In working on the design for a new project at CHNM, I sat down today to write page titles for each page of the site. These titles will be dynamically generated. Writing a page title has never been so hard before, but in thinking about all of the things we’re supposed to do these days to keep sites semantically marked up, accessible, and optimized for search engines, I paused and asked myself “what exactly makes a good title?” A quick Google search turned up a 2003 SimpleQuiz discussion on Dan Cederholm’s SimpleBits website, and I thought it was worth bookmarking here. In a complex site, as my current project is, in which the core and majority of content is historically valuable information in a database. Questions of how to organize and access this information through a web browser are paramount. And, if someone finds a document he likes, and he chooses to bookmark it, what title should appear in the bookmark list? If Google scans our site, what titles will make sense? I can come up with many ideas, but some are so lengthy they seem useless…off to the drawing board to figure out the optimal solution.

If you happen to be passing through Knowlton, Quebec, and you’re in need of refreshment, I would highly recommend stopping at this charming little cafe, Brie & Cie (291-C chemin Knowlton Road). They have a great selection of cheeses, deserts, and other foods that you can take to go, or you can eat there. Really lovely and very tasty.

Our favorite ice cream in Montreal! Bilboquet (1311 Bernard W) is charming and delicious. It’s fresh, not overly sweet, and often in interesting flavors. I’m traditional and usually stick to something “boring” like chocolate chip, but I love it. The other thing I love about the place is that it is the quintessential neighborhood ice cream parlor. It’s classic: just an ice cream bar and a few tables. You can also buy pints and a few other baked goods as well. Yum!

One day we took a long drive and came across a place called L’Oeuf (229 chemin Mystic, Mystic, QC). Well, I should say that I read about it in an article, and we went in search of it while taking a long drive through the country. It wasn’t easy to find, as I remember, but well worth it if you’re in that neck of the woods. We only had time for a little ice cream, but it was such a quaint shop and restaurant that I wish we’d had more time to visit again. The ice cream was fantastic.

We first read about Le Coin du Mexique (2489 Jean Talon Blvd E) tucked-away, surprisingly good Mexican restaurant in the local paper. We then went several times, usually for the Chicken Mole Enchiladas. They are delicious. I wasn’t too impressed with the tacos—they were just meat on a corn tortilla with melted cheese on top. Tasty, but very greasy and nothing special. This is not fancy fare, by any means, but the special thing about this restaurant is that the enchiladas, and other foods we tried there, like the sopes, were fresh and homemade. It’s as if you have a Mexican grandmother and she’s cooking for you in the kitchen. Great flavors, a casual, kid-friendly atmosphere, and pretty darn inexpensive, especially by Montreal standards.

To celebrate our second anniversary, we took a trip to Nova Scotia. One of the highlights was our dinner at Chives Canadian Bistro in downtown Halifax. We had walked past it and decided based on the menu in the window that it was worth a shot. We were very pleasantly surprised by nearly everything inside (from outside you can’t tell a thing). The atmosphere was very comfortable—the perfect blend of casual and upscale. The service was excellent—friendly, fast, helpful when needed, and polite. And the food was delectable—from the spinach salad with goat cheese and buttermilk dressing to the mussels to the dessert, all perfect. My husband returned on business and other friends have eaten there and had similar experiences. I would highly, highly recommend it. Oh, and they have recipes on their website! So wonderful of them to share. The biscuits are fantastic and the buttermilk dressing decadent.

Only a couple of recommendations here…if you can afford a swanky place to stay, Hotel Dominion 1912 is well worth it, and it includes breakfast. We ate at Panache, which was AWESOME. It was top notch and we paid for it, but it was well worth it–anniversary dinner. L’Echaude is also supposed to be very good–a good option for lunch or dinner for bistro/French/Quebec fare. We ate at a creperie called Casse-Crepe Breton on the main drag in Old Quebec, and it was really good. Service is a bit lacking, but the crepes are supposedly the best in town.

If you like or have never had pupusas, El Amigo is a good, family-oriented, hole-in-the-wall cafe. In case you haven’t had them, are thick tortillas, filled with beans, cheese, pork, etc. (your choice), and fried. You top them with a slaw and red sauce (mildly spicy). Their Mexican stuff is pretty good, too. We liked the chimichanga–it was unlike what you would find at an American Mexican place. Very cheap.

Malhi (880 Rue Jarry West) Our favorite Indian place in Montreal. You will have to circle a little to find parking, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find a spot. Weeknights are much less crowded than weekends, especially since their write-up in Gourmet magazine’s special issue on Montreal in March 2006. I would highly recommend their samosas. The goat curry is delicious, though sometimes full of bones. The saag is not my favorite, as the spinach is more pureed than I like, but others like it. The Chicken Tikka Masala is quite nice, and the eggplant is scrumptious. Chili Chicken is also quite tasty. I could go one…Delicious, fresh spices, and heat –all in the right combination.

Casa Tapas (266 Rue Rachel East) is a fun, excellent place. Service is great, atmosphere is great, and food is great. Moderately pricey, but not too much so, and worth it. Typical tapas dishes. We really enjoyed it. Excellent garlic shrimp and garlic mushrooms (and I don’t normally like shrimp or mushrooms!).