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!

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.

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!).

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).