Vote For Your Favourite Montreal Canadiens Journalist

It’s finally time to vote for your favourite (or non-favourite) Montreal Canadiens journalist(s), based on the four characteristics we had discussed before. Basically, this is how it’s going to work: below, you have the four lists of journalists based on credibility, knowledge, like-ability and shit disturbor factor. Pick the five journalists whom you think deserve said characteristics. Once we have a high enough number of votes, we’ll publicize the results for everyone to see and discuss. Enough jibber-jabber, time to vote!

BIXI: The First Public Bike System in Canada

Don’t be surprised if you see the mayor riding a bike around the city, wearing his suit and dorky helmet. If you do see him, give him a wave as he is probably on another one of his crusades promoting BIXI; the new public bike system in the city accessible at all times to anybody with a credit card. You have probably seen them lined up on street corners on the BIXI bike racks; a scene we only thought we’d see in Europe. We must admit that this along with the closing of Saint-Paul Street for pedestrians is a great initiative by the city of Montreal, which is discretely phasing out cars from the downtown Montreal core. While this might frustrate many, it is probably the most innovative approach from a city in all of Canada, which are typically behind a decade in these types of innovations from European cities. Montreal is the North American gateway to European trends, just as Miami is for South American ones. The city’s European flair is the right fit for this type of venture and our sincere wish is that this project evolves every year. The truth is that right now, BIXI is more of a trend, and an expensive one. Taking the metro would probably be faster and cheaper, but riding a BIXI sure is something different that’s also good for your health.

The bikes cost the city about two thousand dollars and are claimed to be theft proof due to innovative technology. Get this: the bikes are tracked through GPS and if you don’t return it on time, they will slow down on there own. So if you spot a guy looking like he is climbing a mountain with his BIXI even on flat pavement, chances are he is trying to steal it, or his credit card maxed out. There are 3000 BIXI bikes with 300 different stations. The annual membership fee to have access to the bikes is 78$ which is good for 365 days between the month of May through November. There are also monthly memberships for 28$ and a 24hr access for 5$. Usage is free under 30 minutes and exponentially rise for every 30 minutes used. This pretty much means that people are encouraged to use the bike for short runs. To give you an idea, if you’re thinking of doing the Tour de l’Ile de Montreal with a BIXI, it will cost you around 40$, in other words, go buy a used bike from a garage sale.

Montreal Needs Some Street Food

Can anybody explain the reasoning behind the ban of street food vending in the city? Even Ottawa, which sees the most action during its annual Tulip Festival, has hot dog vendors on street corners, serving wieners to the busloads of Montreal retirees. Come to think of it, I have this odd suspicion that our local old people are using the tulip festival as an excuse to go eat some greasy wieners off these carts.

The arguments against street vending are always the same: they are not hygienic, it would create even more trash in the city and the carts would eventually be taken over by the local mob to launder drug money. These arguments are all well founded and actually make a lot of common sense, but the drunken teens coming out of the clubs at 3 am need more than just common sense to understand why there are no hot dogs or giros ready to quench the alcohol in their system.

And then we wonder why the Americans coming into town are always yelling in the middle of the streets once they leave the clubs. These people are driving all the way up from Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire for some under 21 drinking and partying, only to realize that there are no Hot dogs on the sidewalks after they leave the clubs. This typically comes as a shock to them, and as you might have noticed that is usually when all hell breaks loose. Mr. Mayor, these are our guests and the Montreal Tourism board should at least provide them with a ‘sorry no street dog’ disclaimer on the home page of its website, as well as any Montreal ad campaigns run in other cities.

In all, Street food vending will probably cause some inconveniences to the city from all the dirt and loitering it would generate. But all it takes is a bite of some real street food in New York and yes, even Ottawa, to realize that even with all its restaurants, Montreal is still not perfect from a culinary perspective. We have one more step my friends, one more step to reach perfection. And no, that fake shit with the Canadian Tire barbecue sets at the Jazz Festival is not real Street Food.

