Marché Jean-Talon on a February Sunday

It's cold and sunny today in Montreal. Where can one go to get into the Sunday action? Ahhh, the Marché Jean-Talon, the large public market in the north-central part of the city. It's busy, there's lots going on, and there's lots of excellent food to be bought, or eaten in situ. Here are some random shots, just to brighten your lives a little during a long dreary Winter.

Here's a long shot up about two-thirds of the main hall, all that's open during the Winter. You can see the crowds, maybe feel a bit of the buzz:





There are clearstories along the roofline which let in light, always makes the peppers pretty:




Even at this time of the year, some of the produce is local:



Always lots and lots of fresh greens:



At the north end of the marché is Premiere-Moisson, a boulangerie-charcouterie, with some of the very best bread and patés in the city. On a Winter's day, you buy a bowl of soup, some paté, a bit of bread, and have a most excellent mid-day repast.



Here's The Other Dr. Gale trying to decide which paté we need. Turned out it was foie de canard, to no one's surprize! :^)



Inside the place du marché is Fromagerie Hamel; they have six bays of cheese, here are three:





Just a few of the things available:




Along the west side of the place du marché are lots of other interesting places--here are a few:




I haven't done the marché justice in any way, shape, or form. But at least I hope you can catch a hint of the scent of how much fun a wintery Sunday afternoon can be in Montreal!

Geo

Thanks for posting that!

It looks like great fun

Geo--

Thanks for the teaser! I've been putting off making arrangements for my usual late winter/early spring visit to Montreal. Your post was the kick in the pants I needed.

Your final picture reminded me of a question I thought of back in November when I was passing through LAX.

Geo wrote:Along the west side of the place du marché are lots of other interesting places--here are a few:

In the domestic American terminal at LAX, I could have sworn I saw an American version of Au Pain Doré. I can't remember how the name was translated into English, but it definitely contained "Doré." The place at LAX also offered pastries and sandwiches, though no loaves of bread (which I guess wouldn't make much sense to sell in an airport terminal). Do you know if there's any relationship between the chain (?) in LA and the Quebec company? I didn't see any connection on the website of Au Pain Doré, but I didn't know if perhaps they had just separated out the US stores without mention. A stop at the Au Pain Doré on Côte-Des-Neiges for breakfast bread and jam is always part of my Montreal itinerary.

Tnx Happy Stomach, glad that I got you coming this way! But note the snow on the ground: I've got c. a meter and a half in my front yard...

I don't know anything about an American version of Au Pain Doré—the American airport operation I'm familiar with is Au Bon Pain, of which many there are.

TODG likes to get the various pastries at APD in the marché, and, in good weather, sit out in front with the pastry and a café au lait. I go down the street to Balkani and get a mici lamb sausage—no pastries for me when there's a grilled sausage available!

I prefer the baguette from Premiere-Moisson, but APD makes the best panini loaf-ette I've ever tasted. Yummm, I think I just figured out what lunch will be...

Geo

Geo wrote:TODG likes to get the various pastries at APD in the marché, and, in good weather, sit out in front with the pastry and a café au lait. I go down the street to Balkani and get a mici lamb sausage—no pastries for me when there's a grilled sausage available!

I prefer the baguette from Premiere-Moisson, but APD makes the best panini loaf-ette I've ever tasted. Yummm, I think I just figured out what lunch will be...

Geo

Geo,

I've never had a baguette from Premiere-Moisson. I'll have to try it on my next visit. I've been to the location near the Musée des beaux-arts on Sherbrooke for afternoon tea and pastry a few times, but that's the extent of my Premiere-Moisson experience. Actually, I don't think I've had a baguette from APD either. We only buy bigger loaves from there. My baguette of choice is from Duc de Lorraine, my neighborhood pâtisserie. Speaking of sausages, though you'll have to grill them at home, have you been to Atlantique, the small German market on the corner of Côte-Des-Neiges and Queen Mary? I usually stop there on my way back from Duc de Lorraine. They have a nice selection of sausages and often invite you to sample whatever is special that day from their meats and breads. On my last visit, they offered me a piece of really superb challah (or something very much like challah). Historically, I've not bought bread from them given that my routine is to get bread of APD and DdL, but I've made a mental note to try a full loaf from Atlantique next time.

Duc de Lorraine
5002 Ch de la Côte des Neiges
Montréal, QC H3V 1G6
(514) 731-4128

Boucherie Atlantique
5060 Côte-Des-Neiges
Montréal, QC H3V 1G6
(514) 731-4764

TODG is an habitué of Duc de Lorraine, altho' she's never brought home one of their baguettes--which she'll have to do, on your recommendation, for which, tnx!

And yes, our Feinkost in Montreal is Atlantique; some of his sausages are great, but TODG and I like it for all the other good Deutscheskuche stuff he stocks. She lived (and baked) in Deutschland for 8 yrs, so being able to get the Dr. Oetker baking supplies is very welcome.

Love this town!!

Geo