Executive Chef Executive Chef Kevin Mougin has now turned his culinary talents into another extraordinary venture at the hotel called Terrasse Belvu. Located on the fourth floor, with lush greenery and breathtaking views of the city and Windsor Station, it is an oasis in the heart of Montreal.
There are a select few standout steakhouses in Montreal, but the one that should be regarded as a model of consistency and continued excellence belongs to Rib ‘N Reef on Decarie Boulevard under the ownership of Peter Katsoudas.
Founded here in Montreal in 1992, Bâton Rouge Grillhouse & Bar has grown to serve up quality, fire-grilled food in 28 locations in Quebec, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. The franchise on Decarie has always been my “go-to” spot for this chain since it opened two decades ago.
Dizz’s (originally a REAL Bagel) was a client of Quebec Smoked Meat. Steve Dizgun came up with an idea and he got on the phone with Billy Berenholc, owner of the nearly seven-decade-old Lesters Deli on Bernard Street in Outremont, as well as Mr. Smoked Meat, a purveyor of upscale smoked meat in the wholesale sector. Dizz’s offers you a smoked hot smoked meat sandwich between two slices of rye bread, with mustard, and a soft drink for $13.99.
It has been five years now since Jason-Neil Tremblay and Cathy Deschambault, opened Joséphine, a fish and seafood restaurant located in the heart of Le Plateau Mont-Royal at the corner of St. Denis and Duluth.
As a foodie, I just love what Na’eem Adam and Thierry Rassam of People Mover Technologies have done the last few years with festivals focusing on burgers, poutine and most recently pizza. We are now in the midst of the third edition of La Pizza Week, marked across Canada, through May 14.
A few months ago I received a tantalizing press release about a new restaurant that was about to open on trendy St. Denis Street called Le Molière par Mousso. “We’ll invite you for a tasting once we are truly up and running,” I was promised.
Dilallo Burger Restaurant is indeed part of Montreal’s history, having first been established back in 1929. It all started off in Ville Émard in 1929 on Rue Allard in a building where the Monk Metro station is presently located.
For Ryan Silkey, opening a new restaurant on the main drag of the town he grew up in is special for many reasons. Randy’s Bistro is named after Ryan’s late dad. It debuted last September on Westminister Avenue in the space that formerly housed Pasteizza.
Montréal En Lumière takes place February 16 to March 5, 2023, under the theme Discover the best of Montreal in winter! While some 40 Montréal restaurants and venues will be welcoming international and local chefs and producers, I wish to commend the team at the Marriott Château Champlain for giving the media an advance preview of the special menu at the still relatively new and very swank Lloyd Restaurant.
It all began for the iconic Marathon Souvlaki in 1978 with a small restaurant on Notre Dame Street in Chomedey, Laval, containing five tables and focusing mainly on takeout and delivery.
The Labonté de la pomme family, based in Oka, Quebec is pleased to present its non-alcoholic apple sparklers to brighten up your celebrations, whether served plain or in fabulous mocktails & cocktails.
Besides the regular apple sparkling flavor, the Rosé Apple & Morello Cherry sparkling edition sounds superb. Catherine Belanger, the administrative assistant for the company and a former St. Hubert store manager, says it has the taste of a bubbly glass of champagne.
The Labonté premium non-alcoholic sparkling ciders are handcrafted with finesse and bottled directly at the estate and presented in an elegant engraved bottle that makes it an ideal gift. It sounds like a great way to make your happy hour sparkle! Celebrate with their festive ciders perfect for any occasion and for the whole family.
Whether it’s to add happiness to your breakfast, cocktail bites, or your gourmet tables, you can discover their rainbow of local products such as their vanilla pear butter or one of their orchard jellies such as the apple & maple jelly and the spicy apple jelly. A discovery by the senses! Products are sold individually or in gift packages.
Labonté de la pomme’s non-alcoholic ciders and fine products are available at the estate’s boutique, on their online store and at some 20 new points of sale that now collaborate with the Labonté de la pomme family.
Labonté is a family-owned epicurean business that produces fine products. In the spring you can enjoy their sugar shack experience and by late summer it is family apple-picking time. You can visit their Oka headquarters year-round.
Log on to www.labontedelapomme.ca
Pizza has always been one of my favorite dishes, so when I was driving along Sources Blvd. in Dollard des Ormeaux recently and spotted a storefront at Centennial Plaza with the name “Salvatore,” I was naturally curious. Was this a new take-out place?
Upon some quick research, I was surprised to learn that this is a growing chain in Quebec, with 61 Pizza Salvatoré franchises and counting. Thus far there are a handful of locations in and near the Greater Montreal area, including Dollard, St. Leonard, Laval, Repentigny, Terrebonne and Mascouche, as well as the South Shore. They have expanded to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with Ontario (London) next on their radar screen.
I have been curious about Saint Houblon for several years now, often passing by their Côte des Neiges area location. When I saw them listed on MTLàTABLE a few months back there was no question this was high on my list.
MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE, presented in collaboration with Scotiabank, is thrilled to announce that the 24th edition of the festival will be held from February 16 to March 5, 2023, under the theme Discover the best of Montreal in winter!
Once again this year, festival-goers will be able to skate on the magnificent Ice Skating Loop high above Place des Festivals, bask in the glow light installations, ride the Grande roue and take advantage of tons of free activities during spring break. It will also mark the 20th anniversary of Nuit blanche, with multiple shows happening in venues throughout the Quartier des spectacles. In short, we’ll be pulling out all the stops to help you rediscover our beautiful and dynamic downtown!
The Gastronomy programming, presented by ScotiaWealth Management returns to share its legendary hospitality once again. Some 40 Montréalrestaurants and venues will be welcoming international and local chefs and producers, while downtown will be buzzing with gourmet activities. The theme of this joyous and welcoming 24th edition says it all: Montréal is inviting you over!
