winemaker

DaLillo, on Jarry, half a block from the métro, is a neighborhood Portuguese grill resto. Friendly, fun, and with excellent grills and quite respectable pizza. It's not fancy, but it's homey and fun. They have a terrace big enough for your party. Their piri-piri sauce is the best I've ever tasted. winemaker

APDC is a must. Schwarz's is the smoked meat place. Not to be missed: http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/index2.html Get the "fat" meat. Trust me on this. Tapeo is a superb tapas bar. http://restomontreal.ca/portal/tapeo-bar-tapas/index.php?lang=en Le Roi du Plateau is a delightful family-run Portuguese grill resto http://restomontreal.ca/restaurants/index.php?section=viewresto&resto_id=1145〈=en If you've never done one of these, do it: a Montréal speciality. Finally, if you visit Montréal but do NOT go to the Marché Jean-Talon, you will be barred from foodie heaven when you die: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Talon_Market Quite simply the most amazing farmer's, local producers', restos' place in N. America. Report back after your trip. Winemaker

Dear Francois, I'm an Olde Farte so I don't have much personal experience with venues of interest to a celebrating 18-yr old. However, I know where my Concordia U students go! There are two hotbeds of activity, one centered on Concordia U, and the other on UQàM. The two or three streets immediately east of Guy/St-Catherine are full of student pubs and restos. The Quartier Latin--r. St-Denis north from the Bibliotheque National--is also a great place for boites, brewpubs, etc. She'll be safe in either of these locales, and have lots of fun. winemaker

We spent 10 days in the Maritimes in late July, and couldn't find oysters anywhere. And I *looked*! We did, however, find lobster, good lobster, cheap lobster, in lots of places, particularly in PEI. Take the tools along, drink NS white wines. Yum. BTW, some of the best fish 'n chips (if you indulge in this guilty pleasure) in Canada are to be found in Truro. Trust me on this. I *know* fish 'n chips. I can also recommend the best place for them on PEI. Murphy's: http://www.yelp.ca/biz/murphys-fish-and-chips-truro winemaker

Your list looks good. But understand that there's a Pain Doré at Marche Jean-Talon. At J-T, be sure to visit the Saveurs de Quebec shop, in the perimeter ring of shops. It has incredible produits de la terroir, including wine and cidre. Club Chasse-Peche is an awfully good bet. winemaker

PdC is run by a young, hip, very talented and professional crew. Black t-shirts, jeans. My wife and I go there by bike: shorts and t-shirts. But then, we're Montréalers! The canard en boite is amazingly tasty. Winemaker

The Esquire Restaurant on Bedford Highway is a genuinely first-class diner: very good well-prepared fresh food, with pleasant surroundings and an excellent staff. I'm a breakfast specialist, and they have one of the best classic breakfasts I've ever had. Get the sausage, eggs, potatoes version. Winemaker

Lunenburg, without a doubt. Lovely place, lots to see, some decent food. In Halifax we found a superb old-fashioned diner: simple, extremely well-prepared food, excellent service, just a delight. Ate there 3 times. Breakfast is especially good. Esquire 772 Bedford Highway Halifax, NS B3J 2W1 Tel: 902-835-9033 winemaker

sorry, see below.

Two foodie friends are coming in for a few days from Bordeaux. They'd like to taste some food they can't get. Obviously, we're going Quebecoise (APdC), most likely Tapeo, and they specifically asked for Vietnamese and/or Thai, none of which in Bordeaux is any good... [in an unlikely irony, they've got a Sichuanese resto there better than ANYthing Chinese we've got in Montreal... sigh] Poking around on the net got some nice words for Au Cyclo. Is that still the case? Zagat tells me Chao Phraya. But I just don't know where to go. I'm from California, and the Asian resto scene here (IMHO from what I've seen so far in 2 yrs) is weirdly underdeveloped. Not to mention uninspiring. But I'm REALLY hoping you folks will straighten me out! TIA! winemaker

Here are a couple that look pretty straightforward: http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Creton...ierre%20lambert http://www.plaisirslaitiers.ca/fr/consumer...m?recipeid=1973 http://www.recettes.qc.ca/livre/recette.ph...55599&section=1 Winemaker

Ah, as the season turns toward Spring--however slowly!--one's thoughts turn longingly toward Holland and the new crop of matjes herrings. Has anyone ever found anything like the Real Thing over here? in Montreal? The ones in jars aren't even close to the real thing, fished fresh out of a barrel in some wonderful fish market in Holland. Sigh. Winemaker