We had an uneventful drive north, which turned increasingly pleasant as we drove up the Northway above Albany. The trip was a hair more than 7 1/2 hours, with lunch and charging…faster than the trip to Stowe!
Our hotel, the Alt Montreal, is new seeks to be stylish, in a minimalist sort of way. But the room is pleasant and the bed comfortable, so no one is complaining. We’re staying in Griffintown, a huge complex of condominium high rises within walking distance of downtown.
After a very brief rest, we took an Uber to the area near McGill University and walked up Boulevard Saint Laurent in search of the huge street murals that have sprung up here. They were huge, but most of the artists seem to have watched a few too many video games. I thought this typical college district was kind of fun, but the shabbiness was not to my companion’s liking, and we walked along Duluth, a street that had been turned into a pedestrian area lined with bars and restaurants, until we came to the Boulevard Saint Denis, which is more “grown up.” We had a nice glass of wine at a joint called Josephine and then jumped in a second Uber for the ride to our restaurant, Ile Flottante.
The restaurant is a strange admixture of discordant elements. Small, with walls painted black, and with lots of hard surfaces, the young crowd has no trouble keeping the noise level high. So the atmosphere is decidedly casual. But the food is rather fussy and even a bit pretentious: sort of 1980’s in New York, with each dish composed of many, many tiny bits. Some of it works very well: the first three courses were great. A ceviche with black bass; a play on Italian wedding soup, with shrimp and scallop balls in place of meatballs; and a lovely use of zucchini, very subtlety sauced. Course four was a virtual disaster: eggplant with a very heavy spiced mayonnaise. Five almost returned to form: the delicious mushroom ravioli were less delicious than they should have been, brought down by too much vinegar in a foam on top. Six, the “pre-dessert” was excellent: rice ice cream with plums dusted with cocoa. I can’t really report on the final dessert course. Tom is the original meat and potatoes man, and the long meal, and especially all the vegetables and fish were more than he could take. He left and waited outside, followed by Emily, and Sue and I had a few bites of macerated blueberries and another ice cream before hurrying out. Tom pronounced the meal the worst he’d ever had. Sue and I thought it had its moments…but we wouldn’t go back.