June 6 - Cult MTL

Transcription

June 6 - Cult MTL

JUNE 2013 • Vol. 1 No. 9 • CULTMONTREAL.COM
FREE
#MutsumiTakahashi #PublicSex #NDQ #JacquesGreene #PhilFish #Romados #Kazu
table of
contents
#to-do list 5
#city
6
:one-night stand
6
:rant line™ 6
Cult Mtl
is...
Lorraine Carpenter
Editor in chief, music editor
Brenden Fletcher
Creative director
Kayla Marie Hillier
Screen editor
Emily Raine
Culture editor
Lucas Wisenthal
Managing editor, city editor
Emma Carroll (@Emma_Carroll)
If there was a prize for Sweatiest Bitch in Montreal,
I'd be winning it. ( @CultMTL ??)
Erik Leijon
Contributing editor (video games)
Victoria Laberge (@VictoriaLaberge)
Hey @CultMTL when do the #BestOfMTL results
come out?? #CantWait
Layout + design
MDB (@marioscido)
@CultMTL Hello, Peut-être Theatre is NOT our venue,
which is Peut-être Vintage. Thanks for the post.
TagTeam Studio
www.tagteamstudio.ca
#music
7
festival overload
7
#best of mtl
8
:people & places
9
testing public sex spots 9
:media10
mutsumi takahashi
11
:nightlife 12
notre dame des quilles
13
:music 15
jacques greene 17
:film & arts
19
motion picture purgatory 19
marc-andré grondin
21
phil fish 23
:goods & services
23
:food & drink
29
romados 31
kazu
33
:culinary dictum
36
Cover illustration
Evan Melnyk at
Curse of the Multiples
www.curseofthemultiples.com
Ad sales
Shant Aghazarian
ads@cultmontreal.com
Marketing / Social media
Christina Stimpson
General information
info@cultmontreal.com
Writers who contributed to this issue:
Gemma Horowitz
Bartek Komorowski
Al South
Hooded Fang (@hoodedfang)
@CultMTL @TheUncluded @Saxsyndrum @MAJORLAZER RARRR!
Chonilla Podcast(s) (@Chonilladotcom)
@MorganPCampbell @CultMTL everything is getting
worse in this city WHat is UP!
Adam Glinglin (@mobilisinmobili)
@CultMTL As the Montreal water advisory widens
the city turns from one kind of tap to another #WedsKegParty
Anne-Darla Lucia D. (@AnneDarla)
Well the piknik fiasco with the @CultMTL crew was
eventful to say the least. I have not slept in 48 hours.
Guido & Angelina (@GuidoAngelina)
@cultmtl Gotta love lobster season!
ΩN (@omen514)
I think I am pretty sure I know who the suprise live
painter is at tonights @MASSIVart @CultMTL
christopher curtis (@titocurtis)
Voted for @TheKaufmanShow as my favourite sports
personality/radio show in @CultMTL's best of Mtl.
He's also my favourite Indian restaurant.
sarah shoucri (@SarahTheShouc)
@CultMTL They are total cuties and isn't it BYOB?
Can't go wrong!!
Jessica R. Young (@okdearest)
@CultMTL wait, wait, wait. free burger day as in
FREE burger day?
Róisín Tuohy (@roisintuohy)
@CultMTL I need free/cheap French lessons... Think
any of your followers might be able to recommend
somewhere?
astralbating (@astralbating)
Does BOM @cultmtl have a category for best interdimensional punk podcast that semi-inhabits the
space-time continuum of MTL?
#film 33
on screen in june
37
#culture
39
fringe forecast
39
atelier b fashion spread42
tweet
@CultMtl
Cult MTL is a daily music, arts,
culture and city life site. Visit us at
cultmontreal.com
Cult MTL is published by Cult MTL Media Inc.
and printed by Hebdo Litho.
Entire contents are © Cult MTL Media Inc.
Sara Lomas (@DrawnIn)
@lurie_john just read the article in @CultMTL. The
father of reality TV? They look nothing like you.
Saxsyndrum (@Saxsyndrum)
@cultmtl pls report on bande a part closure - are
dark times ahead?
Alex Fellows (@spainandmorocco)
Hey @CultMTL find out who has the rooster on Clark
between St-Vaiteur and Bernard. Is it even legal to
raise them in the city?
JUNE 2013 • Vol. 1 No. 9 • WWW.CULTMONTREAL.COM
3
#to-do list
For daily to-do lists, visit cultmontreal.com
To June 12
June 8
June 14
Renata Morales curates The 8-Day Week, seven days of
parties ‘til dawn, with a painting exhibition by Joe Becker,
evening pop-up boutiques featuring Denis Gagnon, Complex
Geometries, Odd Future’s Golf Wang, Andrew Floyd and
Morales herself, plus a sweet nightly lineup of bands and
DJs, including Actress, Tonstartssbandht, a live Prison Garde
recording session and more.
It’s the seventh annual Formula Fun BBQ at Tokyo, with food
by Bofinger and sounds by Seb Diamond, Shaydakiss and
more.
WORN visits Montreal for Books About Looks, a close reading
of clothing in literature and a launch event for the fashion
journal’s 16th issue.
≥ 3709 St-Laurent, $7 w/ RSVP @ http://gimme.io/lookout
≥ Librairie Drawn & Quarterly (211 Bernard W.), 7 p.m., free
PHI Centre, 407 St-Pierre
To June 22
The Suoni per il Popolo festival of free and avant music of all
sorts occupies Casa del Popolo and la Sala Rossa for most
of the month, bringing in some pretty amazing local and
international talent. See our preview on p. 7.
Local electro-pop stylists Young Galaxy
launch their recently released record
Ultramarine with opener CFCF and a DJ
set by Ladytron’s Reuben Woo.
The Fringe Festival brings wild and weird indie theatre to the
city’s stages. See our festival forecast on p. 35.
June 6–9
The 18th annual Nuit Blanche sur Tableau Noir brings all
manner of art to Mont-Royal E., illustrating the avenue itself
during the Grande Fresque de Nuit on June 6, and hosting
15 bands playing live music outside Mont-Royal metro
throughout the weekend, among them Fanny Bloom and
Orkestar Kriminal.
≥ Le National (1220 Ste-Catherine E.), 9 p.m., $22.50
Butcher’s Hook showcases two very different but equally
strong visual styles by Jon Todd and Jesse Hazelip, opening
with an afternoon vernissage.
June 16
June 9
Cult MTL co-presents this edition of the weekly Piknic
Electronik, feat. Thugfucker, DJ Tennis, Okin and Buck Smith.
≥ Parc Jean Drapeau, 2 p.m., $14
June 12–16
Festival International Montréal en Arts shuts down the
downtown with BoulevArt, featuring over 125 exhibits and art
sellers, plus live performances, art installations and outdoor
short film screenings in Parc Émile-Gamelin and Parc de
l’Espoir.
≥ Ste-Catherine between Berri and Alexandre-de-Sève
June 6–8, June 13–15,
June 20–22
Indie Montreal and FRINGE Festival present a pack of quality
local bands in their second annual Discovery Music Series at
Divan Orange.
≥ 4234 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $10
June 6
The Darling Foundry celebrates its 25th
anniversary with a huge party. Soirée Fer
offers several vernissages, a fundraising
art sale, open studios, cocktails and
treats from le Serpent in the gallery at 6
p.m., followed by a bangin’ block party on
Ottawa Street, with big DJs, live art and
mad hijinks after 8 p.m.
≥ 745 Ottawa, free
June 7–9
At long last, it’s once again your chance to don your finest
acid-wash, boot-cut jeans and loudest t-shirt and join the
throngs of out-of-towners who will descend on the city
to watch race cars whiz around the track at Circuit GillesVilleneuve in hopes of winning the Canadian Grand Prix. Don’t
forget your earplugs, bros.
≥ Parc Jean-Drapeau, $139–$635
June 7
Osheaga presents moody Brits the XX and Brooklyn hipster
bait Grizzly Bear by the banks of the Lachine Canal in
St-Henri.
