Holder Restaurant

Holder has held a special place in my heart for years; I've wined and dined in the booths here with friends, ate and laughed at the bar with my now boyfriend on our first date, and still to do this day convene here almost weekly with my father when he's in town. It's simple to say that I'm in love with this well priced bistro, its simple food, and the constant hustle and bustle of busy tables buzzing with conversation under sky high ceilings.   

While everything on their menu is good, try their goat cheese app ($10.50) and follow with their hanger steak and fries ($17.95), or roasted scallops in a prosciutto crust ($28), as both are fantastic. Also, in winter, Holder's onion soup ($9.25) combined with their frisée salad with bacon vinaigrette and poached egg ($8.75) is easily the best bistro meal in the city under $20. Finish with their crème brûlée.

I mustn't conclude without mentioning Holder's seared Apple french toast with caramel and rum sauce ($10.50). It rivals all other brunch dishes in the city and goes perfectly with a Sunday morning latté.

Holder Restaurant   |   407 Rue McGill   |   Montreal, QC, H2Y 2G3   |  (514) 849-0333

www.restaurantholder.com 

Note: Holder is open for brunch both Saturday and Sunday

m:brgr

Burger connoisseurs and option lovers converge at this Drummond street burger bar, opened in 2008. Start with a burger (AAA, organic, kobe beef, veggie...) and pile on toppings, which can range from classic (cheddar cheese) to crazy (black truffle shavings) depending on your mood. If you aren’t feeling creative or you're in want for a burger alternative, try the seared tuna salad or their cheddar, bacon, and apple grilled cheese. Whatever you're having, don’t forget to order sweet potato fries as a side.

This place is cute for a date, swank enough for a business lunch, and fun for a get together with friends. Oh, and when the bill arrives, I can assure you there will be one member of your table – the one who piled on toppings like Pollock did paint – that will be absolutely shocked by how much money he (they are usually male) spent on just one (just 1!) burger. Thankfully a portion of all sales goes to Montreal children’s charities, so he can rest assured that his money (and his creative burger genius) didn’t go to waste.  

m:brgr   |   2025 Drummond (corner Maisonneuve O)   |   Montreal, QC, H3G 1W6   |

(514) 906-2747 

www.mbrgr.com

le Club Chasse et Peche

  

photo credit: index-design.ca

Chef Claude Pelletier and maître d' Hubert Marsolais are the dynamic duo behind le Club Chasse et Peche, the venerable vieux port restaurant that serves market French cuisine in dimly lit surroundings. A favourite with the smoother sort of businessmen and “a must” for all Montreal foodies, the crowd here tends to be slick, sophisticated, and serious about food.

photo credit: index-design.ca

Although the menu is almost always in transition, make sure to try the classics; the scallops, risotto, and of course, the “chasse et peche” come highly recommended. Also, if you’re dining in the summer, try their terrasse, tucked in behind the Château Ramezay just across the street. With gorgeous garden views and a surreal sense of seclusion, you’ll quickly be transformed to what feels like a luxury dining experience in the heart of France. (Since last summer, dining at Le Club’s Terrasse has brought back fond recollections of my stay with family at the Chateau de Noizay in Loire Valley, which is funny, as I recently read a comparison of Chasse et Peche's Terrasse to another French Relais & Chateaux property, Le Vieux Logis).

 

Le Club Chasse et Peche has gained quite the reputation for excellent food with locals as well as foreigners, so make sure to book well in advance.

Le Club Chasse et Peche | 423 St Claude (near Bonsecours Market on Rue St. Paul E) | Montréal, QC, H2Y 3B6  |  

(514) 861-1112

www.leclubchasseetpeche.com