My wife, my daughter, and I went to Montréal the weekend before Christmas. The highlight was Saturday. After a quick shopping spree on Rue Ste. Catherine, we had a late lunch at La Binerie in the Plateau Mt. Royal. This 20-year old restaurant serves traditional Québec food. We had meatloaf with mashed potatoes and baked beans chilli. But the best was smoked meat poutine with enormous cheese curds. We finished with tarte au sucre (a butter tart the size of a pie) and pudding chômeur (a sponge cake doused in caramel sauce). We then made our way down Rue St. Denis and saw a few spots where I used to hang…

In early December my husband and I travelled to Québec City to visit my mother-in-law. Temperatures were in the -20 range, snow covered everything, and trees were iced. The frigid weather made hot chocolate breaks all the more delightful. And a roaring fire all the more cozy! The wintery weather adds to the charm, non? Québec City is quite charming. We had a lovely time wandering the historic streets lined with inviting cafés and shops. Snow and ice completely blanketed the Plains of Abraham. Still, we staked out a good vantage point on the famed plateau and pondered how the French did not see the British soldiers advancing from the…