≥ Corner of Pitt and St-Patrick, 7:30 p.m., $54
Glasgow buzz band Chvrches make their live debut in
Montreal, with support from Still Corners.
SAT (1201 St-Laurent), 10 p.m., $15
≥ Galerie Yves Laroche, 6355 St-Laurent, 2–5 p.m., free
To June 25
June 15
Over in St-Henri, the Folk Festival on the Canal unfolds at
the Corona Theatre, the Georges Vanier Cultural Centre and
on the banks of the Lachine Canal, at Îlot Charlevoix near
Atwater. See our festival highlights on p. 7
June 13
Osheaga presents your Brooklyn boyfriends the National with
support from Montreal’s own Barr Brothers, by the Lachine
Canal spot in St-Henri.
≥ Corner of Pitt and St-Patrick, 7 p.m., $54/$60
June 13–16
The season’s first proper St-Laurent street
sale occupies the Main from Sherbrooke
to Mont-Royal, bringing food, drink, live
music, DJs and loads of discount stuff
into the open air. This year, you can also
watch the Main get remodeled, as the first
annual MURAL festival lines its walls with
public art. Stay tuned to our Instagram
feed to see the works-in-progress, and
look for Cult MTL outside Divan Orange.
June 13–22
The Francofolies music fest brings a whack of franco artists
to the Quartier des Spectacles.
See our list of festival highlights on p. 7.
The Beauty of Tragedy highlights seven of
Montreal’s best street artists: Labrona,
Jason Botkin, Omen, Peter Ferguson,
Scaner, WIA and Alan Ganev, who also
curates. The show’s finissage party
coincides with the Main mural fest.
≥ Conseil des Arts de Montréal (1210 Sherbrooke E.), 8 p.m., free
June 16
Brooklyn’s Sketchbook Project—a mobile library with
thousands of artists’ sketchbooks—visits Montreal.
≥ Darling Foundry (745 Ottawa), 12–6 p.m., free
Another Brooklyn import, Chef Mérida, prepares a threecourse secret vegan meal at Dépanneur le Pick Up, back by
popular demand after a successful soirée back in January.
Email lepickupevents@gmail.com to reserve.
≥ 7032 Waverly, 7:30 or 9 p.m. (two services), prix fixe $30
June 16–July 7
Josh Dolgin, aka Socalled, performs in Yiddish classic Tales
From Odessa, the story of a mob king in the dying days of the
Russian Empire, retold as a musical.
≥ Segal Centre (5170 Côte-Ste-Catherine), $24
June 20
Hip Hop Karaoke!
≥ Le Belmont (4483 St-Laurent), 10 p.m., free before 11 p.m./$5
June 21
Odd Future’s Syd Tha Kyd headlines at Cabaret Underworld,
backed by Shaydakiss, Nouvel Age, hosts Sally & Tyler and
Ponyio, with Mrs. Cami at the door, and photographer Tristan
Harris.
≥ 1403 Ste-Elisabeth, 10:30 p.m., $10/$15
June 22
It’s the first night of l’International des Feux Loto-Québec, the
weekly fireworks display; see it up close at La Ronde or from
any number of sweet outdoor spots around the city.
June 13–23
June 28–July 7
It’s the 10th anniversary of Montreal’s Infringement Festival,
the outsiders’ outsider theatre fest offering politically
engaged theatre, performance and music at various venues
around the city.
It’s the Jazz Festival, bitches!
See our list of festival highlights on p. 7.
5
#city
onenight
stand
One-Night Stand is a column
chronicling hook-ups in
Montreal. In an effort to better
understand what’s really
unfolding in our bars, clubs
and venues, we’re asking our
readers to submit stories of
their most memorable sexual
experiences, be they great or
terrible, with the new friends
they make when they’re out.
What follows is a firsthand
account of what happens in
our city’s bedrooms on any
given night.
Age: 25
Sex: Female
Orientation: Straight
Meeting place: Rouge Bar
The details:
The verbal foreplay and sexytimes began
on the dancefloor, and after five-too-many
cocktails, I went back to the guy’s hotel room.
This is where things started going downhill.
He did not have a condom and, in my drunken
stupor, we had unprotected sex. He had two
happy endings, while I did not cum even
once. Shortly afterwards, I learned that he
was sharing his hotel room with five of his
other male friends when they all walked in.
Needless to say, all five guys played witness
to my walk of shame.
Disclaimer: This is user-generated content that
doesn’t reflect the views or kinks of Cult MTL
editorial.
Submit your own One-Night Stand at
cultmontreal.com.
6
JUNE 2013 • Vol. 1 No 9 • WWW.CULTMONTREAL.COM
: rant line
™
THIS WEEK: Yoga clothes, short shorts, a peek of pink!
PLUS: The fabulous freaky Ford brothers!!
“edited” by AL SOUTH
M So big fat Rob Ford is a CRACKHEAD. Well,
doesn't that just beat everything. How long until
we hear our fucking MOBSTER mayors sold him
the shit? Fucking politicians are filth on even the
lowest level. [BLEEP!]
M Everyone is making a big deal about Rob
Ford SMOKING CRACK. What a joke. Look, I
have smoked crack on and off for years, and
I can tell you that all kinds of famous and
important people smoke it. I know because I
have smoked it with them! Rock stars, activists,
politicians—okay, maybe not the mayor, but
some well-known politicians—TV stars, radio
hosts, teachers, daycare workers, bankers. You
name it. And that’s just crack. If you want to talk
about NORMAL COCAINE, it would be harder to
come up with a list of people who do not snort it.
Everyone does. Probably your mother and father
do it. They might have been smoking crack—or
at least high on blow—on the night when they
CONCEIVED you. Stop being so naïve. [BLEEP!]
F Is anyone really surprised the Ford family are
fucking dealers? I mean, none of them are very
bright. They're like the staple fat MICK family—
pink-faced and beefy with no brains. Drugs were
the Ford family's only shot, and so now they're
rewarding all their drug buddies from years
ago with plum gigs in shitty old T-Dot. Rob Ford
is a fat, tragic man who should be pitied. He
was probably always made fun of, and always
ridiculed and picked last in GYM, and now he's
using right-wing rhetoric to mask his pain, and
his brother is the real piece of shit. Anyway, his
HEART can't likely handle much more living
without crack, so if he keeps hitting the pipe,
expect to find hear about him dropping dead
any time now. He's really a sad-sack, so cut him
some slack. Thanks. [BLEEP!]
M It's funny, because I just read this story about
the whole Ford family being BIG DRUG DEALERS
in the ’80s or early ’90s, and the first thing that
popped in my mind was that around that time,
I knew a guy whose roomie used to take a train,
like, once a month with a DUFFLE BAG full of
POT to deliver. I don't remember if he took it to
Toronto or picked it up in Toronto to bring back.
Pretty sure it was to, though. So, I mean, I'm sure
there were a lot of guys selling dope in Toronto
back then, but the first thing I thought of was
that this guy must have been bringing the drugs
to Doug Ford. The cops should look this guy up
and find out what he knows. I can't remember
his name. He was a skinny little guy and I
couldn't fucking stand him. David something.
Used to get his CATS stoned. God, what a fool.
So that's my tip for the day. I'll wait for some
REWARD MONEY now. Bye-bye. [BLEEP!]
M Hey, WOMAN. Whoa, man. Put up some
fucking PANTS. I’m sick of this goddam YOGA
shit. None of you should be wearing it. I don’t
want to go see my mom and she’s wearing some
fucking yoga clothes. Or any of her friends. Or
anyone else I see on the street wearing this shit. I
didn’t like it when I was going to school and seeing
girls in STRETCHY fucking clothes that I can rip off
with my TEETH, and I don’t like seeing it now. Most
of you should not even be allowed to buy it, so
none of you should be allowed to wear it. Spandex
is a goddam privilege, not a fucking right. Stop it.
