Food Bloggers was created in 2011 and this year is the 3rd year of the Food Bloggers Conference. I am so excited it will take place in my hometown of Montreal. I’m attending even though I am not considered a full-fledged food blogger. But as the conference suggests, anyone who is a blogger and loves food is welcome. And that is definitely ME. I am looking forward to learning more about writing posts on food because I know my readers enjoy that. I am very passionate about good, healthy food for my family and learning new recipes, so this weekend is going to be very exciting for me.
I thought it would be fun to lay it out on the table for you and for the awesome food bloggers attending this weekend. I have been reading their posts about certain restaurants in town and the delicious menus they already know of. Well, there was a time I was up on all that was going on in the city. But now I’m a mama with three little ones and getting into the city to try a new restaurants is not a normal occurrence for me. At home, mama is the restaurant and the menu is my choice.
So here are my top 10 confessions as a Montrealer about food:
- I have not eaten a proper traditional poutine in my life, and I wouldn’t if you paid me. Sorry food travellers! Don’t let me sway you on this if you are coming into town excited to try poutine, but I had to be honest on this one. Even though Montreal is known for some amazing poutine places, I just can’t wrap my head around eating cheese curd and gravy on fries. I have, however tried a non-traditional poutine at Le Banquise and the most outstanding ‘poutine’ I have tried was a combination of something on the menu and a request I had. And confession, I ate that dish in Ottawa.
- I am not a fan of smoked meat. It’s another Montreal classic with the most popular Schwartz Deli that people all over the world flock to. And you can get a nice smoked meat sandwich in many Montreal restaurants, but it’s just not my thing. I know that Schwartz is going to be at the Food Bloggers Conference, so apologies in advance.
- Montreal bagels beat out US bagels hands down. There is no comparison. If you go to the US for a bagel and you are from Montreal, you feel like are have been given a cake for breakfast. Our bagels rock.
Orange Julep is still one of my favourite places to stop. Getting a gallon of orange julep drink to bring home will remain a favourite treat for me.- Best macarons in the city: Patisserie Petit Lapin. This is a Montreal love story. The bakery is completely allergy free as well.
- Favourite farm to visit for apple picking, berry picking, pumpkin picking and Christmas tree picking: Quinn Farm.
- Mister Steer: Even though I have lived in Montreal pretty much my whole life (except for three years in Italy), it was only last year that I was introduced to the Montreal institution that is Mister Steer. Located on St Catherine Street, this place has THE best burger (#steerburger) and milkshake. Growing up, I used to go to Ben’s Restaurant with my family, but they have been closed for years. Any Montrealers reading this may remember that 50s – style dinner filled with nostalgia and two walls of signed star photographs.
Best dessert dining: Juliette et Chocolat. Too many things on the menu to write in this post, but I usually get chocolate fondue with fruit.- The absolute best thing about living in Montreal is the variety of food you can get in this amazing city. When I lived in Italy, we ate Italian, and when we visited nearby countries, we ate their local cuisine. But aside from the classics mentioned above, Montreal is home to an amalgamation of cultures which leads way to an amazing collection of foods from all over the globe.
- The best food I have ever eaten was handmade by my Mama. She taught me almost everything I know about cooking and baking. I will forever owe her a debt of gratitude for the education she gave me from a young age in the kitchen. She took French cuisines cooking classes with Chef Pol Martin, perfected Italian dishes, had a library full of recipe books and developed her own recipes. My love of creating dishes for my family came straight from her. And now I am passing that love of food to my children.
So there you have it. My Montreal food confessions are out! Did I surprise you with my tops 10? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to read your Montreal food experiences too!
And if you want to follow along with me at the Food Bloggers Conference, I will be on Twitter and Instagram (and a little on Periscope). Also, follow along with the hashtag #FBC2015