If there was a ‘Do Not Discover’ section on montrealing.com, then I would have posted this under that category, but I guess the ‘Discover’ section will have to do for now. If you are planning on visiting Montreal for the first time, consider this as your only disclaimer. We apologize on our city’s behalf.

Are The Habs Improving?

Do you think the Montreal Canadiens are improving their game lately? Has Carey Price finally stopped popping bottles at the clubs and bringing women home? Was it wise to throw Carbonneau out?

Time Supper Club for Ballers Only

What happened to saving your money and not spending it foolishly during the recession? It seems that I’m the only one who’s broke these days, as the higher-end clubs are packed with the rich and the wealthy, and Montreal can’t seem to cater all of them. It used to be a rarity – “bottle service”. Now, no one steps foot outside their homes unless they have a reservation and a table, with a 6L bottle of Moet & Chandon to boot with.

Time Supper Club opened its doors to the public in 2002 and has been active since. I don’t know anything about ownership changes, what it used to look like the year before or what they serve on the menu, but I will tell you that they are definitely doing very well for themselves. I would think that a club that’s not on the St-Catherine strip or its surrounding area would fail business-wise, but this is not the case for Time. Naturally, I would suspect the place is advertised mainly by word of mouth from party-goers who happen to have an excellent time and had to mention to everybody they meet about the experience. And this works very well for the club, because they keep an exclusive image and distance themselves from their competitors.

There used to be a club in New York City, dubbed “Studio 54″. It used to be the place to go to in the 70′s as a lot of celebrities used to frequent it, and being seen there was a Big Deal™. With that said, good luck getting in because the doormen for Studio 54 were selective and only chose people who were either loaded or simply beautiful, the latter being surprisingly more important. In Time’s case, it rather have both qualities present in its clientele. The 20$ cover charge seems to prevent bums from accidentally getting inside, yet I don’t understand why people who reserve a table beforehand have to pay this silly tax. If I’m spending over 1000$ in a single night, why are you charging me 20$ to get in?

Time is definitely a great looking place, with its high ceiling, flashy lights and its glittering disco ball make you feel like you’re high class. The decor, atmosphere and overall quality and cleanliness of the place shows, although ignore the napkins tossed all over the floor. At the end of the night, you’ll most likely be tossing a few in the air yourself. There is an upstairs VIP section with its own private bar for those intimate nights with loved ones, which was vacant the last time I went surprisingly.

I’ve heard numerous times about the clientele being snobby or uptight at Time, but I personally did not notice any irregularities. Then again, I’m usually not affected as I’m not exactly a scrawny guy to get pushed around, so people tend to move out of the way for me when I’m coming through (I still excuse myself when I cut through, mind you). I think people should expect snobbishness, especially in a setting of this sort: you’ve got bottles of alcohol lined up across tables and money flying through the air. I’m not saying it’s okay to act like an asshole among other clientele, but expect people to be full of themselves as it makes them feel better about the money they’re plunking down to get crunked.

Pros

• Awesome decor, lights and atmosphere
• Decent sound system, great music
• Vacant & free parking around club
• People are well dressed and beautiful

Cons

• Drinks aren’t cheap; 10$ average
• Getting in is a bitch, so reserve a table beforehand or find friends with connections
• Clientele is somewhat snobby, be prepared
• Mens washrooms are too small; urinals are too close to each other
• Silly 20$ entrance tax

Vote For Best Greek Restaurant

Suite 701 – Don’t Forget to Shave

Feel like bumming out and getting wasted with your buddies without spending too much? Then don’t head off to Suite 701, because you probably won’t even get in with those dirty sneakers of yours. This lounge is the definition of class – the interior is beautiful, the people are beautiful and the drinks are beautiful.