Just stop it now. Please. [BLEEP!]
F Hello empowered women! I see WHOLE-
ASS-OUT shorts are de rigueur for the fashionconscious gal this summer. Tight and short and
let's see those cheeks! Good choice, ladies! Equal
pay cannot be far off with this new initiative. I
applaud you, and don't think for a second that
anyone will look at you as a mere tool for sating
their sexual desires. Remember—if you put a leg
up while sitting on Montreal's beautiful terrasses,
you might be able to give the boys a PEEK OF
PINK, too! Make sure you add that to your CVs!
Bye! [BLEEP!]
F Montreal. What is up with the PLATFORMS?
Not ok. [BLEEP!]
F Okay. So I am saying that I will seek to establish
a culture that is in accordance with the context.
Those who choose to CONFORM can stay, and
those who don’t are choosing to go. And yes, we
may lose some important personalities who are
afraid of this idea. But anyone who really cares
about this city will be what is left over! And after
that, other people who share our ideals will be
attracted and welcomed, so long as they give
a shit and get up off their ass to make this city
work. This idea is only going to work with the full
participation of the people—those who don’t
want to settle for just good enough. You put the
emphasis on what we have to lose, but I would like
to hear one truly great example of success that
hasn’t involved risk. Can you give me an example?
And I’m not talking about FASHION, Mr. Gucci
Shirt. I’m talking about the STRENGTH it takes to
achieve something great, or at least marginally
better than what we have now. The strength that
already exists in this city but is wasted on TRIVIAL
MATTERS! Why not focus on what there is to
achieve? Hell, athletes and artists do it, and that’s
how they get there, by dreaming. Did GANDHI give
up on his March for Salt because he was afraid
things wouldn’t work out? I am confident that with
the values set in place by this DOCUMENT and the
strong passionate character of Montreal, change
for the better is within reach. [BLEEP!]
GOT AN OPINION ON THE LOCAL SCENE?
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! CALL
514-271-RANT (7268)
Follow the RANT LINE™ at
www.rantline.com
#music
Diane Sagnier
Merchandise
Norman Wong
Lakes of Canada
Austra
Granville
Festival overload
by lorraine carpenter
Already in progress, the Suoni per il Popolo festival takes
over Casa del Popolo and la Sala Rossa until June 22, with its
adventurous and eclectic programming encompassing fine
free/avant players and composers and quality pop, rock and
electronic acts, among them Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley
(of Sonic Youth fame), Oso Blanco (a band feat. Colin Stetson),
Braids, Merchandise, Saltland, Rhys Chatham and Oneida,
Iceage and Tyvek. As he did on June 4, our columnist Johnson
Cummins will share his festival highlights in his Tuesday
column Hammer of the Mods (at cultmontreal.com) for the
duration of the festival.
Our website will also feature interviews with several Suoni
artists in the weeks to come.
The Folk Festival on the Canal is a strictly St-Henri affair,
with the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn opening the fest at the Corona
Theatre on June 12, Tim O’Brien playing the Georges Vanier
Cultural Centre on June 13 and about half a dozen bands
apiece playing the free daytime shows on the weekend at
the Lachine Canal’s Îlot Charlevoix (near Atwater Market).
Headlining the Saturday show are Canadian country-rock stars
the Sadies, with Lakes of Canada’s 2 p.m. set making an early
arrival worthwhile. On Sunday, chamber-folk outfit the Franklin
Electric launch their record with a set in the mid-afternoon
sun, while women top the roster, namely Ladies of the Canyon
and Catherine Durand.
Go to montrealfolkfest.com for more.
The Francofolies festival, a celebration of French-speaking/
singing musicians hailing from Montreal, from around
the province, from the old country and from across the
francophonie, begins its reign of the Quartier des Spectacles
on June 13. Here are the free outdoor shows you’ll want to see:
crowd-pleasing bilingual pop-rockeuse Ariane Moffatt will
draw hordes of fans on the festival’s opening night. On June 16,
local quartet le Couleur plays for the love of delectable electropop. On June 17, Tuareg singer/guitarist Bombino plays a pair
of free shows, and local hip hop outfit Alaclair Ensemble the
late shift. Catch Malajube offshoot Oothèque on June 18, and
the local-talent intensive on June 19, feat. Nomadic Massive’s
Vox Sambou, electro-punks la Femme, hip hop crew K6A, rock
’n’ rollers le Kid et les Marinellis and roots stars Canailles. The
following day, June 20, see France’s primo indie pop export
Granville, while June 21 has singer-songwriter Ludo Pin and hip
hop acts Radio Radio and friends and Loud Lary Ajust. And local
hip hop wraps the festival with a set by Dead Obies on June 22.
Go to francofolies.com for time and location details, and keep
your eyes on cultmontreal.com for additional coverage.
Then the Place des Festival lies dormant for six days, and on
the seventh day, it gets filthy with human flesh again as the
Jazz Festival rolls out its international stars of many, many
genres. For a serious rundown of actual-jazz highlights, go
to cultmontreal.com on June 26. On the pop tip, the festival
launches wide on June 28 with a free show by mega Canadian
chanteuse Feist, while local folk/rock/blues fusionists the Barr
Brothers play free on June 29 and vintage-R&B revivalist
Nick Waterhouse plays on July 3. On July 6, Nomadic Massive
roll out the soul, reggae and Afro-Caribbean vibes, beats,
rhythms and rhymes. The dancefloor in the Savoy room at
Metropolis beckons on June 28-30, when local combo le
Matos unfurls their electro-house stylings. Smooth R&B
operators Rhye play Metropolis on June 30 with support
from our buddy CFCF. French neofolkie Woodkid (aka Yoann
Lemoine) plays Metropolis with support from Mozart’s Sister
on July 1, and melancholic Montrealer-Swedes Thus:Owls
play the MAC on July 2, same day Jai Nitai Lotus and A Tribe
Called Red bring their disparate hip hop stylings to the
Bell stage and Club Soda, respectively. On July 3, Zooey
Deschanel and M. Ward bring their She & Him project to Place
des Arts, with support from fine Scottish pop group Camera
Obscura. That same night, Toronto synth-pop stars Austra
play Club Soda. On July 4, don’t miss Martha Wainwright at
Place des Arts, or a rare appearance by Belle & Sebastian,
with openers Here We Go Magic, at Place des Arts on July 5,
the same night David Lynch’s latest muse/chanteuse Chrysta
Bell spreads strange vibes at Club Soda. July 6 has actress
turned singer Molly Ringwald at Club Soda and local folk
classicist Leif Vollebekk at the MAC. And the festival wraps
on July 7 with shows by reunited second-wave ska stars
the Specials at Metropolis and our friends Suuns at
Club Soda.
Get details at montrealjazzfest.com, and check out
cultmontreal.com for interviews with some of these
fine artists.
7
START
Montreal has spoken. In April, we asked our savvy readers,
concerned citizens and anyone with an ounce of civic pride to
step up and share their love for all things local. This readers’
poll was open and democratic, with no editorial influence or
interference aside from the writing that you'll see around the
results herein.
We didn't discourage the individuals and companies who
promoted the vote—we even abetted the campaigns
undertaken by brick-and-mortar businesses, offering
downloadable "Vote for us!" posters on our website. And
8
the Facebook campaigns, well, we had to stay neutral by not
attending, but we were happy to see so many artists and
companies make an event of voting. The one thing we totally
frowned upon was ballot-stuffing, and there was some of
that—we're looking at you, Phil Campeau.
To everyone else who voted, campaigned and made it
into the 150+ Top 5s in these pages: thank you, well done,
congratulations.
We’re proud to bring you the Best of MTL.