“This edition of MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE promises to strengthen the four pillars of its mission: to celebrate gastronomy, present new shows and unite crowds with such inclusive and participative winter activities as ice skating. We have everything it takes to prove that Montréal offers a warm welcome, even in the heart of winter.” – Jacques Primeau, Festival General Manager
Air France Finest Tables
Invite a chef, a wine grower or a producer from here or abroad, pair them with one of the city’s restaurants and let this special mix work its magic in kitchens and venues city-wide: that’s the hugely successful recipe behind the Air France Finest Tables, which is back better than ever this year. In 2023, Montréal welcomes France, Canada, Italia, Belgium, Switzerland and Scandinavia: more than 30 chefs, including a dozen chefs from northern Europe, will be here to dazzle us with their creativity. Among them are Benoit Neusy (Michelin star chef, restaurant l’Impératif au Domaine d’Arondeau, France) at La Chronique, Romain Meder (Michelin star chef, Domaine de Primard, Guainville, France) at Mastard, Ina Niiniketo (Sikke’s, Helskinki) at Ratafia, and Lionel Lévy (Michelin star chef, InterContinental Marseille) at Osco! Wine growers, such as Julien Labet, who will be welcomed by Menu Extra, and Laurent Cazottes at Chez Victoire, will also be joining in the festivities. In addition to traditional tasting menus, the Air France Finest Tables will feature other palate-popping experiences, such as exclusive lunches, brunches, 5 à 7 (happy hours), not to mention delicious confections in partnership with Cacao Barry and Esprits libres, a rare treat for those with a sweet tooth out there.
Here is the list of participating restaurants:
Au Petit Extra | Auberge Saint-Gabriel | Bar George | Barroco
Beaufort Bistro | Beaver Hall | Bivouac | Blanc Bec (ITHQ)
Cabaret L’Enfer | Chez Victoire | État-Major | Ferreira Café
foiegwa | FOXY | Galaxie Brasserie | Hélicoptère | Ikanos
Kamùy | La Chronique | Le Mousso | Le Virunga | Lloyd
Maison Boulud | Mastard | Menu Extra | Monarque
Monème | Mon Lapin | Okeya Kyujiro | Osco! | Pastel
Ratafia | Renoir (Sofitel Montréal) | Restaurant de l’ITHQ
Restaurant h3 | Rosélys (Hôtel Reine Élizabeth) | Rose Ross
Terrasse Nordheimer | Toqué!
Consult the Air France Finest Tables program here
Couette & Gastronomie Packages
While tourists from here and afar spend summers exploring the many regions of Québec, in winter it’s a different story as the city turns into a pulsing hub with the one-of-a-kind urban experiences of MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE. Once again this year, visitors will love the popular Couette & Gastronomie Packages. Hotels and restaurants will be taking part to whet everyone’s appetites with gourmet tasting experiences indoors. A dozen or so hotels will be welcoming you with arms wide open, including:
Auberge du Vieux-Port (and its Taverne Gaspar restaurant)
DoubleTree by Hilton Montréal | Embassy Suites by Hilton
Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth | Hôtel Monville
Hôtel William Gray (and its Maggie Oakes restaurant)
L’Intercontinental Montréal | Le Petit Hôtel
Lofts du Vieux-Port
Discover all details of Couette & Gastronomie Packages
Spring Break Family Package
For the first time ever, the festival will offer an exclusive package at the Monville and Double Tree hotels during spring break. It will include:
Special Events
Les Apéros MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE, presented by Vins Côtes du Rhône and hosted by Michelle Bouffard in the charming setting of L’Arrière-Scène in Esplanade Tranquille, will take place from February 16 to 26.
Then, a conference on culinary identity, in partnership with the Société du réseau ÉCONOMUSÉE (February 23), will round out the menu. Tickets for these special events will be on sale soon at montrealenlumiere.com.
There will also be À table avec Jean-Paul Riopelle presented by Air France, whose 100th birthday we celebrate this year. A unique menu will be crafted to reflect this unifying and collaborative painter. This exceptional gourmet event will take place on February 22 at Toqué restaurant, near the artwork La Joute at Place Jean-Paul Riopelle. Reservations will be open from January 22, 2023 via Toqué! restaurant.
Quartier Gourmand
The Quartier Gourmand, the cherry on top, will take place for the first time in the hall of Place des Arts (Espace culturel Georges-Émile Lapalme), a spot that allows it to fully embrace its mission of democratizing Québec terroir products. Over the course of two weekends (February 18-19, and 25-26, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.), this special site will offer over 20 free activities, including conferences, tastings as well as culinary demonstrations and workshops.
Of these 20 free workshops, four captivating and appetizing workshops will be hosted by Mordu, Radio-Canada’s gourmet platform at 3:45 p.m. The day of Saturday, February 18 will be dedicated to emerging Québec products, as Jérémie Jean-Baptiste hosts the first workshop on Asian vegetables with Stéphanie Wang from the company Le Rizen. On Sunday, February 19 top honours will be given to chocolate and pastries as Loounie gives a workshop on vegan pastries. On Saturday, February 25, Indigenous cuisine will be in the spotlight when Amine Laabi introduces us to Indigenous culinary traditions alongside Anora Lia Collier and his mother. Sustainable foods are the headliners of Sunday, February 19, as Geneviève O’Gleman shares unique and easy ideas on how to transform food headed for the garbage into tasty gourmet dishes.
“Scotiabank places arts and culture at the heart of its community engagement in Quebec, as we know that the artistic and business communities uplift and enrich each other. Our partnership with MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE allows us to support storytellers that greatly contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of Montreal. We are also proud to be associated with their gastronomic programming, which features a diverse range of chefs from various cultures.”
