Thirstday Nights

I think it’s safe to say that Thursday nights are my favorite night of the week.  They have been since I can remember (all the way back to the Cosby show on must see TV; that’s pretty far back).

Nowadays, Thursday nights are less about staying in and more about going out to have a great night.  I like to call them “must see where I end up” nights!

Last week I went out in Old Montreal for an old fashioned restaurant (terrace/ bar/where ever we could get in) crawl.  The evening started after work when my friend Candice joined me at one of my favorite places on St. Paul Street, Méchant Boeuf (www.mechantboeuf.com ).  Candice is a travel blogger from Newfoundland and it was my duty as a Montreal citizen to give her something amazing to write about.

I love Méchant Boeuf for the sit down dining experience, but their Thursday 5à7 is also lots of fun.  The waitress that served us was phenomenal and it was as if she had “empty pint glass vision” from behind the bar.  No sooner would I have finished my Gaspar Lager when she would be right there with another.

We had some food (the lovely sliders and a truck load of French fries) and stayed for one last pint before leaving for the terrace on top of Hôtel Place d’Armes, Suite 701 (www.suite701.com ).  Stepping out of Méchant Boeuf, I was blinded by the sun that was still shining brightly.  It was only 7:30 and there was so much evening left!

I tend to talk about Suite 701 a lot.  It’s wonderful up on the 8^th floor terrace and the view is one of the best in the city; it’s one of my favorites.  The manager of the restaurant always comes to say hi and sometimes helps me make fun of whomever I’m with.  There’s strength in numbers.  He has a great sense of humor.  We were joined here by my friend Adam and stayed for one last drink for the evening (at 701).

We decided to leave la rue St. Jacques behind and head down to Taverne Gaspar (www.tavernegaspar.com ) on de la Commune for a quick “post pint” snack.  A few friends were working at the restaurant so we went to visit them out of the kindness of our hearts; we are good people that way.  We ended up staying for only one or two pints and then decided it was time to call it a night.  It was already 9 o’clock, after all; the sun was starting to set.

Upon leaving the restaurant, we felt like we hadn’t quite finished off the night just yet.  There was still room in our system for maybe a quick little baby pint.  We headed to Hurley’s Irish Pub (www.hurleysirishpub.com , my home away from home, away from home) for a last lick.  By this time, we were starting to feel a little like the night was done so we paid the tab and took off for the metro.  We figuratively threw Candice out at the St. Laurent station and she eventually made it home (this has been confirmed), then I had Adam figuratively removed at Berri Station.

By 10pm (give or take an hour) I was fast asleep in my bed because even though it was Thirstday night, it was still a school night.  As we all know, one should never be out too late on a school night.

Check out Candice’s blog at www.candicedoestheworld.com and Adam is a pretty nifty photographer.  Give his site a gander at www.adamsim.ms.