing Mont Royal, you don’t need any more than the three gears provided.

And the simple system leaves your left hand free to work the bell. This comes in handy near the Science Center, where cyclists and pedestrians mix liberally, and at intersections throughout the city, where the added twist to the mix is turning cars.

The sloping down tube and chain guard make the bikes rideable in just about any attire, and thanks to a taut bungee cord incorporated into the basket, knapsacks, shopping bags and maps are securely contained.

I can’t say enough about the bike path. Over 500 km of gently sloping, paved paths connect the main areas of the city, making it a cinch to get where you need to go - and beyond.

We took two bikes from Parc de la Fontaine one sunny Tuesday morning, jumped on the bike path, and sailed down to Ateliers et Saveurs in Old Montreal for a noon-time class.

We wandered the tiny streets in the Old City, then explored Ile de Notre Dame and Parc Jean Drapeau, saw Habitat 67 up close, and got great views of La Ronde. Later, we ambled through Hochelaga Maisonneuve and saw the Olympic stadium from the sidewalk.

In most cases, we moved more quickly than we would have in a car. And knowing that we could get places under our own steam, while helping ease smog and congestion, made the experience downright exhilarating.

Our only snafus came when we tried to return the bikes - and in the end the fault was mine. If I had read the 20+ pages of info on the touch screen before renting the bikes, we would have known that if there are no empty parking spaces for a return, you can get 15 additional minutes free, while you try another station. Push the symbol with the clock and the + sign.

There is also a map at most stations, so you don’t have to memorize their locations, as we attempted. And the docks don’t all work: if you try to slide a bike into an an empty spot and it won’t lock, you’ll need to find another dock that does.

We used the bike as both taxi (short hop) and tour bus (two hours at a time). Pricing favors the former. The first 30 minutes of use is free, so our credit card was billed for each additional half hour of the longer trips.

A hardy commuter advised us to avoid the charges by returning the bikes to a new station every 25 minutes, then taking new wheels. But we figured it would probably have cost us as much to rent a bike for the day, and we wouldn’t have had the flexibility that Bixi offers.

Do you cycle in Montreal?  Do you use the Bixi system?  Share your experience!

st michael’s church open to visitors

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve passed St Michael’s Church while wandering Mile End and thought: maybe this time it will be open. There’s almost always someone on the stairs of the imposing, Byzantine-looking structure - munching a sandwich, reading, talking on a cell phone, or just whiling away the afternoon.

But, alas, the double wooden door is closed and locked, with no notice of when it will open.

I’ve wondered: Is the interior like Sacré-Coeur in Paris, brimming with golden mosaics?

Or more like the Greek-Orthodox church of my childhood, where I attended Easter services with a friend? My memories of her church center on the aromas of pirogees served on Fridays, and the colorful icons in gilded paintings and radiant stained glass windows.

En fait, Eglise St Michael is unlike either. And I have the Canada Summer Works program to thank for setting me straight.

I arrived earlier this month to find the doors open and a young man from Massachusetts waiting to give me a free tour. He unlocks the doors daily as part of a program that helps not-for-profit organizations increase visibility, while giving college students valuable work experience.

His enthusiasm is respectful but not dry - and he is delighted to hold forth on the statues, symbolism, history and art history of the parish.

To my surprise, the church is not Greek-Orthodox as the dome and minaret suggest, but Catholic, under the auspices of the Franciscans. The original worshippers were Irish; that population has dwindled, and the church now serves the Polish community.

My guide pointed out the saints adorning the inside of the dome (which was the largest dome in Montreal before St Joseph’s Oratory was built). He told stories depicted in Guido Nincheri’s stained windows and murals. He explained how the Stations of the Cross were copied from a church in Munich.

I love the way tour guides make even stone - and in this case, concrete - come alive. My tour was worth the long wait. This young man’s insights helped me appreciate faith, architecture, and the history of this splendid neighborhood.

Ca vaut le coup d’y passer.

If you go: 5580 Rue St Urbain, at St Viateur O. Visits in French and English, M-F, 9:30am-5pm, July-Aug.

Photograph courtesy Mourial.

give peace a chance

Few things are more worthy of our imagination than world peace.

And few things require more imagination - which is why I love the exhibit, IMAGINE: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko, at the Musée des Beaux Arts.

There is much to praise about the show, beginning with creator Yoko Ono’s intent. The conceptual artist envisioned the expo as both a celebration of the 1969 Montreal Bed-In, and yet another grass roots appeal for peace.  In order for the message to reach as many people as possible, admission is free.

John and Yoko’s Bed-in for Peace was part honeymoon, part Vietnam war protest. The couple arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal on May 26, and stayed for a week - appearing on radio shows, granting TV interviews, and entertaining Timothy Leary and other anti-war populists.

In footage from that week, Lennon is serious, silly, committed, and tired. He encourages alternatives to violence: “Stay in bed and grow your hair,” he says. “Less words, and more peace.”  Their suite at the QE comes alive with his music.

The exhibition recreates the event and the years surrounding it through drawings, unpublished photos, videos, books and films. But nothing takes the viewer back forty years like hearing the soundtrack, with songs by Lennon.

There are several participatory elements, including the opportunity for visitors to record their own bed-in, and share the photos and videos on the museum website.

Visitors can play “Imagine” on a replica of Lennon’s white piano, stamp “Imagine Peace” on maps of the world, and read works by Nobel Peace Prize winners in the Peace Library

Free films about John and Yoko, including “Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ Album,” will be shown throughout the month of May.

The message is still timely and universal, and even businesses are helping spread the word - a number have offered their services in association with the expo, free of charge.

In a press conference promoting the show, the still youthful looking Ono insisted that when it comes to creating world peace, “each person has an incredible power.” It’s ironic that in this world of viral marketing, we need to be reminded that we can each make a difference.

If you go:  Montreal Musée des Beaux Arts, 1380 Sherbrooke Ouest, open T-F, 11-5 (W until 9); Sat Sun 10-5.  Until June 21, 2009.

Photograph courtesy Christine Sawyer.

cheap eats in montreal

Where can you join the locals for a meal that is unforgettable and inexpensive?

This regularly updated list of markets, shops, restaurants and cafés gets you off the beaten track - while satisfying your cravings AND your wallet.

• In a city with over 5,000 restaurants, Cheap Eats in Montreal leads you to good food at low prices.

•  We share our strategies, filling you in on some of the city’s best kept secrets of eating well.

•  We tell you where to shop for provisions and picnic nearby; how to eat dinner for less than $10; where fine dining is available at half price.

•  Our written directions make getting there a cinch.

Don’t waste another minute on high-priced, mediocre food. Dine, gnosh and nibble your way through the best food values the city has to offer!

Order your copy of Cheap Eats now!

Your tour is downloaded in pdf format, and payable through Paypal. Just click on the “Buy now” link.

Our information is guaranteed. If you arrive at any of our addresses within a month of purchasing the tour, and the establishment has moved, or closed during the hours we gave you, we’ll refund your money.

Price: $14.95 USD.

 

Coming soon:  Cheap Eats II