Author: Blair Dohey
-
Rounded House
I’ve been wanting to try Nini Meatball House in Griffintown for some time now. The relatively small restaurant’s captivatingly pure aesthetic draws us in like moths to a bright white flame but its what’s on the menu that really piques our interested. Last week a handful of Montreal’s media gathered at a table to sample…
-
DJNL On The Scene
For the 3rd year in a row, chef Laurent Godbout has treated Montreal to his contemporary take on the classic cabane a sucre menu with Chef à l’érable. The menu is out of this world good (you can get more info on that here) and people from across the city have been lining up since…
-
Buonanotte
A restaurant’s success depends on many factors. Food quality, service, ambiance and a little notoriety rank among the most important of these factors. Without this necessary foundation of imperative building blocks, nothing (including a solid customer base) can be built. During its 25 years on St. Laurent, Buonanotte has seen it all. The restaurant and…
-
Say Mac + Cheese
When it comes to eating out in Montreal, we don’t get much of a break. From one week to the next our taste buds are tantalized by different foods from around the world. Themed weeks celebrating some of the most popular foods have become mainstays in recent years, filling tables and appetites across the city.…
-
A Sweet Escape
As we roll slowly into the month of March, we being to bare witness to the end of winter as we’re teased by the first promising signs of spring. Here in Montreal, March also means its time to start gearing up for the highly anticipated maple season. As the sap starts to flow, some of…
-
The BRUNCH List
A city with a nightlife like we have here in Montreal needs bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants to keep the party going all night long. We eat, we drink, we sing and dance our way late into the night and sometimes even early into the morning. How many of us have gotten out of an…
-
An Italian Adventure
We find Fiorellino on a quiet section of La Gauchetière near Beaver Hall where the longstanding structures of Old Montreal meets the sky-scraping new towers of downtown. In the few short weeks it has been open, Fiorellino, a new Italian snack-bar from the guys behind some of Montreal’s coolest restaurants, has been attracting a wealth…
-
Rosewood Revisited
It’s been a little over a year and a half since Rosewood joined the ranks of Montreal’s busy restaurant scene. Part restaurant, part bar and part music venue (no doubt an influence brought to the restaurant by co-owner and Montreal rocker, Jonas), Rosewood has aimed to add a rock and roll element to our dining…
-
Far East Movement
DJNL was on the scene last week at the VIP opening of EAST Pan-Asiatique, the beautiful new restaurant located in the lobby of the recently opened (and heavily buzzed about) Renaissance Hotel on the corner of Cathcart and Robert-Bourassa. The latest endeavour from the Satori Group (they first opened Satori in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu followed by Siam…
-
DJNL DATE NIGHT
Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes a romantic comedy about finding love when you least expect it. A Date With Miss Fortune is a story about a down-in-the-dumps writer who meets a superstitious Portuguese beauty over some very awkward circumstances. The stars don’t exactly align as one might expect in this not-so-typical Canadian production…
-
The Travellers Table
Hotels are enigmatic places where the world comes to town, bringing to our city colourful characters from all walks of life. By extension, hotel restaurants are the gathering places of travellers and locals alike, both searching for a different kind of culinary experience. In most instances, travellers looking to see the world and explorers looking…
-
The Winter Tradition
Montréal en Lumière is one of Montreal’s most anticipated winter festivals. Framed within the festivals programming are tons of outdoor actives, concerts, food stops and more. For the 4th year in a row, La Cuvée returns under the MEL banner with a focus on local craft beer and spirits. From the 25th to the 27th…
-
The Weekend Dish
It seems like I’ve been spending a lot of time at the W Hotel lately. This past summer we covered the opulently redecorated rooms that have added a spark of new life to the exquisite hotel. More recently we followed up with Êat, the brand spanking new restaurant that opened in December and serves up…
-
The Northern Bites
It hasn’t been that long since Soubois launched their Sunday brunch menu but in a very short time they have perfected a selection of wonderful dishes. Having become one of Montreal’s top restaurant success stories in 2015 with their excellent food, unique atmosphere and great service, Soubois is excelling at what it does best; showing…
-
A Night At The Museum
When it comes to a night out, Montrealers are a hungry crowd, especially this time of year. No matter what the weather throws at us or how cold it gets, we will put on our best and take to the town for a night out. Last week, Danone gathered a mighty crowd at Montreal’s Museum…
-
Super Bowl Madness
Cronuts, butterscotch and anything handmade and sold at Crémy on Mount-Royal ave are my favourite things. A few years ago I wrote about how the butterscotch I bought at the pastry shop was so good I thought I might have actually gotten drunk off the fumes (there were actual delightfully potent fumes of scotch that…
-
OSCAR SEASON
