café serafim - organic to go
Vegetarians, vegans and health-foodies rejoice: Café Serafim serves high quality, organic food in a great location - including your kitchen.
The year-old café is 100% organic, with lots of vegetarian and vegan options. The highlights: breakfast (fresh squeezed oj, omelets, crêpes, scrambled and poached eggs) served all day long. Prepared salads, cold lobster, lemon chiffon and chocolate layer cakes.
Pita sandwiches made from organic, kosher Kamut flour and filled with smoked salmon, tzatziki, grilled tomatoes and onions. Cold, sweet, organic root beer. Chai latte to die for.
On a Sunday morning we ordered inside at the register and enjoyed our food at a round marble-topped table on the sidewalk opposite Chapel Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. While we lingered under a beautiful blue sky, there were plenty of people reading the paper, eating breakfast, and listening to jazz in the large high-ceilinged café.
And what could be better than stopping for a bite on the weekend? Calling for delivery after a long day at work - or stopping to pick it up on your way home (pick up and save 10%).
If you go:
393 St Paul Est & Bonsecours
514-944-6718
sidewalk sales, street fairs, and more
Yesterday was a glorious day to be out and about in Montreal. After four days of rain, the sky was blue, and the city sparkled. I wandered with friends in The Main, the Plateau, the Botanical Gardens, and Vieux Montréal…aahh, what a treat.
The Main - closed to traffic between Sherbrooke and Mont-Royal for the first of three summer sidewalk sales - was in its glory. Street food included chow mein, hot dogs and espresso (with chocolat chaud as a holdover from the preceding rainy days) - supplemented by café terraces, filled to overflowing.
Friends chatted in groups, couples walked hand in hand, and just about every breed of dog padded through the happy crowds. In sidewalk sale tents, prices plunged - and we got two swingy, Georges Lévesque nylon skirts at Scandale for half off.
Ex-centris had a free viral/visual project going. Apparently, there is still confusion about whether the state-of-the-art complex is still open. To promote the still intact Cinéma Parallèle, a friendly, goateed young man invited passersby to peer through a hole in a painted board, kind of like they do with Mickey Mouse at Disney. A professional photographer recorded the images.
I can’t say I understood the visuals (at first glance, a donut, with a bullet on trajectory toward the participant’s head), but I love the place - a cultural treasure, full of fun and surprises all year long.
In the Plateau, it was all about biking. Folding bikes, hybrids, and faithful old road models rolled along with the cars on Ave Mont-Royal. Bikes (and calmly panting dogs) waited in front of stores and cafés as their owners enjoyed the confluence of free time and good weather, shopping, brunching, and hanging out in puddles of sun.
Every BIXI station in and around Parc la Fontaine was empty - and the bike path between the park and the Botanical Gardens streamed with riders. At the gardens, bike parking was easy to come by; cars, packed with families and poussettes, were not so easily accommodated.
We saw a black tandem bike locked to a post, and imagined the couple who owned it: middle aged, helmeted cyclists wearing slim-fitting Pearl Izumi jackets, who had once toured Ireland, Italy and elsewhere under their own power.
Near the entrance, a pair of twenty-something cyclists leaned duffle-laden steeds against a tree, while he took her picture with a disposable point-and-shoot. Not in front of the joyously spattering fountain, or the ruffled yellow snapdragons - but in front of the Olympic stadium, with her left hand raised to shoulder height, and held flat, as if she held the white stadium tip in her palm.
In Vieux Montréal, a long line waited at Musée Point-à-Caillière, in honor of the city-wide Free Museum Day. On the grass near the science museum, aerobics instructors led warm ups for a walk benefiting Alzheimer’s patients.
We watched a parade of snare drummers wearing tri-cornered black and gold hats, and wandered through a food festival featuring lobsters and sugar on snow.
Finally, we staked out a table at Café Serafim, soaking in the sun, nursing lattes, and admiring Chapel Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours.
Across the street, wearing period dress, the Musée Marguerite Bourgeoys staff announced the free tour. Eventually we succumbed and climbed the 69 steps to the tower - breathing in the blue sky and the view of the harbor, watching our fellow revelers from above.
cheap eats in montreal
March 7, 2009 by Karen
Filed under budget, food, self-guided tours
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
inspired montreal: 5 days of art, fashion, food and design for women - may 27-31, 2009
Our 5-day guided tour for creative women is the next best thing to living in Montreal!
• We’ll spend much of our time off the beaten path in French-speaking Montreal. We’ll experience the city as the locals do, wandering side streets, meeting people who live and work there.
• We’ll tap the European influences that make Montreal a leading center of fashion and design.
• Our small group - 4-5 women, each with a single room - gives you your own space, while allowing opportunities for meaningful connections and stimulating conversations.
A sample day
8am - 12noon. Take photos or a walk in the park, or attend a yoga class. Then we’ll begin our exploration of Rue St Denis, with its rich selection of specialty food shops, cafés, and clothing boutiques.
12 - 1:30. Lunch today is at Au Festin de Babette, or Babette’s Feast - the tiny tea shop which inspired this trip. We’ll choose from delightful pastries, imported French treats, decadent chocolates, elegant pizzas, exotic teas, and more.
1:30 - 5:00. We’ll meet an up-and-coming clothing designer, a chocolatier, and an artisan shoemaker as we continue to explore The Plateau.
5:00 - 8:00. Wander a bit more on your own - perhaps following one of the city’s numerous bike paths - or rest, before our night out.
8:00 - 10:00. We’ll take in the multi-ethnic, village atmosphere of Duluth St in the Plateau, and dine at a BYOW (bring your own wine) restaurant. Perhaps a jazz club after dinner.
Trip leader
Karen Kane owns Paris by Design, a travel consulting service that specializes in fantastic trips to Paris, and Montreal by Design - providing insider experiences in Montreal. Her work has been recognized by the NY Times, LA Times, Boston Globe, Montréal Gazette, Houston Chronicle, Delta Sky Magazine, and National Public Radio.
On this trip, Karen will take you inside Montreal, the world’s second largest French speaking city. She’ll lead you to her favorite parts of Montreal, introduce you to some of her favorite people, work with you to personalize the independent time in your itinerary, and teach you everything you need to know about Montreal culture.
What’s included
• 5 days and 4 nights in Montreal
• Your own room in a delightful three-star B&B
• Daily breakfast, five inspirational lunches, and four fantastic group dinners
• Guided walks that get you off the beaten path
• A personalized notebook, including additional Montreal addresses of particular interest that will help you discover arts venues, restaurants, shopping, and more
• Montreal museum and métro tickets
• Recommendations for and help arranging optional activities, including jazz clubs, a cooking class, spa appointment and the like
Not included
• Transportation to Montreal, airport transfers
• Personal expenses
• Passports and travel insurance
Cost and registration
Cost is $1970 per person, single occupancy. A $500 deposit holds your place for the trip. Please contact Karen to register at karen@parisbydesign.com, or 800 430 5436.
