Montréal & Toronto on Jan. 2nd-8th 2007?

[cherry-k]

hi from germany!

As a bassplayer I am doing 2 shows that weekend (simple persian pop-music, 5th Montréal and 6th Toronto, ).
Nobody answered on the local forum, so any tips for my sparetime?

thx in advance

michael

[cherry-k]

...bump...

really no idea to a simple question in such beautiful cities?

[R.J.Dubya]

Montreal - Find a street with a bunch of bars on it and go into them! Seriously, it's a fun town to party in.

Toronto - Recover from your hangover.

rjw

[sans soleil]

in toronto:

i'd recommend picking up a copy of 'now' or 'eye' (free newspapers available everywhere) when you get in and checking them out to see what's happening.

'rotate this' (queen & bathurst) and 'soundscapes' (college and euclid) are good record stores and will have tickets for whatever interesting shows are on.

for going out: check queen west (pretty good all-rounder), college st. west (a bit more sophisticated/older crowd), or if you like crowded clubs, there's the club district (richmond and john) which i find kind of annoying but it tends to be where the big name people play. there's also kensington market, which has quite a few interesting places, including 'thymeless' which is a wicked reggae bar with a killer soundsystem and a great smokey back patio with a free fussball table.

can't tell you anything specific that'll be going on then as i have a terminal inability to plan ahead, myself. i'd be glad to offer specific suggestions if you tell me what you're into, tho...toronto's a cool-ass city. so's montreal, for that matter.

[cherry-k]

@ sans soleil:
great tips, thanks a lot.
anything with new good music -not only elektro stuff and less hardcore and techno- would be nice.
so "...college st. west (a bit more sophisticated/older ..." will be nice, - hmm, I believe I am both
here in Hamburg we have open jam-sessions where we don't play only realbook stuff
but free pop improvisation (with real instruments ). Do you have anything similar?

@ rjw:
thanks a lot , too. I will try

best

michael

[rajcoont]

you should be able to find out whats going on through these sites


toronto

http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/current/

http://eye.net/

http://www.tribemagazine.com/board/foru ... y.php?f=13

montreal

http://www.montrealmirror.com

http://www.hour.ca/

[cosmosuave]

First thing I will suggest is stay out of the entertainment district (Richmond, Adelaide, Duncan, John,Peter streets) it is bad news...

Places to eat my faves....

Utopia 586 College St. (at Clinton St.)

Best place in T.O. to get a burger for $7.99... I judge all other burgers on this one...

Editorial Review
This laid-back yet busy College Street stalwart owes its long-standing success to consistently unpretentious service and a long, no-fuss menu of Indian-influenced appetizers and Latin-leaning main dishes. Mumahari blends walnuts, molasses and roasted red peppers for scooping with grilled naan, while excellent homemade Thai dipping sauce complements three spring rolls. Plenty of vegetarian options line the list of entrées—mushroom and goat cheese salad, white bean–tofu quesadilla, curried chickpea-potato wrap, to name a few—but carnivores rejoice in immaculately grilled sirloin burrito with rice, feta, romaine, onions, salsa and mayo. Southwestern burger stacks lettuce, salsa, guac, cheddar, monterey jack and jalapeño over a plump patty—a wet but pleasing assembly served with french fries. A sun-filled patio extends capacity in warmer months; takeout service remains popular year-round.

Pho Hung 350 Spadina Ave. (at Dundas St. W.)

Cheap and tasty Vietnamese great soups and make sure to order the 19 or 19a and have one of those hot Vietnamese coffee's with the sweetened condensed milk...

Editorial Review
Beneath the beatifically smiling effigy of a scarlet cow, this resto’s bright and utilitarian dining room receives a steady stream of hungry visitors, drawn by the promise of Vietnamese broth and truly exceptional prices. Rich, fla­vourful beef pho is but one of many varieties of soup; the expansive menu also contains impressive sel­ections of vermicelli, rice and house special dishes. Cold spring rolls—a crunchy mix of vegetables and shrimp—are a good place to start; but a wholesome bowl of chicken congee provides a welcome alternative in winter weather. Tender and succulent, a fillet of earthenware-cooked salted fish derives most of its flavour from its delightfully peppery sauce, rather than the fish itself. A wide variety of coffees, cold drinks and milkshakes provides alternatives to the small alcoholic sel­ection. Service is quick and professional.


Matagali 69 Elm St. (at Bay)

My new fave Indian resto... Our friends took us here and it is so good... Service is slow but that is because they make everything from scratch... I'm always licking the bowls and plates clean of the delicious sauces that everything is cooked in... Service is very friendly...

For breakfast make sure you sample our most coveted foods which is back bacon and maple syrup and here is a good place to do so....

Le Petit Dejeuner 191 King St. E. (at George St.)

This is a popular breakfast spot with good quality food...
Make sure to order waffles with maple syrup and get a side of back bacon...Your in Canada you have to eat that stuff..


Like Canadian Tire, this narrow boîte has outgrown its name. Sure, it’s still worth queuing for the weekend brunch, but lately chef-owner Johan Maes has also been serving dinner Wednesday through Friday—a far better canvas for his talents. Maes apprenticed at two- and three-star Michelin restaurants in France and his native Belgium; in Toronto, he rose to sous-chef at the Windsor Arms. Now in his modest little diner—decorated with sparkly green vinyl banquettes and other ’60s kitsch—those lessons season every dish. Whether it’s the three-course prix fixe for $30 or the more ambitious à la carte that costs barely more, the bistro classics (and Maes’s clever variations thereon) are home runs, every one. Corkage $15.

Terroni (720 Queen W\106 Victoria St) Italian

After my trip to Italy this was my closest thing to real Italain food... I always get the pizza very good and I was always told that Italian pizza was shit but really the North American pizza is shit... The Victoria St location has some hot looking servers...