7. Mutsumi Takahashi
9. Frank Cavallaro
8. Annie Demelt
10. Cary Tauben
9. Julie Paquet
10. Bronwen Agnew
Best-Dressed
Montrealer
1. Leonard Cohen
2. Anarchopanda
3. Mado
4. Justin Trudeau
5. Brooke Walsh
6. Sugar Sammy
7. Michael McCarthy
8. Boule New Yen
9. P.K. Subban
10. Jessica Paré
Best Sports
Personality
2. Leonard Cohen
3. Jay Baruchel
4. Xavier Dolan
5. Sugar Sammy
6. Chuck Hughes
7. Claude Legault
8. Les Blow
Best Political/
Social Cause
3. Dans la Rue
5. Head & Hands
3. Carey Price
6. Bill 78
4. Brendan Gallagher
7. Bill 14
5. Randy Tieman
8. Santropol Roulant
6. Mitch Melnick
9. Homelessness
7. Anthony Calvillo
10. Anglo rights
10. Georgia W. Tush
To look at the Best of MTL results, you’d think that
people were fucking on Mount Royal morning, noon
and night. And they probably are. But last week, as
my woman and I hiked the mountain in search of
a safe spot for getting it on, the only other people
within eyeshot were the guys who always seem to
be lingering by the statue overlooking Parc JeanneMance, another area popular with those who like to
get intimate in the presence of nature.
2. Idle No More
2. Georges St-Pierre
By quarter to midnight, we’d found as good a location we figured we
could—a spot behind a tree by where the LARPers congregate each
Sunday. Although I was hesitant at first—could this hook-up feel any more
stilted?—a brief make-out muted my inhibitions, and off we went. I soon
had my pants at my thighs and my penis in her mouth.
Slimiest Local
Politician
That’s when she became unnerved. We had chosen a location that was far
from the street, though not high enough up to encounter whatever lurks in
the dark, but she thought we’d be safer in a less secluded place. She was
more afraid of the shadows than of being seen.
1. Pauline Marois
Tackiest
Personality
2. Gérald Tremblay
1. Mose Persico
4. Frank Zampino
2. Pauline Marois
5. Denis Coderre
3. Mado
6. Jean Charest
4. Justin Trudeau
7. Justin Trudeau
5. Celine Dion
8. Gilles Vaillancourt
***
6. Booze Crotch
9. Amir Khadir
7. Michèle Richard
10. Louise Harel
Earlier that evening, in bright, broad daylight, my man and I found a perfect
leafy fortress on the south side of the mostly open, uncovered expanse
of green field known as Jarry Park. So perfect that it already had a dirty
chaise cushion inside, atop a strip of cardboard.
3. Michael Applebaum
After some convincing, we got down to business. I had told myself that I’d
have enough for this story after one awkward missionary pump, but I felt
oddly at peace as I watched the cars drive up Parc.
A few minutes later, we were walking back down the mountain. Our night
concluded with postcoital ice cream from the nearby Dairy Queen.
9. Carey Price
Was it a hobo house? It didn’t smell bad (it was an airy flower bush in the
park, not a crowded metro car) and there was nothing super sketchy on or
around the ghetto loveseat—no stains, syringes, used condoms or matter.
But no, OF COURSE we didn’t fuck on it. I’d come prepared, with a blanket in
my purse.
10. Brooke Walsh
Most Desirable
Woman
1. Jessica Paré
Will Lew
2. Mitsou
3. Maripier Morin
4. Pauline Marois
5. Vilify
We tested two
of your public
sex spots
by Anonymous & Anonymousette
1. Students/tuition
4. Environment
9. Brandon Prust
1. Justin Trudeau
“I’m flattered and I’m honoured,
considering the other nominees
in the category. So for me, it’s all
flattery. The word tacky, I don’t find
it at all negative. What did Oscar
Wilde say? ‘It’s best for them to
talk about you negatively than not
to talk about you at all.’ —Mose
Persico, CTV and Mike FM,
No. 1 Tackiest Personality
1. P.K. Subban
8. Ted Bird
Most Desirable
Man
Anonymousette
As Montrealers, there are
a lot of things we’ll never
agree on—car or bicycle?
English or French? Patio or
terrasse?—but we can all
at least acknowledge that
our city is full of people
and places that are easy on
the eyes. So it didn’t come
as much of a surprise that
you chose Liberal party
wunderkind Justin Trudeau
as your Most Desirable
Man and Mad Men’s
Jessica Paré as his female
counterpart. Neither did
your choice of Mile End
for Best Neigbourhood
or P.K. Subban for Best
Sports Personality. On
the Tackiest Personality
front, Mose Persico, as
always, is among your most
reviled people, but joining
him on the list is Pauline
Marois, who last summer
you nonetheless elected
as your premier. Oh, and
you like fucking on Mount
Royal, one of two public
sex locations we tested
out ourselves.
8. Éric Salvail
Angela Liu
People
&
Places
6. Grimes
2013 is not the year of the underdog. Mile End came out on top in the Best
Neighbourhood category, surprising exactly no one. What is it that makes this
'hood so special? We can only speak for ourselves, but we're sure the tree-lined
streets, good coffee and hot hipsters have something to do with it.
After taking turns at head, I was on all fours as he gave it to me from
behind. Neither of us got all the way there, probably ’cause we were too
busy giggling at nearby frisbee players and the occasional cyclist and
driver that rolled by. We were the voyeurs—unless someone in the row of
fancy houses across the street had a pair of super-sharp binoculars out.
At least one person parking their car 10 feet away saw us as we emerged
from the bush. So be it. We drove home content, and finished the job in the
privacy of our place.
9
Most Heinous
Scandal
1. Construction
2. Charbonneau
Commission
3. City Hall
4. Pastagate
5. Mafia
6. Pauline Marois
7. Police brutality
8. Arthur Porter
9. Guy Turcotte
10. Anti-protest laws
Best
Neighbourhood
1. Mile End
2. Plateau
3. NDG
4. St-Henri
5. Rosemont/
Petite Patrie
6. Villeray
7. Little Italy
8. Verdun
9. Westmount
10. Hochelaga
Tweeting with
No. 3
9. CJAD 800AM Media
10: CIBL 101.5FM
Nowhere in Montreal is the
whole two solitudes thing
more apparent than in our
city’s media. Judging by
your choices in categories
like Best Radio Show
(CKUT’s Venus Radio),
Best TV Station (CTV) and
Best Newspaper (Cult
MTL—thanks, dudes!), you
are, startlingly enough,
a largely anglophone
bunch. Nonetheless,
you picked Urbania—a
French-language culture
publication that earlier this
year dedicated an issue to
us square-heads—as your
favourite magazine, and
Radio-Canada’s Patrice
Roy and Véronique Cloutier
cracked Best Newscaster
and Best Local TV
Personality, respectively. As
for radio, though he spent
a few years in Alberta, you
never lost your love for
Terry Dimonte, and you’re
apparently fans of Team
690 stalwart Mitch Melnick,
too. And because we know
there’s no end to your love
for Mutsumi Takahashi
(Best Local Newscaster,
Best Local TV Personality),
we reached out to her to
find out what she thinks
of you.
1. Venus Best Radio Show
Hey, Montreal: Do you know Evan Dubinsky? Of course
you do! That’s why you voted him, he of apparent
@EvanDubinsky fame, your third-favourite local tweeter.
Since you totally hang off his every word, we reached out
to the Blue Skies Turn Black's bad cop via Twitter to get
his reaction to this watershed career moment.
(CKUT 90.3FM
)
2. Daybreak (CBC Radio One 88.5FM)
3. Go-Go Radio
Magic Show (CJLO 1690AM)
4. Melnick in the
Afternoon We chose to interview you this way because you ranked for best
Twitter feed. So, you know, congratulations.
(TSN 690AM)
5. Underground Sounds Sweeet. My greatest accomplishment
(CKUT 90.3FM)
6. Hooked on Sonics (CJLO 1690AM)
How does it feel to be someone whose thoughts Montrealers
apparently give a shit about?
7. C’est bien meilleur
le matin (CBF 95.1FM)
i'm very honoured and blessed. Montrealers giving a shit
about me has been my life long ambition
8. Edge of the City
(nomoreradio.com)
9. Beat of the Night (The Beat 92.5FM)
Do you think having an adorable dog as an avatar has helped you
in this regard?