2016 has been a big year for movies. Mega franchises like Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Mad Max came roaring out of the past with exciting (and record shattering) new additions to their respective series. Quieter, more intimate movies like Room, Spotlight and Brooklyn also made their own waves across the vast ocean of visually…
-
Pass Pour Poutine
With bikini season still months away here in Montreal, there’s no better time to indulge in heaps of everyone’s favourite comfort food, poutine. Starting tomorrow, February 1st and continuing all week until the 7th, La Poutine Week is back for its 4th edition and this year its bigger and better than ever before. This year…
-
Depth Perception
When Êat opened last December I called it a triumph and a creative shot in the arm for Montreal’s restaurant scene and that was before I had taken a single bite. Located in the W Hotel, the blended decor felt refreshingly new and featured a mix of graffitied walls that lead into a larger, more…
-
Grill Master
No matter how fancy food can get, nothing beats a good homestyle barbecue. The scent of grilled meat and spices slowly roasting over smouldering charcoal or sweet, smokey wood get mouths watering like little else. Lattuca Barbecue is an excellent yet surprising addition to Old Montreal’s collection of restaurants because of its simplistic approach to…
-
Happening Gourmand
January may not top the list of everyone’s favourite month of year but with the return of Happening Gourmand, we are warming up to a cool night out on the town in January and February. Beginning last Wednesday, the most wonderful time of the year in Old Montreal is back! Read on for more. Returning…
-
THE BEST OF DJNL
The Holidays are a time for getting together with your friends and family and enjoying a little time away from our bustling schedules and busy lives. It’s also a great time to reflect back on the past 12 months and think about all the wonderful things that have happened over the course of the year. …
-
New Years Eve
It’s fitting that the last party of the year is usually the biggest. All over the world we gather in restaurants, bars and clubs to count down to midnight and welcome in the new year with those closest to us. In Montreal we party better than most which means we have a great line up…
-
OVER THE TOP
Think of the biggest, craziest, wildest party you’ve ever seen. Now, think of that party kicking off on a Sunday afternoon at around 2:00pm and multiply that by a thousand percent. You may start understanding what went down at Soubois last weekend as Matinee celebrated 5 years of throwing the wildest whirlwind brunch parties that…
-
Grin and Tonic
Montrealers came out in style a few weeks back to celebrate the launch of 1642 Tonic, the latest beverage from the guys behind 1642 Cola. Both are proudly made right here in Montreal (Jeanne Mance, one of Montreal’s founders graces the Tonic’s label) and are proudly distributed far and wide. Named for the year our…
-
The Great Escape
Late in November we travelled to Mont-Tremblant, a sprawling ski town that sits cozily in the Laurentian mountain range of Quebec. The destination is popular with visitors of all sorts including tourists, celebrities and sports enthusiasts alike coming from all over the world to experience some of the best ski (and après-ski) conditions in North…
-
Noize Original
Canada is known for many things but besides the natural beauty of our rugged land and our hot new Prime Minister, the Great White North is world renowned for our shiver-inducing winters. While many people shudder at the thoughts of plummeting temperatures, Canadians embrace the cold with cautiously-optimistic open arms. We were built for this…
-
Keeping Us Warm
Located only steps from St. Laurent in the in-between neighbourhood of Saint-Édouard is Les Cocottes, a charmingly eclectic restaurant that recently celebrated its first year in business. Serving a variety of comfort food staples, mostly in clay ramekins, the concept is completely simple and utterly savoury. Late last week an intimate number of Montreal’s media…
-
GIVE/RECEIVE
Here we are again folks, the holidays are closing in and like a pair of Aretha Franklin’s high-heels, you’re feeling the pressure. As we head into the final stretch of the busiest shopping season of the year, take a moment and breathe deep because we are here to help. For those of you who are…
-
Ogilvy En Fête
Across the city there are clear signs that Christmas is upon us. The twinkling lights of the streetlamp decorations have lit up the darkened nights, the scent of holiday balsam fills the air and the world famous window at the prestigious Maison Oglivy department store on Ste-Catherine Street has once again donned its gay apparel.…
-
Fashion X Art X Food
For the better part of the last few months, Montreal’s W Hotel has been undergoing a little work to help freshen the place up. We’ve seen first hand the wonderful work they did to their luxurious rooms and last week, at one of the biggest bashes of the year, we finally got our first glimpse…
-
Great Company
Montreal is full of wonderful surprises and for someone like myself who loves to go out and find cool new places to eat and drink, it is such a pleasure to be surprised by a restaurant I had wrongly judged. A couple of years ago I went to Rosalie for the first time. Having ignorantly…
-
Out of the Ashes
Pintxo was one of the first restaurants we covered here on dayjobsnightlife.com. That was almost three years ago (you can read that article from January 2013 right here). A lot can happen in three years and for this very well known Plateau eatery, time wasn’t so kind. The restaurant’s original location burned down earlier this…
-
OTH X VANS RELAUNCH
