The Restaurant and Shopping Scene, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

St. Catherine's Street, Eaton Mall

St. Catherine’s Street is the main shopping boulevard in Montreal much like 5th Avenue in New York City and is fairly extensive. Underneath Montreal, there are over 20 miles of underground shopping malls, stores, services, and restaurants due to the brutal winters. With the temperature hovering under 20 below everyone goes underground and they are all connected. We didn’t have that much time but our hotel the Montreal Renaissance which we highly recommend was next door to the Eaton Mall which had most of what you would want. I assume other malls in the distance probably have similar stores though I expect they all have some unique stores. Walking from mall to mall would be a great exercise to boot. We just did not have the time or energy to even go to a second one. If you go to Montreal I recommend you look up online a map of all the malls and underground and try and map out the tour that would meet your needs and interests.

Costco

I get it, what were we thinking? Look, there is a Costco now in almost any city you visit. And trust me none of them carry the same stuff. For one thing, we were able to stock up on winter ski wear here as our one in Jacksonville simply does not carry a lot of winter wear. We found great bargains. When we were in Napa Valley we visit Costco there which had the largest wine selection we have ever seen with prices significantly lower that right out the door. For us visiting Costco is usually entertainment and we usually find something at a great price we don’t find elsewhere. Costco in Montreal was a short Uber drive from downtown and worth the trip.

Bar Kabinet

A very interesting wine list and menu. We booked here after researching and reading reviews. It was not what we expected but in a good way. For one thing, it is a bit far out for an Uber ride on the outskirts of town and is at a very busy automobile intersection. We sat outside as cars and people wisked by next to us. The wine list was extensive with local wines most of which we would not care for. Sort of sweet wines. The server helps us pick one we liked and it was like a sauvignon blanc but different. The menu had some good choices and the servings were small but we had a chicken dish that was very good. Overall we enjoyed our dinner but in truth, this is really a bar with a modest wine and food menu with mostly Tapas.

Schwartz’s

We learned about this place by watching "Feed Phil" on TV. It is a must-visit place. The location is in a small community area and Uber knows how to get you there. There are two doors and we initially got a little confused. There is a take-out section with a very long line and then the actual restaurant which is limited seating at tables and then a long bar to sit at. The food was some of the tastiest and best pastrami I have had in my life. The menu is limited but wonderful and everything is great and the atmosphere is super casual and lively. I would look forward to returning. I question the negative reviews and know everyone has a bad day from time to time. It is nowhere close to a fancy place and is old but the service and food were just what I expected.

Campos Portuguese Chicken at Time Out Eaton Center

We went to the one at Time Out at the Eaton Center in Montreal. Another bucket list kind of food. It is somewhat spicy Portuguese Chicken to die for. Marinated and then slow roasted in a grill basket the meat just falls off the bone and is succulent. I don't see the less-than-stellar reviews. Our food was exceptional and we had no problems with service either. I would definitely return next trip to Montreal. It is just a unique combination of spices and marinate and specialized slow cooking that makes this dish exceptional. The fries were pretty good too.

Au Pied De Cochon

We learned about this place by watching "Feed Phil" in Montreal. It is one of the best know places in Montreal and it is somewhat out of the way via Uber but we had no issue finding it and are we glad we did. Unquestionably the most unique and best choices of Foie Gras we have had in years. We ended up having both for an appetizer and dessert what they call a Foie Gras Parfait. The Foie Gras is a very delicate mousse on toast with maple syrup, truffle oil, and something else but just a sublime hedonistic taste that we could simply not get enough of. We had a fresh fish dish that was excellent for our entree and a good bottle of wine. Their wine list was good with some at reasonable prices. For us service was outstanding and the vibe of the place was energetic yet pleasant and controlled. We cannot wait to go back again. Clearly, a top place to hunt down in Montreal.

Henri’s Brassier Francais

Let me first state that we were aware of the negative reviews prior to dining here. Our hotel was right next door and we had passed by a couple of times where we witnessed exceptional decor and architecture as well as an establishment full of happy well-fed customers. So there was a disconnect between the reviews and what we witnessed ourselves so we decided to see for ourselves and are glad we did. Our dinner and the service were wonderful. I should say that the staff during the meal when we were commenting on how good everything was told us new staff had recently been brought in to improve the dining experience here telling me that management was aware of the negative reviews and making the necessary changes. Everyone comments on the decor and architecture which is exceptional. You feel you are in the middle of downtown Paris. It is old-time beautiful art deco which for us was very relaxing. For us, the service was professional and polite, and not overbearing. The wine list was extensive and there were many reasonably priced wines along with some priced way too high. Our food was perfect all prepared perfectly. From what I can see whatever problems they had in the past they have corrected and I highly recommend the place and will return.

