There’s no place like home. Ever since Baldwin Barmacie opened a little over 3 years ago it’s been my regular watering hole. Over the years the crowd has changed from the predominantly older “looking for a cool place to drink” crowd (I consider myself a part of) to the predominantly younger “too cool for school” crowd. Either way I still call Baldwin Barmacie home. Be it the usual Friday night, Thursday 5 à 7 or even the odd Saturday night I can always have a good time at Baldwins.

The music is top notch; djs (often the proprietor,  Alex) kick out a vast mix of tunes which you probably won’t hear in any other Montréal bar. Fantastic indie rock to unforgettable motown, don’t expect to hear the same music week after week like some places.

At Baldwins cocktails are king; I must admit I do stick to my usual ‘pint of blonde’ or ‘gin 7′ but the ladies do love a good cocktail… expect them to ask for the drink card. A mini bar-food menu is available although I have never tried anything on it. I must say I have heard rave reviews from many people about the grilled-cheese.

Classy simple décor, great music, decent prices and a fun atmosphere. Located on Laurier (near St-Urbain) Baldwins is away from the St-Laurent commotion but not far enough to deter you from having a pre-St-Laurent drink.

The place: Baldwin Barmacie (115 Laurier West) –
Type of food/establishment: Bar-Lounge

My friends and I got to Tango Cafe at 10pm ish a couple days ago and proceeded to get some coffee’s, alcoholic beverages, and a bit of munchies.  We also decided to play Italian cards outside on the terrace (something we’ve done time and time again at countless other restaurants like Universe).  My buddy orders a martini that they mess up (they tried to pass off a Gin+7up in a Martini glass as a martini), we told the waitress but didn’t make a big deal of it.

A good 30+ minutes after we arrive and start playing (after we ordered) the owner tells the waitress to tell us to stop playing games outside because it makes it look like there’s gambling going on outside LOL.  we look to each other shocked and inform the waitress that we’re just playing Italian cards (scopa), she repeats that she’s really sorry but the owner asked us to stop.

we ask to speak to the owner to get some clarification.  she goes back in and then comes back out with 2 other waiters who tell us they’re really sorry but we need to stop playing, the owner says if he has to come outside he’s going to kick us all out!

ALL THIS WHILE THERE IS A FUCKING LOTO-QUEBEC PARTY LITERALLY 5 FEET AWAY AT THE RESTAURANT NEXT DOOR!!

we raised our volumes so the other customers could hear and told her, you know what tell your boss that we feel incredibly disrespected and he just lost 7 customers, we payed and left immediately.

I understand that it’s his place but the fact that the owner didn’t even have the fucking balls to come outside and talk to his customers himself he got a poor waitress to do his dirty work for him and then treated us like we were fcucking garbage is totally disrespectful.  No class, no balls, not going back ever.

ps. $20 for double apple shisha that tastes like it came out of a camel’s ass = extra fail

/rant

Here’s some similar reviews from other people on restomontreal.com

By: Arline

yummy cocktails and crepes! biggest projector (tv screen), modern and nice ambiance.
Must go with friends and/or family …. too bad it was HORRIBLE service though … all 3 times

By: ppereira

I consider the service of the restaurant very poor.
I called to make a reservation for a group. About twenty minutes upon the reservation was confirmed, the manager called back to ask me at what time we were planning to leaving the restaurant because he needed the table he had assigned to my group for another group. Needless to say that I cancelled the reservation… When the MANAGER of the restaurant is so anxious to see you out of his restaurant and you have not yet arrived IT SAYS IT ALL ABOUT THE SERVICE!!!!…..

The way to find this place is to look for the big red door or like most Montréal bars the group of smokers huddled outside (corner Mount-Royal & Papineau). Once inside La Porte Rouge looks like an old tavern turned trendy. Dark shades with splashes of hot red give the hot/cold rustic look many bars have adapted in recent history. The crowd is a mix of the typical Mount-Royal/Plateau, trendy, relaxed francophones with a touch of the sophisticated 5 à 7 gang. It’s not all “Oui’s” and “Merci’s” as the location might suggest while manovering through the crowd you’ll catch an English conversation here and there.