10. The Goods (CKUT90.3FM)
I pay that dog for his likeness rights. I hired a PR firm
to work on my image and thats what they came up with.
He's a huge bitch
Best Local Radio
Host
1. Terry Dimonte
Best Place to Spot
Celebrities
2. Mitch Melnick
(TSN 690AM)
1. Old Montreal
Best Radio Station
2. St-Laurent Blvd.
1. CKUT 90.3FM
3. Mile End
4. Downtown 5. Crescent
6. Buonanotte
2. CJLO 1690AM
3. CISM 89.3FM
4. CHOM 97.7FM
7. Bell Centre
5. CBC 88.5FM/93.5FM
8. Sparrow
6. Virgin 96FM
9. Garde Manger
7. The Beat 92.5FM
10. Joe Beef
I have it on good authority that that dog belongs to you.
@lorrainecultmtl has seen you walking it.
(CHOM 97.7FM)
8. TSN 690AM
again, part of my campaign to convince people my heart is
not made of stone. Spoiler alert: its made of sour patch kids.
3. Aaron Rand
(CJAD 800AM)
4. Jeremy White
(The Beat 92.5FM)
Well, I've heard you're the so-called bad cop at Blue Skies, so
maybe it will disarm people.
5. Tony Stark
(Virgin Radio)
I didn't know I had that reputation. I've disarmed mercenaries
who took over a skyscraper before. I got a lot of glass
in my feet.
6. Prince Palu
(CJLO 1690AM)
7. Omar El Gamal
And you're not a neo-Nazi concert promoter. Is that correct?
(Sense.FM)
8. Paul Aflalo
(nomoreradio.com)
correct. For the record BSTB is not a neo nazi promotions co.
I wish people spent more time reading and less time
typing exclamation marks
Best Place to Have
Public Sex
1. Mount Royal
You have a name that would make Howard Stern say that you
might as well be called Jewy Jew Jew.
2. Parc Lafontaine
3. Old Montreal
4. Lachine Canal
Thanks. I guess? I come from a long line of Jews. I didn't care
for Yentl though. I think Barbra Streisand really phoned it in
5. Parc Jarry
6. McGill University
So, then, Evan, as a final question, what do you care for?
P. Mimumo
7. Parc Jeanne-Mance
8. Le Belmont
9. Alleyway
10. Metro
10
No. 2, bitches!
May extreme dieting/campus PD/organization/mangos/
christmas/haircuts/big shiny tunes/justin theroux/world
peace/crisp shirts/talking/whales
9. Julie Matson
8. Marc Labrèche
(Radio-Canada)
9. Nightlife
(nightlife.ca)
10. Mike Finnerty
9. Dimitrios Koussioulas 10. Mook Life (RIP) 10. Guy A. Lepage
Best Podcast
(CKUT 90.3FM)
(CBC 88.5FM/93.5FM)
Best TV Station
(CBC)
(Radio-Canada)
1. Midnight Poutine
1. CTV
2. CBC
3. Radio-Canada
4. Global
Best Magazine/Zine
1. Urbania 5. RDS
2. Vice 6. CUTV
3. Maisonneuve 7. Télé Québec
8. TVA
4. Nouveau Projet 9. Art TV
5. Snap!
10. RDI
Best Local
Newscaster
6. Nightlife
7. Dress to Kill 2. Edge of the City
3. Laughmatic
4. Geek Collectif
5. High on Beats
6. Dirty Feet
7. Highcast
8. The Lantern
8. Worn
9. The Bi-Quarterly Women's
Social Club
(CTV)
9. LouLou
10. On Repeat
2. Andrew Chang
Best Newspaper
CBC)
3. Paul Karwatsky
(CTV)
4. Patrice Roy
(Radio-Canada)
5. Peter Anthony Holden
(Global)
6. Debra Arbec
(CTV)
7. Pascale Nadeau
(Radio-Canada)
8. Céline Galipeau
(Radio-Canada)
9. Amy Luft
1. Cult MTL
2. The Gazette
3. Le Devoir
4. La Presse 5. Journal de Montréal
6. Mirror (RIP)
7. Metro
8. Hour (RIP)
9. McGill Daily 10. The Suburban (CTV)
10. Sophie Thibault
(TVA)
Best Twitter Feed
1. @Fagstein
2. @MTLBlog
3. @EvanDubinsky
4. @CultMTL
5. @SPVM/#Manifencours
6. @TristanGinger
7. @LeBelmont
8. @MTLConcerts
9. @shutupandeatMTL
10. @indctxposure
Best Local Website
1. Cult MTL
Best Instagram Feed
Best Local TV
Personality
2. MTL Blog 1. MTLBlog
3. Hot Soupe (cultmontreal.com)
(CTV)
2. Frank Cavallaro
(CBC)
(mtlblog.com) 2. Tristan Harris
(hotsoupe.com)
3. LiveMontreal
4. Midnight Poutine 4. NakedThursdays
(midnightpoutine.ca)
3. Chuck Hughes
(Food Network Canada)
5. Forget the Box
(forgetthebox.net)
6. DavidBoots
6. High on Beats
(highonbeats.com)
7. SalonHelmet
4. Véronique Cloutier
(Radio-Canada)
5. Lori Graham
(CTV)
6. Jean-René Dufort
7. Montreal City Weblog
(w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/)
(Radio-Canada)
7. Randy Tieman
(CTV)
5. ShutUpAndEatMTL
8. Bloody Underrated (bloodyunderrated.net)
8. Montreal Gazette
9. Montrealistik
The queen
addresses her
loyal subjects
by Lucas Wisenthal
To no one's surprise, Mutsumi Takahashi, co-anchor
of CTV’s noon and 6 p.m. newscasts, made the list
for Best Local Newscaster, Best Local TV Personality
and Most Desirable Woman. And though she’s more
than flattered that Montrealers hold her in such
high esteem, these lofty honours hardly define the
woman some—well, we—call the reigning queen of
Best of MTL.
“That’s not how I see myself, obviously,” says Takahashi. “I just wake up in
the morning and I go to work every day.”
But her appeal endures. “Maybe it’s just because I have been around for
such a long time,” she says. “When I meet people on the street, people are
always very kind, very warm, very friendly.”
While she’s always happy to hear from her fans, Takahashi is a private
person, forgoing even Twitter and Facebook accounts. “I would never go
on one of the social medias and talk about what I do on vacation or where
I went for dinner last night,” she says. “I think one of the wonderful things
about Montreal is that people do respect your privacy.”
Most of the time, anyway. “I did have a woman who in a restaurant followed
me into a public restroom and then proceeded to try to have a conversation
with me over the wall of a cubicle,” she says. “And you try to be polite. But
what can I say?”
Still, she recognizes that, with a job like hers, anonymity isn’t an option.
“You can’t be on TV or look for a career in TV and then complain about people
hassling you,” she says.
And you can’t pretend to enjoy a gig you hate. “I’m fortunate that I do a job
that I love, and I think people can see that I love what I do,” says Takahashi.
“Because one of the things that I’ve always said about television is that the
camera doesn’t lie. You can’t fake an emotion on TV for long periods of time.”
So is Takahashi as put-together as she seems? “I am, in a way,” she says.
“Both my parents are mathematicians, so I’m organized and anal, and it
helps to be organized.” But in another way, she’s probably not. “I wish my life
were as organized and as beautiful as a Martha Stewart-kind of thing, but
unfortunately it doesn’t quite work out.”
She is a fan of eating out, though, mostly at Italian restaurants downtown.
And she laments the lack of Japanese food in the city. “Kazu is amazing,
except I can never get in, because there’s always a line-up,” she says.
And lest you think that our city and its denizens have become passé, that
our cultural capital peaked years ago and has begun to diminish, our queen
is here to remind us that that is anything but the case. “Montrealers are
cool, you know? I really do believe that.”
