Our first visit to this French/English city in the Province of Quebec included some wonderful bistro lunches at Lemeac, L’Express, and the Pan Asian restaurant KoKo.  Daily sightseeing focused on walking and more walking while visiting cathedrals, art museums (a John Lennon retrospective, “Imagine”), and interesting, diverse neighborhoods.  Our three favorite restaurants were:

La Toque
Norman Laprise has earned his reputation as Montreal’s finest chef with a killer gazpacho soup with lettuce leaves, quail breast and leg with delicious garlic and maple syrup puree, and a sous-vide suckling pig served with parsnips and angel hair potatoes.  The atmosphere is trendy and inviting with attentive service.  His kitchen is large enough to host a small convention.   900 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montreal, H2Z 2B2, +1 (514) 499-2084

Le Club Chasse et Peche
One creative dish after another came out of Claude Pelletier’s kitchen including grilled octopus with tomato, cucumber and tofu, a Japanese Wagu beef carpaccio on fingerling mashed potatoes served in a hot miso and truffle oil broth, rabbit medallions served with a feta cheese stuffed green ravioli, and a boar chop and boar confit with corn puree.  Located in a former hunting and fishing club in Montreal’s old city, this restaurant is the favorite of many locals.   423, rue St-Claude Montreal, +1 (514) 861-1112

Au Pied de Cochon
This is the city’s most famous cult restaurant serving foie gras on everything including the classic Poutine (French fries with gravy and white cheese curds).  Other memorable dishes included liquid center foie gras cromesquis (cubes), warm pickled tongue, duck in a can (Magret breast with foie gras, cabbage, garlic bulbs, and thyme cooked in a can and opened tableside with a can opener), and a pig’s trotter with cheese mashed potatoes.  An ice cold crème carmel was a perfect finish.  The chefs were all drinking beer by 9 pm, and the place was rocking with enthusiastic diners having a great time.  It’s a party!    536 Duluth Est, Montréal (Québec), H2L 1A9, +1 (514) 791-0408