Mr. Fagioli

Wow. Splendid stuff; I can't thank you enough for the effort. Unfortunately life is intruding somewhat and I may miss out on the current sale, but it's still good to have the guidance. As for spicy food: I prefer beer for that as well, but almost nobody drinks beer anymore among my friends. (I'm not sure why getting into wine means abandoning beer, but that seems to be the path. Maybe they're just trying to cut back on carbs...which is such a dull topic that I've never bothered to bring it up.) Personally I still drink beer, but wine seems to be essential at any gethering these days even if we're eating something really fiery.

Somehow I missed Carswell's recommendations a couple of posts up. Doh. Thanks retrospectively for those. Thanks also to wattacetti and ademello. I'll put together a basket of all of your recommendations...

OK, time for a serious question to those more knowledgeable than me: I'll admit I'm a man of modest budget at the moment, but I can spare a c-note for a little shopping trip to the SAQ, and my local store happens to be a Sélection. I'll also confess that my wine knowledge is sorely lacking. As a fairly recent ex-smoker, I'm still in the early phases of retraining/reawakening my tastebuds. Food tastes run to fairly simple Hazan-inspired Italian country cuisine (the handle ain't for nothing), strongly spiced dishes (curries, chiles, etc.), relatively unadorned seafood, grilled meats (hurrah for BBQ season)... So: any suggestions on good values that would allow me to walk away with no less than four -- dare I say five -- bottles? Thanks!

Thanks for these updates, Carswell. They're much appreciated, even if they're not always practical...(ummm, the 2000 Le Pin? Thanks, but I think I'll wait til it's on the wine list at Globe for $15K or so, so all hotties can see me order it).

True. But there really aren't many (any?) Plateau places that pull a world-class espresso. There are, however, a lot of people in the area who are able to appreciate one. If vin builds it, they will come. I agree with Larry. The food at most coffee bars is weak and the exceptions, like Olive & Gourmando, are few and far between. So, yeah, I'd like a place that got that right: really good pastries, excellent sandwiches and some innovations. Like seasonal products that feature local produce. Quality aside, one of the depressing things about Montreal's coffee bars is the rut they're stuck in. The menu never changes and is basically the same wherever you go. And as Larry mentions and others have bemoaned elsewhere on this forum, there are very few places to go for a decent dessert. ← At the risk of beating a dead horse...my misunderstanding simply came from the comparisons to Starbucks, Second Cup, et al. When it's claimed that a place is way better than that, I don't start thinking "world class"; I start thinking "Eurodeli" which, while not top-shelf by any means, is still leagues better than any chain establishment I've ever been to (whether we're talking food or coffee). So, in light of all the additional info that's been posted since, it seems we're talking about something that's not only better than the chains (which is really no great accomplishment) but something that promises to be better than any existing independent that's on anyone's radar. And that is something worth celebrating, I agree.

Please don't get me wrong: you do have my best wishes, and by no means am I predicting you'll fail, but some of the previous posts seemed to be suggesting you were about to enter an easy market for this kind of business. I'm sure you've done your homework and know that there's plenty of competition already waiting for you!

Not to be a wet blanket, but you folks do know that there are already plenty of places in Montreal with much, much better coffee than Starbucks et al., right? An establishment that marries excellent coffee with good food should do well, but this isn't exactly a quality-starved land paved with Tim Horton's and McDonald's. (Nor is there any reason for anyone discerning ever, ever to set foot in Second Cup or Starbucks.) So I wish this venture well, but it's not a slam-dunk, IMO, especially not in the Plateau, which is already very thick with cafés.

Just a couple of notes on the Montreal bagel: Yes, they are boiled in honey water, then baked in a wood-fired oven (at least, this is the way it's done at the two best-known bakeries, Fairmount and St-Viateur -- others may do without the wood oven, for all I know; but without the boiling, it's not a Montreal bagel anymore). As far as I know, neither of those bakeries has been kosher or even Jewish-owned for many years now. They do not have a discernible "top" and "bottom." (Before you ask, I don't know how or why this is so.) They do have a very short shelf life (four hours sounds very optimistic to me)...yet some people buy them at the supermarket, where they're displayed in plastic bags. I suspect some toasting, or a short time in the oven, might make such an abomination tolerable. I'd guesstimate that out of every 100 Montreal bagels 85 are sesame, 10 are poppyseed, 2 are plain, and three are miscellaneous heathen flavours such as cinnamon-raisin. Whether they're "overrated" is a matter of personal opinion. They may not have the same chewiness as other varieties, but they do have a distinctive texture and flavour. They are what they are. Consider this: in a city where it's easier and easier to get really good bread (roughly 100,000 French nationals live here: it was inevitable), people still line up for them. All I know is that I never, ever have to settle for a fluffy pseudo-bagel.