10. Safesolvent
11
5. Le Belmont
7. Baldwin Barmacie
Nightlife
6. Royal Phoenix
8. Philemon
7. Honey Martins
9. New City Gas
Fuck yeah, NDQ. You’ve
occupied that weird little
spot in Little Italy for
only a year and a half, yet
you’ve found a place in the
hearts of many gays and
straights alike. Read the
feature for more about the
north-side watering hole/
eatery/bowling alley. Of
course, competing club/
bar/eatery Royal Phoenix
has a couple of years on
NDQ, not to mention more
aggressive Facebook
campaigning on the part of
its advocates. And speaking
of campaigns, le Belmont!
With the exception of a
certain spa, never has
one business run such a
successful rock-the-vote
campaign. If you’ve seen
their survey-result window
displays in years past, you
know they’re proud of their
achievements. And they’re
well deserved. Nice to see
some other friends and
favourites here, from Casa
to Sparrow, Plastik Patrik
(who’s not a drag queen, but
whatever) to Blue Skies Turn
Black, Dominion Square
Tavern to, uh, marijuana.
8. Cocktail
10. Peopl
9. Burgundy Lion
Best Sleazy Dive
1. Barfly
Best Bartender
2. Bifteck
1. Alain Poirier
3. Snack N’ Blues
(le Belmont)
4. Le Belmont
(Notre Dame des Quilles)
3. Julie Paquette
(Royal Phoenix/Notre Dame des
5. Maz Bar
6. Idée Fixe
Quilles)
7. Crobar
4. Ram Krishnan
8. Madhatters
(Grumpy’s)
5. Jesse Bordeleau
(Bar le Cocktail)
6. Garth
(Grumpy’s)
9. Brasserie Beaubien
10. Korova
Best 5 à 7
7. Joakim Morin
1. Notre Dame des
Quilles
8. Eric Digras
2. Casa del Popolo
(Rockette Bar)
(various)
Montreal loves it some speakeasy vibes, as evidenced by the popularity of Big in
Japan Bar, which came in first place for Best Fancy Bar/Club. Owner André Nguyen
is staying mum on his win, but we're guessing he's pleased.
3. Furco
Best Fancy Bar/
Club
4. Vices & Versa
1. Big in Japan Bar
6. Philémon
5. Buvette Chez Simone
Jeff St. Aubin
2. Michael McCarthy
“It’s random styles. It’s blues music. That’s it.” (We’re guessing it’s also the
snacks.) —Koko, “doctor of the ears” (aka the DJ), Snack n Blues, No. 3, Best
Sleazy Dive, No. 9, Best Pool Hall
Électriques
Best Club Night
3. Royal Phoenix
1. Bass Drive
(le Belmont)
2. Sparrow
7. Winnie Bar
4. Rockette
3. Velvet
8. Quai des brumes
4. Salon Officiel
9. Distillerie
5. Notre Dame des
Quilles
3. Sparrow
5. Dominion Square
Tavern
10. Foufounes
Électriques
4. Vices & Versa
6. Le Belmont
Best Bar
1. Notre Dame des
Quilles
2. Casa del Popolo
Best Wine Bar
1. Pullman
2. Buvette Chez Simone
3. Comptoir
4. Furco
5. Philémon
6. Les 3 Petits Bouchons
7. Accords
8. Foodlab
9. Hotel Herman
10. Voro
“I try to create a space in Montreal that’s open to people of all walks of life, and
all forms of credible music in all genres, locally and internationally. Our whole
crew really works hard to be supportive to artists and promoters in every scene
and we try to make sure that the people who come to party with us have a great
time and forget about their day to day.”—Brooke Walsh of le Belmont, which
came in at No. 1 for Best Bartender, Best Club, Best Club Night and Best Pick-up
Spot, No. 4, Best Sleazy Dive and No. 5, Best Bar. Walsh himself was also ranked
No. 5, Best-Dressed Montrealer.
12
P. Mimumo
10. Brutopia
2. Faggity Ass Fridays
(Royal Phoenix)
3. POMPe
(Katacombes)
6. Casa del Popolo
7. Lipster (Notre Dame
des Quilles)
4. Lipster
(Royal Phoenix, now at
Notre Dame des Quilles)
8. Korova
5. Booty Bakery
9. Thursday's (RIP)
6. Speakeasy Electro
Swing
10. POMPe
(Katacombes)
Best Club
1. Le Belmont
2. Royal Phoenix
3. Salon Officiel
4. Tokyo
5. Unity
6. Stereo
7. Velvet
Best Pick-up Spot
8. Katacombes
1. Le Belmont
9. Blizzarts
2. Foufounes
10. 2nd floor
(various locations)
(various locations)
7. Cousins
10. Glam Glam
4. Sky
8. Kannibalen
Best Strip Club
5. Bar le Cocktail
(Royal Phoenix)
9. Get Nice
(Blizzarts)
10. No Vacancy
(Royal Phoenix)
6. Le Stud
1. Cleopatra
7. Apollon
2. Kamasutra
8. Drugstore
3. Supersexe
9. Le Belmont
4. Chez Parée
Best Promoter
5. Amazones
1. Blue Skies Turn Black
6. Solid Gold
2. Neon
7. Downtown
3. Les Samourais des
Jungles Urbaines
8. Kingdom
4. DL Jones
5. Evenko
10. Parking (RIP)
Best Lesbian Bar
1. Royal Phoenix
2. Notre Dame des Quilles
9. Taboo
10. Calèche du Sexe
6. Passovah
Best Gay Bar
7. Laura Boo
1. Royal Phoenix
8. Greenland
9. M for Mikey
3. Unity
P. Mimumo
(le Belmont)
“There’s a lot of young professionals who want to hang out together after work,
so the location is an asset. We do simple things. We don’t do fancy cocktails or
anything like that.” —Marcel and Denis, managers, Furco, No. 3, Best 5 à 7, No. 4,
Best Wine Bar
6. Tranna Wintour
3. Drugstore
Best Drag Queen/King
4. Bar le Cocktail
1. Mado
5. Cagibi
2. Antonio Bavaro
6. Le Belmont
3. Plastik Patrik
Best Pool Hall
7. Sky
4. Connie Lingua
1. Sharx
8. Unity
5. Nat King Pole
2. Boul Noir
7. Michel Dorion
8. Johnny Forever
Notre Dame des Quilles brings
the party to Petite Patrie
by Kayla Marie Hillier
Notre Dame des Quilles, est. February
2012, has had a phenomenal first year and
is clearly a cherished new spot in the city,
showing up in the Best of MTL list no less
than 12 times. We sat down with co-owner
and operating manager Zoë Cousineau to
discuss how one of Montreal’s best bars
came to be.
a week, so again, they each bring in a whole other set. The result
has been something that’s really mixed and across the board,
which is what is interesting about the place. It sort of keeps
things unexpected for everybody, always,” she says.
Whether you call it Little Italy, Petite Patrie or Mile Ex, we can
all agree that the area has shifted and evolved over the past
three years, something Cousineau witnessed while she was
employed at Vieux Vélo, and now as co-owner of NDQ. “Mile
End is so quickly moving up north. It’s interesting to watch
places open and see which ones stay. Nightlife on Beaubien
is changing.”
“It was one of these cases of having an idea in the back of your
head for a really long time. I used to be a cook at the Vieux Vélo
across the street. So I truly just saw the ‘For Rent’ sign go up
on a smoke break and was like, ‘Oh, interesting—I’ll look into
that.’”
Research resulted in the discovery that the space couldn’t be
licensed as a bar unless it had bowling lanes. Says Cousineau,
“And that seemed so stupid it might work.”
“My understanding of it is that there’s a very old type of
licensing that allowed you to have a bar complémentaire à
salle de quilles. So you were allowed to get a bar permit if there
was a certain square footage taken up by bowling lanes. We
built the bowling lanes so we could get the bar license, and in
the end it has worked really, really, really well.”
“I think when we initially opened, friends were the first people
to come. I think that set one demographic of our clientele.
