wareontheglobe canada

Tide & Vine Oyster Company – An Actually Delicious Restaurant in Niagara Falls, Canada!

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This post is all about the best meal that I ate in Niagara Falls, Canada in May 2025 at Tide & Vine Oyster Company. Now, I must preface this post with explaining just how terrible the food scene is in Niagara Falls, Canada. It’s bad. Comprised largely of American chain restaurants with a smattering of non-chain establishments that cater solely to tourists (meaning no repeat business), you will have a tough time finding good food in Niagara Falls, Canada. This was such a disappointment, as one of our favorite things about Montreal (the Canadian city that we usually visit in May) is the food.

Burger King, Applebee’s, & Ripley’s Believe It or Not. This is peak Niagara Falls.

I searched and searched online trying to find a somewhat decent restaurant and came across Tide & Vine Oyster Company a couple times. I decided to try it, despite loathing oysters, and made a reservation for Saturday evening. Tide & Vine Oyster Company is located about a 15 minute drive from the tourist heart of Niagara Falls, Canada. It’s definitely not close enough to walk, but there is ample parking as its located in a strip mall. We Ubered to and from the restaurant. On arrival, despite being surprised about the strip mall situation, I was excited to see a cute outdoor seating area and that the interior was decorated nicely. The restaurant was also devoid of tourists. A good sign.

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Montreal: A Long Weekend Itinerary for Foodies!

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Dan and I spent a long weekend in Montreal, as we do almost every year, last May, but this May, our friends joined us from Virginia for a memorable birthday weekend! We had a wonderful time and great weather, enjoying fantastic meals, tasty drinks, and a bit of relaxation. This post details our 4-day itinerary for those looking for a Montreal itinerary focused on great food and drinks.

Montreal!

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Restaurant Review: Mon Lapin, Montreal

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We recently dined at Canada’s new “best restaurant” Mon Lapin on our recent trip to Montreal. The dinner was fun and quite tasty, but it is not Canada’s best restaurant (or even Montreal’s – that honor goes to Damas. Come at me.).

Mon Lapin, or “My Rabbit” in English is a restaurant/wine bar in Montreal’s Little Italy. Mon Lapin has been open for several years but it has recently received a lot of attention due to topping Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants in 2023. I couldn’t resist a dinner here, so I made an online reservation right when they opened a couple weeks before our trip.

Vin Mon Lapin.

We arrived in Little Italy in a cool Friday evening in May for an 8:30 reservation. Mon Lapin was totally packed and we were not even let inside until 8:50, when Mon Lapin set up our party of four in a little corner to order wine while we waited for our table. Very busy! We didn’t really mind as we had poutine earlier, so we ordered an organic lambrusco while we waited. Outside of our little corner, Mon Lapin is a cute spot with wood flooring and tables crowded in the dining room. Its definitely a nice dinner, but with a cool and casual vibe. The kitchen is somewhat open in the bank of the restaurant, which was pretty interesting (I always love to watch the chefs!). For attire, I would suggest cool.

We were seated about an hour late, LOL, and were promptly brought the wine list, dinner menu and the standard amuse bouche – radishes in a sauce, local cured sausage, and a savory scone that was incredible (and I mean incredible!). As you can see, the menu, entirely in French, is small and consists of generally “Quebecois” fare. The wine list was also a bit small, very organic, and honestly not our favorite. We asked our waiter if there were any other options and he did bring 3 bottles from the back that fit our request. We drank two of them. Our waiter also explained every dish on the menu in detail.

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Eating Our Way Though Mile End, Montreal!

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Montreal-style Poutine.

Dan and I, along with another couple, visited Montreal in May 2024 to celebrate a milestone birthday! We love a food tour, and have only ever taken one in Canada, so we booked a good tour in Montreal’s cool Mile End neighborhood. The tour had us tasting delicious food, as well as learning a lot about Montreal’s diverse history. We really enjoyed it! This article reviews the tour and also provides suggestions for where to eat in Mile End Montreal.

The group on tour!

STOP 1: A DELICIOUS BREAKFAST PASTRY

The first stop on our tour, and where our tour began, was at a Mile End bakery named Guillaume. Guillaume’s bakery (and website) enjoys a yellow theme and turns out fresh pastries all day, every day. It smelled delightful. For our first taste of food, we tried a bread product that looked a bit like a mushroom made of bread. It was, indeed, not a mushroom. Instead, it was freshly baked brioche flavored with white chocolate and vanilla. This pastry was incredibly tasty. SO SO GOOD. I will absolutely have another when we are back in Montreal.

Guillaume bakery.

White chocolate and vanilla brioche. Amazing.

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Exploring the Executive Lounge At the Double Tree by Hilton Montreal (Complexe Desjardins)

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Over Memorial Day, Dan and I drove to Montreal (from NYC, 6.5 hours) to spend a glorious weekend eating and drinking far too much. Montreal is the perfect place for that. On this trip, we stayed at the Double Tree by Hilton in the Complexe Desjardins, which was very recently converted from a Hyatt to a Double Tree in December.  Fun fact – we stayed at that Hyatt back in 2012! This time around, we were very excited to check out the new Executive Lounge a/k/a Club Lounge at the Double Tree, having really enjoyed the one at the Double Tree by Hilton in Santiago!

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Entrance to the “Club Lounge” a/k/a Executive Lounge in Hilton speak.

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