With daylight savings behind us, we are now blessed with longer days and brighter evenings. With that in mind, we’d like to focus on early evening activities in this weekend’s itinerary.
Starting off, head out after work and right to Sir Winston Churchill’s Pub on Crescent Street. Always a busy after work scene, it will be especially busy now with access to the terrace. It may be cool still, but 10 degrees is the perfect weather to hang out on a terrace after a bitter cold winter. After a couple of hours of beers and catch ups with some friends, head down the street and upstairs to Les Beaux Jeudis, French for “The Beautiful Thursdays,” to a classic French restaurant that doesn’t get the credit it deserves. The clientele is a mix of business crowd and cool Montrealers who just know that this is the spot for great French fare amidst a busy pub crawl-y street. Grab some late night drinks at Dominion Square Tavern just a walk away.
Saturday Morning, wake up ready to walk and eat (that’s what we do on weekends in Montreal). Start with brunch at L’Avenue on Mount Royal in the Plateau. Be prepared to wait a while for this ultimate brunch experience. After brunch, walk east, checking out the cozy Plateau Streets and ending up at the Botanical Gardens for an afternoon of flowers and green houses. Dinner Saturday night is going to be in the Plateau as well, but late. Lemeac offers a ‘late night’ menu that is frequented by cool young professionals who hang out in the Outrement area and want the upscale dining experience that Lemeac offers its patrons but at late night prices ($22 dollars for appetizer, main and dessert of your choice). After dinner, head to the Musique Non Stop party at Velvet – Auberge St-Gabriel for what is looking to be the hottest party in the city that night.
Sunday is a day for lounging, but not without some decadent brunch indulgence. Hang around in the morning, do the crossword puzzles, have a few cups of coffee, and then head for an early afternoon lunch at Cafe Souvenir in Outrement. Spend the rest of the sunny afternoon walking along the canal starting in Old Montreal and on until St. Henri, where you can end off at the Atwater Market for a grocery shop session for the upcoming week.