Then this area just really needed a neighbourhood bar, so that
brought in a whole other set of people. We have DJs five nights
Will Lew
Those familiar with NDQ are certainly aware of the lanes for DIY
bowling, but they aren’t the only unique aspect of the bar. It is
unofficially a gay bar, or lesbian bar, but there’s no suggestion
of catering to a certain crowd. If anything, NDQ’s inclusive
and comfortable atmosphere has allowed it to house many
different demographics simultaneously and successfully.
Notre Dame des Quilles
13
3. Fats
7. Half Moon Run
4. Skratch
8. Plants and Animals
6. Drugstore
7. Le Belmont
8. Frappé
9. Snack N' Blues
10. Idée Fixe
Best Comedy Club
1. Comedy Nest
2. Comedy Works
3. Burritoville
4. Cabaret Mado
5. Improv Montreal/
Montreal Improv Theatre
6. Théâtre Ste-Catherine
7. Grumpy’s
8. Le Belmont
Music
Though they’ve been
squirreled away since last
fall, busy making babies
and a record that sources
close to the band have
called a “beast” and “really
great,” longtime scene
ambassadors Arcade Fire
reign supreme as Best
Musical Act and, of course,
Most Pretentious Act. Then
we’ve got last month’s Cult
MTL cover bro and Arcade
Fire family member Colin
Stetson showing up in Best
Jazz Act, on the strength
of stellar performances
and a record released by
Constellation, which placed
in Best Local Music Label.
And speaking of local
labels, Arbutus! Their gal
Grimes, the ubiquitous
alt-electro princess, fans
out impressively over four
categories here. Other
acts appearing more than
once are wild-eyed synthpunks Duchess Says, folk
gang Lakes of Canada,
“tribal dream pop” band de
qualité Diamond Bones and
friendly street hillbillies
Heroin Hayride. Kudos to
the franco & anglo rappers,
boy and girl DJs, heavy
dudes, country ladies,
hell, even Simple Plan.
Best of MTL has us feeling
generous.
9. Duchess Says
10. Young Galaxy
Freakiest
Local Act
1. Glam Gam Productions
2. Bad Uncle
3. Duchess Says
Mimi Moussemousse
5. Barfly
4. Grimes
5. Jean Leloup
6. Sean Nicholas Savage
10. Natasha Nebula
“That's awesome news! Flattered! I'm so glad that I've been able to contribute to
folk's listening pleasures and awesome nights out! Stoked! I've been a party kid
for a long time, and have always paid attention to other DJs' ability to maintain a
balance between playing crowd-pleasing tunes and tunes that they love. All the
music I play is music that I like—maybe my enjoyment transfers to the energy
the crowd receives. It's all really symbiotic actually. Maybe I've just been lucky
enough to have crowds that feed off my vibe as much as I feed off of theirs. Also...
hip hop is the most golden genre, in my humble opinion. I'm really flattered.
Thanks Montreal!”—No. 3, Best Club DJ, Tamika
Most Pretentious
Local Act
8. Ensorcelor
6. Poirier
1. Arcade Fire
9. Priestess (RIP)
7. Tim Hecker
2. Grimes
10. Shoot Down Order
8. Blue Hawaii
7. Blood Ballet Cabaret
8. BCASA
9. LHEPPE
3. Simple Plan
4. Lakes of Canada
Best Hip Hop Act
5. Suuns
1. Nomadic Massive
6. Pierre Lapointe
2. Cadence Weapon
7. Black Tiger Sex
Machine
3. Alaclair Ensemble
8. Karneef
5. Kalmunity
9. Jonas
6. Dead Obies
10. Motel Raphaël
7. Heart Streets
4. Dan Bingham
Heaviest Local Act
8. Loud Lary Ajust
5. Walter J. Lyng
1. Endast
9. Club Soda
10. Café Campus
Best Comedian
1. Sugar Sammy
2. DeAnne Smith
3. Joey Elias
6. Mike Paterson
Best Musical Act
4. Clarity
9. Socalled
10. Bookworm
2. Duchess Says
9. DJ Champion
10. Doldrums
Best Country/
Folk Act
1. Katie Moore
2. Avec pas d’casque
3. Lakes of Canada
4. Heroin Hayride
5. Ol’ Savannah
6. Motel Raphaël
7. Lisa Leblanc
8. Folly and the Hunter
1. Arcade Fire
3. Trigger Effect
2. Grimes
Best Club DJ
9. Barr Brothers
4. Cryptopsy
3. Suuns
1. Vilify
10. Li’l Andy
9. Asaf Gerchak
5. The Great Sabatini
4. Motel Raphaël
2. Construct
10. Booze Crotch
5. Diamond Bones
6. Black Tiger Sex
Machine
3. Tamika
6. Kalmunity
7. Menace Ruine
7. Andrew Searles
8. Jeremy Dobski
4. Jordan Dare
5. Like the Wolf
Best Drug
6. Black Tiger Sex
Machine
1. Marijuana
7. Henward
Best Jazz Act
1. Kalmunity
2. Franco Proietti
3. Colin Stetson
4. Christopher Cargnello
8. Shaydakiss
5. Brahja Waldman
Quartet
3. Cocaine
9. Mary Hell
6. Sarah MK
4. LSD
10. The Salivation Army
7. Adam Kinner
5. Alcohol
9. Ratchet Orchestra
6. Mushrooms
Best Electronic
Act
7. Coffee
1. Grimes
Best Singer/
Songwriter
Sarah Fortin
2. MDMA
8. Caffeine
9. Hash
10. Ketamine
“Wow, c'est gentil. On est toujours agréablement surpris de ces choses-là. C'est aussi
surprenant que de trouver un oeuf à la coque au centre d'une orange.Merci bien de
nous surprendre ainsi, ça met de la sauce sur notre fun. (Les références à la nourriture
représentent l'émotion.) xx” —Joël of No. 2, Best Country/Folk Act, Avec pas d'casque
2. Jacques Greene
3. Lunice
4. Diamond Bones
5. Purity Ring
8. Apashe
10. Ivette Meow
1. Leonard Cohen
2. Patrick Watson
3. Rae Spoon
15
4. Leif Vollebekk
5. Sarah MK
6. Charlotte Cornfield
7. Katie Moore
8. Jessica Kaye
9. Bernard Adamus
10. Corinna Rose
Best Busker
1. Boat guitarist
2. Emily Skahan
3. Heroin Hayride
4. Spoonman
5. Scott Dunbar
6. Slide guitar guy
7. Old Time Honey
8. Hollywood
9. Street Meat
10. Ivette Meow
Best Local Music
Label
1. Arbutus
2. Constellation
3. Stomp
4. Dare to Care
5. Secret City
6. Indica
7. Bonsound
8. Grosse Boîte
9. Ninja Tune
10. Club Roll
" It will be 16 years next week since
we released our first record. We are
always humbled and truly grateful
that Montreal has never stopped
supporting our artists, which is a
testament both to the amazing artists
we're honoured to work with, and to
the adventurous tastes of Montreal
music fans."
—Graham Latham, publicist at
No. 2, Best Local Record Label,
Constellation Records
Jacques Greene and the dancefloor
frontier
by Lorraine Carpenter
Jacques Greene has hit the kind of career
milestones that make other 23-year-olds
feel like failures. The local producer’s every
musical move is chronicled by influential
U.K. and U.S. music mags and websites, like
Pitchfork, which named his track “Another
Girl” one of the best of 2011. He’s remixed
Radiohead, the XX and How to Dress Well,
played prestigious clubs like London’s
Fabric and festivals like Barcelona’s Sonar.
After releasing a pair of EPs on Glasgow’s
Lucky Me label, he put out the Concealer
EP on his own imprint, Vase, which will
soon release music by Tommy Kruise, a DJ/
producer Greene calls “arguably the king of
the city right now.”