You’ve got to a love a menu where everything sounds good and then everything is good. Mainstay funghi assoluti brings toasty oyster mushrooms baked with parmigiano on a bed of arugula and laced with balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. The thin-crust pizzas ($10.50–$14.95) are among the city’s best. Daily specials entice: bucatini come richly but simply sauced with tomato, spice, pancetta and pecorino, but one evening’s baked lobster tail with saffron risotto falters—the lobster overcooked, the risotto dry. A delicious semi calda salad is a hot, stewy mess of slow-cooked beans on bitter radicchio. Service is slow but the place is nice, so the wait doesn’t traumatize. Besides, house-made desserts, like a ridiculously delightful wedge of flourless Nutella cake, will erase all sorrows.

Shit I could go on with more restos...

Clubs n Stuff

Bovine Sex Club (not really a sex club) 542 Queen St. W. (at Bathurst)

Bit of a raunchy rock n roll place with a mixed crowd... I always have a good time at this place...

Rock, punk and other happening sounds blare at ear-bleeding decibel levels, while TV screens show a wide range of films. Everything a seedy Queen West bar should be and more, the 15-year-old Bovine has valiantly resisted the war on sleaze that’s been sweeping the rest of the neighbourhood. Bolted to the ceiling is a collage of weird and wonderful knick-knacks, the pièce de résistance of the strange, even menacing decor: gold-painted cherub dolls grin creepily, hanging out among old tires and bicycle wheels. Cover $5 for shows.


TOI Bar, 577A College (DJ's)

I have not been here but it is new happening place that I have been meaning to check out... It has been getting good reviews on one of my message boards...


Gladstone Hotel 1214 Queen W

Usually something good going on there bands, Dj's, karaoke... It was a rundown hotel that has bee restored and is quite nice now...

the Social 1100 Queen W. 416-532-4474

Hip indie kids hangout, DJ's

All I can think of now.... PM and I'll give you my number when your in town to offer more suggestions...

This is a good link for stuff as well..

http://www.torontolife.com/

When in Montreal make sure to order poutine...

Resto's in MTL..

http://english.montrealplus.ca/portal/f ... /index.jsp

Patati Patata

Schwartz Deli Go here for a smoked meat sandwich

Au Pied de Couchon great Quebec cuisine 400 bottle wine list...

Restaurant L'Academie

Le Roi du Plateau 51, rue Rachel Ouest
Montreal, QC H2W1G2
Phone: (514) 844-8393


Went here 3 weeks ago with the wife... Great Portuguese resto... Best grilled sardines I ever had... Wife had shrimp skewers very good and they give you a large portion... You have to make reservations it's not fancy but very popular due to the good food...

[M. Bréqs]

I response to Cosmo's big post, I'll throw a touch in about Montreal, considering I used to live there.

First off, some may disagree with me, but I found that the nightlife in that city is unfortunately very segregated into language.

If you speak French, you'll have a blast East of St Denis street. The Quebecois really appreciate it when foreigners speak French, and they'll treat you like a king along the bars in the East end of the Plateau, you'll have no trouble getting to meet people.

If you don't speak French, don't worry... Europeans who don't speak French are tolerated to a greater degree than English speaking Canadians or Americans.

Two good sites to see what's happening in the city:

For the Francophone nightlife:
http://www.voir.ca/


For the Anglophone (and so small it's almost non-existant) Bilingual nightlife:
http://www.montrealmirror.com


Navigate through those sites and you'll find all you need to know about Montreal.

Good (and cheap) places to eat?
Schwartz's deli on St Laurent for Smoked Meat Sandwiches. Cosmo nailed this one, it's probably the most famous restaurant in Montreal, and rightfully so.
Frites Alors! for the best fries you'll ever have.

If you visit Quebec and you don't drop into either a Frites Alors! or "La Belle Province" for poutine, you'll regret it. It's the best, greasiest french-fries with gravy and cheese curds you will ever have.

I won't bother recommending fine dining to you, there's plenty in Montreal and most restaurants are pretty good.

One last point: LEAVE A TIP. The Government of Quebec is almost universally comprised of pig-fucking assholes and they charge income taxes on servers' tips. EVEN IF YOU DON'T TIP YOUR SERVER, they have to pay tax on something like 10% of all the food and drinks they sell. It sucks, but that's life. Don't screw your server, leave a tip, or otherwise they're charged to serve you!!!

[cherry-k]

@ M.Bréqs:
thanks a lot, since french is definately not my language I have to try english...
and thank you very, very much for this: "...LEAVE A TIP..." This is what really helps

If anybody got more of this, you are welcome! I mean, the things a foreigner should never do...

@ cosmosuave:
...well I am speechless, THIS is alist, thanks very much, I sent you a pm.

@ rajcoont:
thanks a lot, great links.

...and by the way, since I noticed that the persian community did not promote these concerts in the usual magazines, here are a few links,
if any of you are interested in persian popmusic ,
but this may be the wrong forum for this :

concert poster

best

michael

[cosmosuave]

Well if your Persian you may want to check out this restaurant I've been meaning to go but always forget about it... It's located on Queen west....Suppose to be excellent good enough for Franz Ferdinand...

http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/Banu-review.html

[cherry-k]

Well if your Persian...

he,he,he, I am afraid I am not, me and the drummer Jan Ole are german.
Farid, Wajiha and the percussionist Wahid are from Afghanistan.

But a great tip, thanks.

best

michael

[hat]

Montreal.....what a city. I grew up there, left 13 years ago and now considering moving back home. And the women, oh my are they beautiful, perhaps the highest concentration of them per capita, at least more than in New York. Have fun there!