Montreal is celebrated for its romantic hotels, vibrant arts, and summer jazz. And this sophisticated, bilingual French-Canadian metropolis flaunts headline-worthy dining, too. Montreal bursts with all manner of restaurants: funky ethnic dives (many of which are BYOB), bistros that celebrate Quebecois cuisine, and swank spots with the ultimate in food, service and atmosphere. These are among Montreal's most dazzling, deluxe restaurants plus one chow-down institution.
XO, the Montreal restaurant set in the elegant Beaux Arts lobby of the Old City's Hotel Le St-James, dishes out flavor-charged pairings that surprise and delight: scallops with hummus, lamb ravioli with cilantro, potatoes with almonds, ganache cake with mint cream. Montreal couples who indulge in the chef's multi-course tasting menu with wine pairings will never stop talking about it.
The hushed, plush Beaver Club, in the refined Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel, is a Montreal restaurant that has meant genteel tradition, service, and romance to generations of locals and visitors. The nearest couple is seated so far away you'll barely hear the squeals when he pops the question. Beaver Club dinners unfurl with Champagne service. Then diners tuck into the chef's several-course extravaganzas, with dishes such as lobster carpaccio with Asian spices and buttery Chateaubriand steak with sinful Bearnaise sauce. The seafood is like sugar, but you will still have a sweet spot for dessert or an appetite for the lavish cheese selection. Dress for a deluxe evening.
Dining at Nuances restaurant in the Casino de Montreal is no gamble. Nuances' seductive, cloud-gray dining room and acclaimed chef's "Awakening of the Senses" dinners are made for couples who are lucky in love. Inspired cuisine is beautifully served with or without wine pairings from a Bordeaux-rich cellar. Expect deeply flavored dishes: Canadian caribou loin with caramel-beet sauce, pan-fried lobster with root-vegetable risotto, and a purely Canadian maple-accented chocolate dessert.
Montreal's Meridien Versaillles Hotel shelters Bronte restaurant, an enclave of intensely flavored, cutting-edge cuisine that is attentively served in a cool modern space. Gourmet lovebirds nest in private circular white leather booths. They feast on house-baked bread, seared scallops with grapefruit, ravioli with buffalo ricotta and lobster, slow-poached Irish salmon, and chocolate mousse with rose-flavored ice cream. The chef's playful, ever-changing menu has vaulted him to the top ranks of Canadian toques. He maintains that "the most important ingredient to success is passion." Newlyweds, you already knew that.
Set on the "The Main," busy Blvd. St. Laurent, Schwartz's is Montreal's legendary Jewish deli. There's often a wait for seats in the cafeteria-style dining room, where service is equal parts brisk and tender. Speaking of tender, Schwartz's marquee sliced meat equals any corned beef or pastrami in New York, Miami or LA. Just don't ask which it is: it's Montreal smoked meat. Romantics buy a pound with rye bread at the restaurant, then go and savor sandwiches in their hotel room or an Outremont Park picnic.
