PORTOFINO - SUPER POPULAR AND TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTING

Mushroom soup was very underwhelming but the garlic oil was very nice and the rolls were warm. Why can't all restaurants do this?! 

Risotto as pablum. Very disappointing - no texture, drowned in cheese, pre-digested! DO NOT ORDER! Fast waiter , which I feel silly to criticize, but if you are putting your spoon down when the main course is served, it feels a bit rushed! Turned out okay because we were freezing by the door to the west - not winterized!

Very good cappuccino with biscotti.

Although I regret bidding on a gift certificate at Portofino (I confused it with another local restaurant Portovino), if I was recommending a decent cappuccino or feeding a kid pasta, this place would cross my mind. So take your kid out for a delicate bowl of cheesy (alla inglese) and have a cappuccino and enjoy. But don't go here for a family meal even if someone else is paying. There are too many great italian restaurants to waste any more time on this one! (See Scarpetta)

SCARPETTA ENOTECA, A TASTE OF SICILY ON PARC

A Sicilian Kiss with the personable owner Antonio while I wait for my (very) late colleagues  at Scarpetta on Parc.
Check out the bathrooms. A conversation starter at the very least. I'm trying to figure out how to build one in my basement! 

Pollpettine di melanzane  - Eggplant with pesto - Delizioso!

Paccheri alla Norma- a spicy tomato-ey sauce - yum!

So glad I made room for dessert! Cannoli with candied oranges and a Caffe Americano. Perfetto!

TAVERNE ON THE SQUARE IN WESTMOUNT SQUARE/ MIES VON DER ROHE

I had plans to eat here the week before I did. A blizzard later and the supper was cancelled. But the stars aligned and when I suggested it for a supper place before plans to see a show at the Comedy Club, it turned out a friend worked across the street from the restaurant and agreed with the recommendation. Unfortunately we only had time for one course and a glass of wine before we had to go, but I was not disappointed. I love a good homemade pasta, especially if it's filled with butternut squash, and this version with a maple syrup and hot pine nut decadence. With an oaky chardonnay and a couple of fun friends, it was a great dinner on a cold night.

Interesting factoid: This restaurant is housed in a complex of tall buildings called Westmount Square, designed by a famous German - Chicagoan architect Ludwig Mies von der Rohe. He is famously quoted as saying, "Less is more" and "God is in the details". Curiously, he is recognized for designing a Barcelona chair, that I recognized far before I ever saw a building he had designed! Another curiosity is that he was born (Maria) Ludwig (Michael) Meis, but added his mother's maiden name when he divorced.  He is famous for buildings you may have seen but not yet learned to recognize (like yours truly!) like the Seagram building on Park Avenue/52nd in NYC, and a "Twin Towers" on the Lakeshore Road that can easily be missed in the beautiful skyline from Chicago's Magnificent Millennium Park.

BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE ECOMUSEUM

What every 9 year old girl wishes for her birthday - snow, animals, friends, food, music, and presents!

My daughter wanted to make cookies with me instead of the traditional cake. These were some of our creations made with love and 5 attempts at icing vehicles. Reusable wilton bag won! 

VALOIS COUNTRY CLUB

I wish I had lived here when this club existed. Maybe Dorothy Parker visited before it burnt down?!

VAN GOGH TO KANDINSKY: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Pointillism - Theo Van Rysselberghe's Beach at Low Tide

Polynesian inspired oil by a female German painter Paula Modersohn-Becker, Girl With Flower Vase 1907 

What Tom Thompson could do with a rainbow!
Christian Rohits' Birch Forest

Pollard Willows at Sunset - a spectacular Van Gogh

Daughter Marcella as model - love the pose and the colours

Stables by Franz Marc: How many horses can you count?

Surreal Paris: Robert Delaunay's Red Eiffel Tower

ELIXOR RESTAURANT IN DDO

The appetizer I would order for my last meal!

A vegetarian's best friend - fresh pasta in a mushroom sauce!

PANCAKE BATTER IN A SQUEEZE BOTTLE! BRILLIANT!

PLACE-DES-ARTS ART EXHIBIT: DANCERS AMONG US

This is an amazing collection of dancers in real life by Jordan Matter.

SUSHI SHOP MAKES GREAT SUSHI!

STRAWBERRY MARGUERITAS

I doctored the recipes I found to a 1 oz version each.
1/2 cup strawberries, frozen
1 oz tequila
1 oz triple sec
juice of 1 lime, medium
sugar to taste
salt to rim

A TASTE OF NEW YORK IN MY KITCHEN

My favourite cupcake in New York is the red velvet signature cupcake. What is remarkable to me is that I have eaten this cupcake on many occasions despite the rare habit of an american franchise displaying the calories and the incredible number of calories that are in it! A whopping 550! They are so good, that despite that fact being displayed as a warning, I keep seeking them out. I no longer try to eat it between meals, but eat this cupcake as a meal!

So when my dear brother and sister-in-law, who love NYC as much as I do, found this package for sale in Manitoba, they found my perfect Christmas present! So I made a batch, as a more reasonable size and weighing in at 250 calories. The magic is in the brown package. When we put in the oil, it looked brown but a little milk and the red colour popped! It was like a Christmas miracle! The cupcakes were delicious, down to the cream cheese icing and sprinkles, but look below to see my pinterest fail!

Order yours on line!

Nailed it!

CHRISTMAS COOKIES TRADITIONS

Unfailing Martha cornmeal cranberry pistachio biscotti.

Window pane cookies - don't use cinnamon candy or flax next time!

I finally got around to making meringue mushrooms. They turned out pretty cute!

LOLA ROSA IN MCGILL GHETTO

It's a tradition that the drawers at the tables are filled with quotes and doodles. I like to leave a thought for a stranger, just like someone left these for me!

Great vegetarian food and excellent desserts. Check out the Ginger Basil Creme Brûlée! Complex and creamy - yummmm!

REUBEN'S DELI ON STE. CATHERINE AND MOUNTAIN

Bring a friend to share this rich creamy treat! I tried to eat it for supper, but didn't make it past half!

ROOM SERVICE AT THE QUEEN ELIZABETH

MUSHROOM RISOTTO AND CREME CARAMEL

Fairmont Fit Package - Love it!

MARY QUEEN OF THE WORLD

This is Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral. It's dome is based on  St. Peter's Dome in Vatican City, just over half its dimensions.  

Bishop Ignace Bourget statue.  The construction of the cathedral was ordered by Mgr. Bourget to replace  the former Saint-Jacques Cathedral which had burned in 1852. His tomb is in a burial chapel, to the left of the nave. 

These statues are a mix of 2 disciples (John and James the greater, this cathedral's patron saint),  1 apostle (Paul),  and  10 patron saints. Jesus is not up there with a baby!

Ornate handle at the entrance.

The nave of the church. 

One of a pair of fonts made of giant clams

Baldachin replica of Vatican's St. Peter's by Gian Lorenzo Bernini of Roman statue Elephant and Obelisk fame

Micromosaic niche

Marble on the wall

SECRET MONTREAL FOR FEMALES ONLY

Check out the ladies bathroom on this conference floor (to your left) for the best view in the city with armchair and table!

GARE WINDSOR

Canadian Pacific Railway

Original ceiling

One of the most moving war statues I have ever seen. It gets me every visit.

SUNLIFE BUILDING

This building, located on Dorchester (Dominion square) in Montreal was built in 3 stages, and completed in 1931. At that time it was the largest building in square footage anywhere in the British Empire. I am always impressed when I walk by. Recently I recalled a view from a hotel woman's bathroom in the 35th conference floor. Any view, whether on foot or from a vista, is grand. Take a look!