Great weekend up North w/ my special lady and our friends LB^2. LB did a ton of research and we headed up w/ a great plan for the weekend. Per my usual style I just shaved an awesome mustache and went along for the ride!
Anyway, we got up to our hotel Le Relais Lyonnais and it was great. The guy at the front desk could not have been more friendly. The rooms were pretty decent size, quiet, well appointed and clean. The shower also had ridiculous water pressure! Frees coffee and water and an included breakfast at a little cafe next door that was really quite nice. They had solid omelets, real fruit salad, and nice bread. Hotel gets 1 3/4 thumbs up and is Montreal's #1 rated hotel on Trip Advisor which is well deserved.
For dinner we went to 5e
http://www.aucinquiemepeche.com/ which was off the hook. The menu was in french but our waiter was very friendly and patient. After he explained it all we dove into wine and food. There is plenty of adventure w/ brain and chips (yup brain), cow tongue, and sweet breads but we went a little more mainstream. My lady and I started w/ delicious shrimp in vinegar and tomatoes that were succulent and delicious. My special lady had a fantastic braised beef shoulder and I had wonderfully juicy pork loin and surprisingly delicious octopus. We finished up w/ brownies that had surprisingly delicious sweet squash pieces. The whole thing was great (maybe except the bill?!). Great service, food, and space! 2 thumbs and 2 bottles of wine up!!
The bar we went to next was an in and out being a little crowded but in an aptly named move we switched gear and went to Plan B. They provided me w/ a whiskey in 1 glass and another w/ ice to slowly cool my drink down. Classy touch. The "DJ" was funny dancing like a madman and working his Apple laptop. It was fun though. Of course then we went for the completely unnecessary "last" drink. In a bit of language barrier we were provided w/ 2 pitchers of beer instead of the 4 regular size ones we probably were better suited for. I slurred out my acceptance and we were off and running! It gets a little hazy from there but my lady decided my stories were too long and boring and she scolded me for that which usually signals it is time to go home. Needless to say I slept quite well.
We woke up late and had a nice breakfast and then wandered all around the city doing a little browsing, a little shopping, and a little people watching. It was pleasant but f*cking really cold.
That is ok because dinner again on Saturday was a real treat. We opted for sushi at Sho dan. With names like Explosion, Lips, and Fruity Knuckle (ok I made the last one up)... you could tell we were in for an adventure. Unlike places in VT where the specialty rolls are ways to hide bad fish, these were well thought out perfectly sized bites of goodness that meshed flavors and textures in a really smart way. The service was prompt, polite, and courteous. The setting was ok, not great. But the Saki was solid and the fish was fresh and that is most important. The Explosion was yellow tail served in ginger and ponzu sauce and I sort of wanted to drink the sauce. Needless to say we went back for a second round. 2 thumbs and 2 bottles of saki up.
Then on to the main event... Canadiens vs Capitals. I am not a rabid hockey fan but I think it is one of the better sports to watch live. This was no exception. We sat up in the Molson Zone which I suppose is like the bleachers in Fenway. It is loaded w/ drunk Canadians having a fun time. It was a little rowdy and pretty fun. The game was sloppy in the first and second period but the pace and style of play really picked up in the third. The Caps won but the crowd stayed in it until the end. That was fun. Plus Pedro Martinez and some of the old Expos players were in attendance. And there was a fat guy dancing nearby. And hot Molson girls cheering in our area. So those are ok things.
We stopped off on the way to the hotel at the absinthe bar in the Intercontinental. It was cool. They had the whole setup w/ a contraption for dripping ice cold water onto a sugar cube through a slotted spoon into special glasses. I like rituals like that. Not like killing a goat or singing weird songs... but dripping ice water is a-ok!! Again we stopped off at a bar I cannot remember the name for some local beer and a chill locals vibe. This time I did not get in trouble. Must have been the mustache.
Sunday we woke up late, had breakfast and did a little more shopping. This time we went into a few cool shops and picked up some loose teas, candies, and then stopped off at this fantastic pastry shop for eclairs. A-bird, help me out and put the name in comments? Overall a great trip. We had a lot of fun and look forward to a return trip.