Located in Old Montreal, Suite 701 is relatively small: basically a long narrow room with a bar running down one side. However, its extremely high ceiling prevents the feeling of being cramped. Opposite of the bar, a series of low coffee tables and lounging sofas help accommodate large groups. The interior architecture is absolutely fascinating. The high ceiling paired with the detailed moldings, modern chandeliers and boudoir-type mesh curtains give the space a classical, contemporary and naughty feel.

Although you’ll see the DJ booth the moment you walk in, there unfortunately isn’t an existent dance floor. So really, a DJ is kind of useless but she was hot, so there you have it. I’m more of a chat-over-a-drink kind of person, so the absence of the dance floor didn’t bother me. What was frustrating however was the excessively loud music that even prevented you from having a conversation. After somewhat mastering the art of reading lips, the ambiance was pretty chill and ideal for going out with a group of friends.

The drinks are not cheap, they’ll run you about 12$ for a cocktail, but you’ll definitely find some original ones made with quality liqueur. Maple syrup is an interesting ingredient found a few times on the menu – a tad too sweet for my liking, but worth trying and will definitely be enjoyed by most girls. Fortunately, Suite 701 is one of the rare nightlife spots where they serve mojitos! Finally! You can sit down with a drink and pretend like it’s just another hot summer day when the reality is that you’re completely unaware a snow plow has just ripped off one of your side mirrors during its run. Unfortunately, I speak from experience… By the way, the reason why those drinks are so hard to come by is due to the fresh mint leaves needed as the prime ingredient. Most of the time, it’s not worth for clubs or bars to carry something with such a short shelf life if the demand isn’t high enough. So ladies, no bitching if a club or bar doesn’t offer mojitos. Order something else and quit acting like a princess. … again, I speak from experience.

If there’s a drink that you must try, it’s called The Basilic. Evidently, one of the ingredients is basil… sounds nasty, I know, but its combination with the sweetness of the raspberry liqueur makes it very interesting. It’s a usual favorite for the ladies, the men however, find it tastes like spaghetti sauce.

Pros:
• Good music
• Good drinks
• Gorgeous design

Cons:
• Pricey
• A slightly snooty crowd
• Tight space

Business Lounge; An Old Port Hot Spot That Won’t Disappoint

Located in Montreal’s Old Port district, Business Lounge offers an ambiance similar to the many nightlife establishments nearby. At first sight, one would feel like having just walked into a bourgeois’ dining room. However, its level of elegance and class make this venue stand out from the rest while still offering drinks at affordable prices.

Its modest entrance opens up to a narrow and deep, dimly lit room. The doorman and efficient bartenders greet you in a friendly manner, a characteristic seldom seen in Montreal’s busy hot spots. With two floors open on a Saturday night and the many festivities being held in the neighborhood, there was no problem in finding a seating place for all sized parties. The interior decor reminisces of the centennial-type architecture complete with dark wood wall paneling, burgundy velour banquets and black iron chandeliers that give a somber, yet intimate mood. The latter also enhances a feeling of intoxication without having to down half a bottle of Grey Goose. The dark vintage furniture contrasts with the bar’s metallic industrial look. This change in décor is interesting and mixing up your surrounding made the venture for drinks that much more exciting.

A quaint dance floor placed near the bathrooms serves for the select few who chose to get their groove on in an establishment best suited for sit-downs and friendly conversations. With good music pumping throughout the place without it being over-drowning, Business Tapas & Lounge is a spot I highly suggest to check out whether it’s for a quick drink with a partner, a night out with a large group of friends, and everything in between.

Pros

• Friendly staff
• Good prices
• Elegant décor
• Many mirrors on the walls (for the ladies)

Cons

• Secluded location
• Small dance floor
• Slightly younger crowd (age 20-25)

Vote For Best Shisha Lounge

What’s the best shisha lounge in Montreal for you? I’ve listed a few at the bottom here, but obviously I can’t cover every single one. If the one that you want to vote on isn’t listed, leave a comment and I’ll add it accordingly.

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