Day 7

Thursday, 06 December 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DINAH! It's pretty neat to celebrate a birthday in a foreign country, how rare is that? This morning we slept in a little later and then presented Dinah with a few gifts that were easy to pack, the trip itself being the biggest gift. Then we were off to Eggspectation for breakfast again.

The plan today was to have dinner at 5:30pm at Toque! but I was having second thoughts after such a perfect dinner last night. That was our dénouement, why risk disappointment. After conferring with Dinah, I canceled our reservation. We'll do Toque! another trip.

Rose was pretty ornery this morning which was to be expected given how late she stayed up. We started with a crying fit at our table but we were able to appease her a little with some crayons. Very impressive, they hand out real Crayola here. Dinah and I both had caffé au laits but this time they came already mixed, we didn't get the pretty layering. Dinah had to add sugar but I thought it was fine as is. Rose in her poor mood demanded to have some of Dinah's.

Today we ordered Rose the French toast off of the children's menu. We didn't even know they had a children's menu. It was huge, a regular portion in the US. We also ordered her a side of sausage but this time I didn't give her any until she had eaten half of her French toast. She ate two links. Dinah ordered the Oy Vegg which was two scrambled eggs on top of three potato latkes. The latkes looked like dark brown McDonald's hash browns but they were crispier and so much better tasting. Dinah declared this the best breakfast of the week.

I ordered the Egg-Chilada which turned out to be a pepper omelet. I didn't realize it had no meat. It was very good, red and green peppers with jalapeños, three cheeses and salsa on top. The jalapeños were bright green and milder than the ones I get in my omelet at Waffle House. I think maybe they are frozen rather than out of a can. Rose's mood turned sour soon after we finished eating so it was back to our room for a nap.

Don't expect to eat quickly in Montreal. Every meal we have had has taken at least an hour. It has been nice to eat at a leisurely pace and enjoy ourselves. This is after all vacation.

Rose took a medium length nap and Dinah a shorter one. We debated what to do, possibly taking the metro to a shopping center. I basically wimped out not wanting to expend a lot of effort only to be disappointed or get there when things were closing. We investigated the nearby planetarium but decided it would not hold Rose's attention. In the end we decided to just relax, call this a culinary get away and have a late lunch.

We took a cab to Schwartz's Hebrew Deli. This has been described as a Montreal institution and quite famous place for a smoked meat sandwich. They have been in business since 1928. I think we got there at a perfect time as it is quite small and narrow. We were directed to sit at a long table with four other people but since we could sit anywhere we opted for a back table to protect others from the sleep deprived Rose.

Dinah ordered a salami sandwich which seemed to perplex our waiter. Also a side of fries to share with Rose. Rose has had enough fries this trip to last her a month. I ordered the large smoked meat plate (“To share?” No, for me!) medium fat. I also got a pickle and a half sour pickle.

Rose enjoyed a fry or two and Dinah enjoyed her salami. The smoked meat was excellent with the best rye bread I've had this trip. The meat was different than Briskets'. Maybe softer? More tender? I made two sandwiches with mustard and devoured the rest with my fork. Both pickles were excellent. Dinah preferred the regular one and I the half sour. If you go to Schwartz's you need to know that they are cash only.

I had hoped to walk around a little bit outside before we hailed a cab back but there was little to see. Lots of little restaurants that were interesting but we had just ate. Shops were beginning to close up. It was four o' clock. We watched one dumb ass drive his car into the curb and blow out his front tire. He seemed to be going way to fast for it to be just a slip on the ice. We hailed a cab back to the hotel. Dinah had to bite her tongue when the driver turned around and insisted she “put it down on the seat.” I thought he was referring to an arm rest. He meant Rose. It's a cultural thing.

Rose too is becoming a big fan of Perrier. I put some in a sports bottle with a straw for her. She drank nearly the whole can. If we go out to a restaurant and I get sparkling water she shuns hers and has to have Daddy's water instead.

Our hotel room is big enough for Rose to run around a little bit so it is easy for us to relax on the bed while she plays. She also likes looking out the window. We are on the 22nd floor and she will put her head against the glass and look straight down. I get the willies just being within a foot of the window. They are doing construction next door and Rose likes to watch the crane. About 5:15pm Rose was playing on the floor with her kitty and puppy when out of nowhere she just begins a crying fit. Nap time. She cried for 15 minutes and I finally put her in her crib and she was out cold in ten minutes. Tonight if we need a late dinner we'll just head back down to Chez Plume, get a quick bite (an hour or so) and put Rose back to bed.

***

We did indeed go back to Chez Plume. We got there just before 8:00pm and they told us we had to have our food order in by 8:30. We again had the olives but this time Rose ate a dozen or more. I had hoped to try some absinthe which I remember being all over Quebec City. Our waitress seemed excited about absinthe but they didn't have any. Dinah ordered a Rickard's Red again and I ordered the White. Sadly Dinah knocked her beer over and I ended up wearing most of it. Rose and I recovered quickly but it seemed to take Dinah's good humor away for the evening.

Dinah returned to the fish and chips but I chose the 220g Swiss cheeseburger which I planned on sharing with Rose. It ended up being so so and I ate the last half without the bun. It was medium rare but very dry. Strange. I chased it down with a Carlsberg lager. When our food came out they presented Rose with a bowl of fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries complete with a baby spoon. I'm telling you she keeps getting free stuff here. I sent Dinah and Rose up as soon as they were done eating so that Dinah could catch her CSI. I'm proud to say that she only missed the first minute.

Molson Bank:








1 comment:

Anonymous said...

22nd floor, huh? I was wondering about that.