The Big Apple and Driving from Montreal to Toronto

When Tony and I were thinking about places to move we considered the travel time if we ever wanted to come home.  Since flying can get quite expensive, it would limit how often we visited.  We wanted to live somewhere we could drive home in less than a day need be. Driving from Montreal to Toronto (or in our case Oakville which is west of Toronto) can be done in under six hours.  The drive is very easy- it’s all major highway driving.  The 20 highway in Quebec turns into the 401 once you enter Ontario which goes straight through Toronto.

I think the biggest challenge is the heavy traffic we encounter when traveling through Toronto.  It’s a HUGE slap in the face for a welcome home. I don’t blog about when we’re home but we have managed to come home for major holidays to see friends and family and the occasional enemy.  Now as of  almost six months ago, when we go home I get to visit this cutie.  Isn’t he adorable???  I”m going to kidnap him once and bring him to Montreal for a weekend.  Shhhhhh!

Me & Anthony… not sure if he’s feeling the kiss lol.

Dagwoods Restaurant, A Great Alternative to Subway

Yum! Dagwoods!

Looking for something quick  and fresh for lunch but bored of visiting Subway?  That was the dilemma I was facing until a co-worker told me about Dagwoods restaurant and now I’m hooked.

I have been horrible since I moved to Montreal- I buy my lunch almost as much as I bring it.  I hate eating out especially at lunch time because it makes me feel sluggish and it increases the probability of choosing crap to eat.  I want something that’s full of fresh vegetables and doesn’t weigh me down.

Romantic with Chocolate: Vous allez à Juliette et Chocolat

Barb and I were having a lazy Sunday.  We were suppose to go to Miss Sugarpuss’ burlesque class but were we both drained from the weekend.  Most likely we were just suffering from the winter blues…. it has been a slow start to spring.  With Easter coming next weekend we are hoping spring is just around the corner.

So what do two girls in the city do on a late Sunday afternoon?  They head to St. Laurent Street first for some pad thai and then for some dessert at Juliette et Chocolat.  Barb has been raving about this place for a long time so I knew it was only a matter of time before we would stop there.

Le Vieux Vélo is Hot Brunch Spot & A Great Choice for Vegetarians

Image courtesy of mrlewburger.com

Over the weekend Tony and I meet up with our friend Khalid at Le Vieux Vélo for brunch.  If you recall, we met Khalid while hiking on Mont Saint-Hilaire back in November.  He’s another former southern Ontario who has relocated to Montreal.

It was Khalid’s idea to check out Le Vieux Vélo, which is located at 59 Rue Beaubien (east of boulevard Saint-Laurent) because he’s already eaten there twice and loved the selection.

Best Italian Restaurant in Montreal, The Allegria

The Allegria Restaurant located in Montreal West.

When I’m looking for something similar to a home cooked meal, you’ll likely find me at the Allegria located in Montreal West on Westminster Avenue.  We consider the Allegria one of the best Italian restaurants in Montreal because of it’s great food and relaxed family-like atmosphere.

Montreal West is a small town within Montreal (obviously located west of the city centre) and is located west of where we live in NDG.  It reminds me of a section of downtown Oakville.  Most of the residence of Montreal West are families and are wealthy (maybe not quite Westmount wealthy).  The town is filled with beautiful older homes that I would died to live in one day.

The Allegria is a fairly new restaurant that opened only a few months before we moved to Montreal.  It is owned and run by a family so you’ll likely run into the same friendly people each time you visit.

Some Yummy (and Affortable) Eats On Monkland

Last night my friend Barb and I grabbed sushi and dessert.  I live close to a really happening street called Monkland which is only a quick couple of blocks south of my apartment in NDG (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce).  I spend a lot of my time on Monkland already whether it be to practice yoga or grab some groceries.

The Sushi Shop really does have some great sushi.  It’s hard to go anywhere in Monteal without seeing an ad for this chain.  Being a big sushi fan I’m surprised it took me this long to check it out.  You can pick up some pre-made sushi or watch them make it right in front of you.  There’s a HUGE selection to choose from.  We order the classic vegetarian roll, the inari (fried tofu stuffed with rice, green onion & mushrooms) and the inferno roll (a spicy roll with tempura, cream cheese, sun-dried tomato and pesto).  I’m craving the inferno roll again as I’m writing it.  All this for just under $18.  And you don’t have to live in Montreal to try the Sushi Shop.  This Quebec based company has other locations in Quebec and a few in Ontario, including Toronto.

Visiting La Cabosse d’Or Chocolaterie

OK this is completely counter-productive BUT if you get the opportunity to visit La Cabosse d’Or Chocolatier which is located at 973 chemin Ozias Leduc, Otterburn Park.  It’s only a less than 10 minute drive from the main entrance of Mont Saint-Hilaire and a must see if you have even the slightest sweet craving.

La Cabosse d’Or Chocolatier produces world-class hand-made Belgian chocolates, pastries, ice creams and sorbets, and the website claims that they attract visitors from as far as Argentina, France, China, and New Zealand. In addition to being surrounded by chocolate when you first walk in, the place has that small town European village feeling as you get a friendly greeting from the staff.

Baking With Beer

For this next post you don’t have to be in Montreal to experience baking with beer.  I really loved this recipe and found it easy to make (otherwise I wouldn’t have even attempted it) so I thought I would share!

I love baking but I hate what it does to my waistline so I only try to bake when there’s an occasion.  In this case it was one of my co-workers birthday, so I (with help from Ryder) decided it would be a good time to whip out some cupcakes.  I compare our kitchen in Montreal to the size of a walk-in closest of a master bedroom back home in Oakville.  Despite its size it’s still fully functional.

I used this as an opportunity to experiment with beer.  I found a simple but delicious recipe for Chocolate Stout Cake on Epicurious.com.

Here’s the recipe for baking with beer:

I “Heart” Cows Creamery in PEI

Quick!!!!  What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone says “PEI”????  Other than Anne of Green Gables???   How about Cows Creamery???  Yup that’s right!

People love PEI for different reasons such as their never-ending beaches, friendly habitants or they come to be carefree and relax.  I love PEI because of its entrepreneurel influence on me.  For a province that relies heavy on its tourism and fishery industry, you have to be creative enough to start your own business to make a living.  In fact a lot of businesses in the PEI shut down from the fall to early spring which is quite a different concept for someone like me who grew up in southern Ontario.  A lot of the places I mentioned in my last post were home-grown businesses that started in PEI.  Cows Creamery is no exception.

You Can Spot The Orange Julep Miles Away!

If you have ever travelled down the Décarie Autoroute you would have certainly spotted the GIANT ORANGE BALL on the side of the highway.  That was one of the first things I noticed when we moved into the area.  After doing a bit of googling research I found out that it’s called The Gibeau Orange Julep, home of the Montreal-famous orange juice.

Fun facts:
The original orange ball was built in 1945 by Hermas Gibeau.  In 1966 when the city widen the Décarie they moved it back and rebuilt it even larger.  Hermas Gibeau built it to be two storeys because he was going to live with his family upstairs.  Back-in-the-day they use to have waitress on rollerskates take your order and deliver it to your car.  Now you have to get it yourself.