Pizzaiolle (600 rue d’ Youville)—This was one of our favorites in Montreal. The ol’ stand-by. Very casual, no reservation needed. The carbonara is excellent, in my opinion, because the onion and garlic and pancetta flavors blend together deliciously. I thought their other pasta selections are limited, but there really was never another choice for me: always the carbonara. Our favorite pizza was the Campanella, which had olives, onions, and pancetta. Toppings were crispy and delicious. People like their calzones, too, though I don’t think we ever tried one. I also really loved the green salad, which is very nice—simple, fresh lettuce with a delicious, light vinaigrette. There are a few locations around Montreal.

I first read about this quaint little shop that is diagonally across the street from Olive & Gourmando before moving to Montreal in a Bon Appetit article from December 2004. We stumbled upon it after arriving, not associating the two until I recognized the proprietors. On that cold, snowy day, we enjoyed our traditional and perfectly prepared lunch-size quiche. Later, we returned for a variety of things—from their fantastic croissants and baguettes to their to-die-for pate de fois gras ($350/kilo). A simple dinner of pate and a baguette from here is truly divine.

Very yummy and hip, but often too crowded for its own good.Olive et Gourmando (351 St. Paul West) is another Seattle/Paris blend place. This is an excellent cafe with great coffee and delicious pastry! It is unfortunate that the staff is miserably rude, the ordering system confusing, and it’s always crowded. It’s been written up in so many guides that it’s become too popular to provide the good service and good atmosphere it ought to have.

—On Rue St. Paul…, Stash Café specializes in Polish food. It is surprisingly good, given its popularity and location in the heart of touristy Montreal and the fact that it was on Rachel Ray’s “$40 A Day.” With the exception of a minor egregious misunderstanding between myself and the server, which almost led to my walking out, the dinner was very enjoyable and tasty. I always meant to go back and try it again, but never made it. The restaurant also has live piano entertainment, which might be initially off-putting, but is actually very nice and makes for a unique and pleasant atmosphere.

On Rue Notre Dame next to the Cathedral in Old Montreal…..very good sushi, great miso soup, and very tasty and spicy bulgogi. Tokyo, another place nearby that looks great, is overpriced and not as good (and the sushi are so large that you are hard-pressed to fit the entire bite in your mouth).

Brunch: Go early or there will be a long wait. Le Cartet (106 Rue McGill) is a really neat restaurant with inventive breakfasts, and the food is all very good. Service can be lacking, but the rest makes up for it. They do french toast, croissants with goat cheese and ham (really, really good!), granola and eggs. You can order a la carte, but they have “breakfasts” that have a few of the items all combined for $15, including coffee and juice. A really good choice if you’d like to do an early brunch–I’d say go around 9.

l’Anecdote (801 Rue Rachel East) or Maamm Bolduc (4351 Lorimer). If you haven’t tried poutine –the Quebecois specialty of french fries with cheese curds and gravy– you should! And, you should try it at one of these places. Both are little neighborhood cafes/burger joints–some of the best burgers in town, actually, in our opinion. Both are kid-friendly as well. Check out this Montreal Poutine website if you’re curious about poutine.

Holder (407 Rue McGill, 514-849-0333, near Victoria Square metro)—a great bistro in Old Montreal. Almost a Seattle feel, mixed with Paris, so definitely Montreal as I see it. Great atmosphere and great food–classic bistro fare like steak frites, also good seafood (I recently had the seared tuna, which was pretty good, though not as good as you’d find in Seattle). Lunch is also a good option here, they have great salads and an excellent French onion soup. The restaurant can get a little crowded and noisy in the evening, so don’t expect to be able to have deep conversation! One of our favorites in the neighborhood for local fare. Took my parents there, they loved it.

Le Jolifou (1840 Beaubien East)—“French bistro fusion” is what I would call it. Everything we had was excellent. A very charming restaurant. This one is a little less fancy than l’epicier and Remparts, and dinner for two was around $150 including wine. Unique, interesting cuisine and well-worth the visit. Atmosphere is simple, elegant, and nice, though some people were dressed in jeans while others were more dressy. Dinner is “table d’hote” so it includes your entree, plats principal, dessert, etc. You can “upgrade” a couple of the choices, and I’d recommend a splurge on the fois gras–it’s excellent! Dessert was the only slight disappointment, it just wasn’t quite as good as the rest. Jolifou is also in a charming neighborhood, and parking wasn’t too hard.

Chez l’epicier (311 Rue St. Paul) is more inventive, creative Quebecois cuisine–you may be surprised by what you get on your plate. Their presentations and preparations are unusual, but interesting and tasty, especially if you like to sample different things–their “thing” is to do three versions of a food per dish, so you’d get fois gras three ways, or lamb three ways. Kinda cool