Holland America Cruise Boston to Montreal

My 1st impressions of our Holland America cruise to Montreal Canada were not the greatest. To begin with, a lot of paperwork was required prior to the cruise and obviously through no fault of anyone Covid was a large factor. We received frequent emails which basically stated we had to download their app to keep up with whatever was going on and in order to conduct any inquiries or business with Holland America. The problem was from day one we had difficulty with the app as it did not always work. The app never acknowledged our reservation until 48 hours prior to embarkation and the staff advised us when we got on the boat their computer system frequently did not work. One example when we entered the boat staff tried to look us up and scan us in and the staff member stated the computer is not working again I have to manually input everything taking us time. In general there were multiple times we were requested to provide the same exact information over and over and it became tiresome. At embarkation we were required to show passports and vaccination cards at least 3 separate times despite being “scanned” in. When we went to our rooms our keys immediately did not work we had to go to guest services and get new keys. When we got in the room there were a few maintenance issues chief of which was some of the bathroom equipment had essentially fallen off and had not been mounted correctly. So before the ship ever left port we had already had multiple frustrating times.

We were on the Zaandam which is one of their older ships. Overall it was adequate and comfortable. We were in what they call a Vista “mini” suite which in truth was a basic cruise ship room. The major difference was the outside balcony which was one of the largest we have ever seen. The only problem was we almost never stay outside on the balcony that long so the increase in space was not that much. The room was well stocked and our steward was always helpful and willing to meet our requests and other than initially being placed on top of the loudest nightclub on the ship with the loudest drummer we slept well. And that is why I will never sail with Holland America again because Guest services was worthless and lied to us. It turned out our beds were directly above the drummer who was in an enclosed plexiglass cage which dampened the sound in the nightclub but directed the sound directly upward under our beds. The ship was not full and we found out there were 600 open rooms, yet Guest Services told us there were no available rooms to move us too and they would give me ear plugs. We clearly benefited from the services of a travel agent on this trip as we complained to them and they had direct communication with Holland America corporate offices who sent an order to the ship to move us and when they did it was an identical room on the other side of the ship with no noise. They knew all along they could move us but were too lazy to do so and lied to us. We heard from others that Guest Services(the old Purser desk) were not helpful with them. So in general Guest Services was one of the worst we have seen and will prevent us from sailing with Holland America again.

One reason to take the cruise was the availability of specialty restaurants and we were booked at all of them with the exception of two nights where we dined in the main dining room. Our 1st dinner was the Pinnacle Grill Steakhouse and again 1st day problems persisted as the 1st item I ordered off of the menu I was told sir we're sorry we don't have that tonight we are already out. Overall the food at the specialty restaurants was very good and worth the cost and time and effort. I must mention however that the two dinners we had in the main dining room were also very good and as we reviewed the menus every day we noticed that the main dining room would always have 2 or 3 dishes from the specialty restaurants and again the service and food was very good. I actually wished I had done dinner more in the main dining room.

One of the worst experiences with dining was dessert. We only had one acceptable dessert and that was a chocolate souffle at the Pinnacle Steakhouse which was perfectly prepared but every other place we had dessert they were awful, under cooked, sometimes raw, etc. It appeared they do not have a pastry chef to oversea this and deliver a quality product.

Our ports of call were fine though the cities and areas close to the ship did not offer much. The best port was Quebec City and the tour there was good and I recommend including a day or two next time to better explore Quebec City. We had planned to stay in Montreal for a few days after the cruise so it was not an issue there.  I also should mention one reason to take this cruise is to see the fall colors.  Oops, climate change has changed that.  There was no color change and it looks like it will be November before that happens so best to check the past years history when the leaves changed prior to booking.

Overall we have had better cruises. We learned a lot from this one and will do a better job in the future of researching cruises. I will say that in all of our years of cruising problems with Guest Services has always been the area that has failed and resulting in our not booking that cruise line in the future. Why companies do not put their best people in those positions with a skill set of solving problems and being people friendly is beyond me. To me it is the most important job on a ship and the one that will encourage future bookings.