Every once and a while a new place becomes the happening “5 à 7” spot in Montreal, right now it’s La Porte Rouge. Swing by on a Thursday evening after work, have a pint, meet new people.

• The Place: La Porte Rouge (1834 Mont-Royal Est) - http://www.barsalonporterouge.com/
• Type of food/establishment: Bar-Lounge

     There are 2 things you should know about me. I’m the type of person who likes to try new things and I love to eat. This Tapas restaurant allows me to satisfy both those urges.

     For those of you who don’t know what “tapas restaurants” are: “Tapas” is the name associated to a wide variety of Spanish appetizers. “Tapas restaurants” offer a wide variety of appetizers which patrons combine to make a meal. Tapas (North America) has evolved from Spanish dishes to all genres of cuisine.

     Dans La Bouche offers plenty of creative little dishes; their menu is actually so appealing that I wasn’t able to order all tempting dishes. That problem was easily solved by revisiting the chic restaurant. From asparagus in a wine & goat cheese sauce to plain old chicken wings, their menu should please most palates.

     I find that Tapas restaurants are best experienced with a nice bottle of vino. Luckily dans la bouche offers bottles at half price between 4 and 9pm. The downside of this is after 9pm bottles are a little over-priced.

     Visible red brick throughout the restaurant with modern furniture and art work give dans la bouche that cold/warm trendy feel. I should also mention there is a large screen (which shows habs games) making this the ideal date spot when you don’t want to miss a game.

Montréal’s dans la bouche tapas restaurant/lounge bar definitely worth a visit. Chic atmosphere, funky foods well priced wines. Take your girlfriend(s)… I did.

• The Place: Dans La Bouche (2000 Mount-Royal east.) – http://www.danslabouche.ca
• Type of food/establishment: Tapas/Bar-RestoLounge

Rick @ my514.com – May 27, 2008

Located on Boulevard Gouin near Sacré Coeur Hospital (View Google Map ) Casse-Croute Paulo et Suzanne has been a landmark establishment for generations of people throughout the years. Although their logo has changed along with the ownership, and the menu has expanded with new meals such as “Le Sous Marin” and “Le Bagel BLT”, Paulo et Suzanne has held onto their core clientèle by offering their traditional poutine dish.

Knowing that i’ll receive many stern emails saying that there are far superior poutine’s on and off the island of Montreal, the thing that makes the Paulo et Suzanne poutine so special is the heart and the gravy. Naturally one might think that with good gravy comes a mild heart attack, however the heart that is present in serving a Paulo et Suzanne poutine has stayed the same since Paulo and Suzanne were the original owners. Many readers will remember their first time trying a poutine at the famous casse-croute on Gouin, and many of those people will state that the first time they tasted the warm gravy and cheese curds was at 4am upon returning from a night of intense partying.

Chanting drunken songs until the chef’s slam their fists in rage and drinking at least 5 cups of water to quench your dehydrated body is the typical pre-meal routine at an early Sunday morning poutine run at Paulo et Suzanne’s. I remember many times when the whole restauraunt (stuffed with people) would erupt in song and dance while either eating or waiting for their food.

Many people debate on the perfect meal after clubbing, some say it’s the crepe while others claim that a nice gyro will settle the hunger cramps. I say it’s the famous poutine because in all honesty nothing fills you up more than a pile of fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds especially when you’ve spent 90% of your energy dancing like a fool on top of a couch in a club. The feeling of joy when a plate of fresh poutine is placed in front of you is a feeling that can be equated to collapsing after running a marathon and/or jumping for joy after finding out that girl you hooked up with two weeks ago isn’t pregnant. I might be putting too much emphasis on this however I do live by what I say and I say that nothing beats the joy that you get from eating a Paulo et Suzanne poutine.

For those thinking I’m full of it or that I’m glorifying a meal that is nothing more than a “regular” plate of fries, I encourage you to go and have a seat on the terrace one evening after a long night of partying and order up a fresh poutine, drink a couple glasses of water and sing your favorite tune with a group of your drunken friends. You won’t be disappointed.