Having gotten their start in 1999, Off The Hook boutique has positioned itself as one of Canada’s most unique retailers of premium street inspired designer clothing, accessories and footwear. For the last 5 years, OTH has collaborated with one of the most popular and visible street wear brands in North America, Vans. To celebrate the…
-
Down The Rabbit Hole
For those of you who don’t know, Lapin Blanc translates from French into the White Rabbit (aka. the neurotic, time obsessed companion of Alice during her adventures in Wonderland). The trippy restaurant that shares this name is located in the heart of HoMa and is on its own a kaleidoscopic tumble down the rabbit hole,…
-
MissFresh
Because it’s 2015, just about everything we need can be ordered online. From books to clothes and everything in between, we can have the world brought to our door at our leisure. Across the country, subscription services are booming and amongst the plethora of box of the month clubs, there exists in Montreal a niche…
-
Gin De Neige
Last week Montreal’s media gathered with a gaggle of VIP guests at the beautifully renovated Casino de Montréal for the launch of Gin de Neige, the latest covet-worthy product from La Face Cachée de la Pomme. Have fans from all over the world enjoy their very popular ice wine, this local company is set to…
-
Glitter and Gold
Last Thursday, everything that glitters was gold at Holt Renfrew at the official launch of their Holiday merchandising program. The store invited shoppers to take advantage of extended hours to get a head start on their Christmas shopping while sipping on warm cider and hot chocolate. 10% of all sales during the evening went to…
-
72 Hours in Toronto
A weekend in Toronto can vary depending on what you like to do. Being Canada’s largest metropolis, there’s no end to the ways you can burn up three days. Whether its sports and fashion or museums and culture, Toronto a great place to escape for 72 hours. Toronto is a sprawling behemoth, a labyrinth so densely…
-
Pink Power
Last Wednesday night New City Gas was the place to be for the first edition of Rose le soir, a benefit bringing together over 700 people in support of the fight against breast cancer. The month of October has become synonymous bring awareness to those fighting this crippling disease and Rose le soir punctuated the…
-
Tommy
Old Montreal is home to many beautiful spaces. New cafes, bars, hotels and restaurants keep finding creative ways to incorporate their astoundingly designed decors into the area’s beautiful old buildings. Tommy is a perfect example of a cafe that looks like it was custom tailored to the Insta-generation. A good looking restaurant is nothing without…
-
Sneak and Chic
For the last twelve months Pandore has proven itself as one of Montreal’s most stylish event spaces. Now, after a successful first year atop one of the busiest corners in the city, they are shaking things up a bit on Friday nights. Welcome to Sneak and Chic, a throwback to a time where live music…
-
Avant-Ski
For the last 15 years, 24h Tremblant has raised funds for causes affecting children across Quebec. To celebrate the charity’s fifteenth anniversary, Veuve Clicquot has participated in a special auction and dinner to raise money under the 24h de Tremblant banner, contributing to a 2 million dollar annual fundraising campaign. Last week the dinner was held…
-
Downtown Style
Montreal’s men’s fashion scene got a much needed shot in the arm last week when Frank & Oak opened their latest flagship store on Stanley Street, just up from St-Catherine. The retail giant may have gotten their start online but with the massive success they’ve had, online was clearly just the beginning. Founded in Montreal…
-
Bon App
In one year, L’Gros Luxe has quickly expanded into a homegrown chain of restaurants offering delicious food at more than reasonable prices. With 3 locations in Montreal, one on the South Shore, a new location opening in Quebec City and more on the way it’s easier than ever to drop in for a great meal…
-
Blair’s Mistake
So at long last there’s a Montreal cocktail named after me; well, sort of. I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner as I do more bar and restaurant hopping than anyone else I know. Without drawing this out too long, here’s the scoop. It was a rainy Tuesday night and we were at Thursday’s for a…
-
Redefining An Icon
These days it’s hard to imagine a Montreal bar or a restaurant lasting more than a few years, let alone a decade or more. Thursday’s is a staple in Montreal and has been riding the ebbs and flows of our city’s nightlife scene since May of 1973. The establishment, a combination of bistro, bar and…
-
Eating Is Believing
When a trend hits Montreal, you can bet that it will spread like wildfire. From one side of this city to the next, restaurants offering variations on comfort food for very reasonable prices have been opening, one after the next. L’Gros Luxe has made a fortune doing it and now boasts three locations in Montreal,…
-
A Warm Welcome
In Montreal’s east end, just past the Plateau and beyond the railroad tracks that divide the city, is the up and coming Shop Angus neighbourhood. A mecca of new business mixed with a multitude of new residential development, the relatively new Rosemont neighbourhood is expanding at a breakneck pace. With the arrival new people and…
-
All Jazzed Up
For years Modavie in Old Montreal has remained one of St. Paul Street’s constant favourites. Serving up great food and wine, people have returned as regulars because they enjoy the warm atmosphere and courteous service. For the last few months, Modavie has been under construction and last week the new decor (and an exciting new…