FutureSex/LoveSounds—Greene is renowned for his savvy
use of R&B vocal samples, not to mention collaborations
with singers ranging from England’s Katy B to U.S. chanteuse
Tinashe to fellow 514 bro Ango. What led him to DJing, however,
was a day job at with an important local record label.
“The summer in this city is one of the most amazing things in
the world, probably because we all wait for it for so long. One
of the greatest Montreal things has to be drinking in parks on
mid-summer evenings, and then making your way to a kind of
weird yet incredible loft party. Hopefully that spirit never, ever
goes away.”
“I helped a bit around the Ninja Tune offices and was
compensated in records,” he recalls. “Pretty much the whole
team there—Tash, Luv, Dave, Ghostbeard, to name a few—DJed
around the city, and that not only got me interested, but also
got me to come at it from a slightly more leftfield, open-minded
approach than traditional genre-specific DJing or whatever.
The first spots I played at were Main Hall and Zoobizarre, which
ended up being quite an important venue to me and a few
others, like Lunice, Seb Diamond and Megasoid.”
As for record shopping, Greene says he’s not much of a cratedigger these days, and that most of the specialty wax shacks
he used to frequent have closed. Still, he has his favourites, and
his memories.
Long before his career took off, the enigmatic Outremont-born
Mile Ender was a regular kid testing the musical waters. “I
took up guitar and piano early in high school, and I wasn’t too
bad at them,” says Greene. “But when I found out samplers
and synthesizers existed, that was more or less the end of my
pursuit of traditional musicianship.”
“DNA—Tiga's spot—was a big one when I was in my late teens
because they seemed to have the best selection of British
dance records, as well as the first Death of Vinyl, which was
right off Parc and Beaubien. Now I try to go to Atom Heart but I
really don't make it there often enough. Given its size, their
selection is amazing. Also, whenever record nerd friends have
come through the city, they can't get enough of a couple spots
east on Mont-Royal, like Aux 33 Tours.”
Musical discoveries that shaped his sound include the “IDM”
(Intelligent Dance Music) of Warp Records artists like Aphex
Twin, and the masterful modern R&B of Justin Timberlake’s
When asked about his favourite thing in this city, Greene
steps back from the music milieu to see what’s all around
us (for now).
Jacques Greene
mtl
bestof
#vote
ntest
ram co
Instag
rs!
winne
These are the winners of our Best of MTL
Instagram contests. A hearty congratulations
to our grand prize winner, mtlgourmand's
grotesque Au Pied de Cochon hamburger
creation, and to petitecrottedenez's coffee
art capture at Café Plume, mikechako's shot
of the Helmet hair salon and patcampione's
oysters & bubbly at Cartel Souvenir De Rue's
5à7. They're Instagreat.
17
Film &
Arts
Let it never be said that
Montrealers aren’t on it
when it comes to the arts.
We pride ourselves on our
taste and savvy, and that’s
why our cultural landscape
is the nation’s crown jewel
(suck it, Toronto).
You’ve voted Goon costars and real-life pals
Jay Baruchel and MarcAndré Grondin into the
top two places for acting,
while cementing Xavier
Dolan's domination of the
local film scene with Best
Director and Best Local
Film honours. It’s nice to
see a few indie start-ups
getting some love. Galleries
Greenlight and Rats 9 are
new on the scene, joining
street-art-heavy Fresh
Paint and Yves Laroche,
as well as the highbrow,
innovative programming
at DHC, among our
favourites. Meanwhile,
Glam Gam’s enthusiastic
campaigning helped them
score Best Play, and they
ranked high in the Best
Theatre Company category
as well—where circusburlesque innovators Blood
Ballet Cabaret also came up
strong. But the big-budget
touring exhibit Star Wars:
Identities took best of the
year, proving that geek love
trumps indie cred.
5. Suzanne Clément
7. Jacob Tierney 6. Guylaine Tremblay
8. Robert Morin
7. Isabelle Blais
9. Kidnapper Films
8. Elisha Cuthbert
10. Denis Villeneuve
9. Kirsten Rasmussen
10. Monia Chokri
Best Local Film
(of 2012-2013)
Best Local
Filmmaker
1. Laurence Anyways 1. Xavier Dolan
3. Camion
2. Podz 4. Ceramic Tango 3. Patricia Chica
5. Fruit Hunters 4. Mark Slutsky
6. Henry 5. Adam Reider
7. The Carbon Rush 6. Denys Arcand
8. Sarah préfère le cours
2. Rebelle “The only pleasant thing about being shaken roughly awake as I dozed, face-first
in my own sick, on the aft deck of a Russian oligarch's yacht was the note a beefy
bodyguard passed in front of my eyes informing me I had taken a top spot in Cult
MTL's Best of MTL poll. The news has rallied my spirits as I hurry across Europe
from festival to festival, keeping one precarious step ahead of my creditors.
Thank you, Cult MTL readers!” —Mark Slutsky (Sorry Rabbi, The Decelerators), No.
4, Best Local Filmmaker
Best Local Actor
1. Jay Baruchel
2. Marc-André Grondin
3. Claude Legault
4. Xavier Dolan
5. Marc Labrèche
6. Les Blow
7. Roy Dupuis
8. Brent Skagford
9. Kyle Gatehouse
10. Karl Graboshas
Best Local Actress
1. Jessica Paré
2. Karine Vanasse
3. Caroline Dhavernas
4. Alison Louder
No. 2, Best Cartoonist/Comic Artist, Rick Trembles
19
6. Uncalled For Still crazy for
local actor
Marc-André
Grondin
7. Espace Go
8. Rideau Vert
Once your votes were tabulated for Best Local
Actor, Marc-André Grondin stood firmly in second
place. Grondin, who is known for his memorable
Jutra Award-winning performance as Zachary
Beaulieu in C.R.A.Z.Y., the concussed but skilled
hockey player Xavier Laflamme in the hilarious
Goon and a young father accused of an act he did
not commit in L’affaire Dumont, lost the top spot to
good friend Jay Baruchel.
Best Theatre
Company
1. Glam Gam
2. Centaur
3. Mainline
4. Geordie
5. Segal Centre
9. Infinithéatre
10. Black Theatre
Workshop
Best Play
1. Little Beau
Peep Show 2. Fureur 3. Trad
4. Red 5. Good People
“We’re not the typical bong shop. We’re a gallery. We showcase original creations
by urban artists: painters, glass workers, jewellery makers. The idea is to provide
a launchpad for people who are coming up. As an artist, I know that you only have
so much time in your life to polish something really sharp. So what we provide is
a place for emerging artists to go who have skill, but who don’t have anywhere to
go to hustle their work. It’s a playground, a community vibe and a place for people
to grow.” —Arti Giulioni, co-owner of Greenlight Gallery, No. 5, Best Gallery, No. 2,
Best Drug Paraphernalia Store
6. Ogoki Nights 7. Bea
2. Glam Gam
8. Haunted Hillbilly 3. Blood Ballet
Cabaret 9. Rocky Horror
Picture Show 10. Godspell Best Dance
Company/
Choreographer
1. Les Grands Ballets
Canadiens
Best Museum
1. Montreal Museum
of Fine Arts
2. Musée d’Art
Contemporain
4. Dave St-Pierre
5. Marie Chouinard
3. Canadian Centre
for Architecture
6. Amy Blackmore
4. McCord Museum
7. Sasha Kleinplatz
5. Redpath Museum
8. La La La Human
Steps
6. Pointe-à-Callière
7. Planetarium
8. Centre d’histoire
de Montréal
9. Fresh Paint Gallery
10. Biodôme
Best Gallery
1. DHC
2. Fresh Paint
3. Yves Laroche
4. Rats 9
MMP
5. Greenlight
“We’re so, so excited. We’re thrilled. We’re little babies, and we just never expected
to be so appreciated … We had this space, and we just decided to be fearless
about it, and it worked out. We’ve just been going all-out like we’re gonna die
tomorrow, and it’s really worked for us. Nothing’s really a surprise—we’re just
working our asses off, and it’s paying off. People are really appreciating it. We’re
very lucky to have all the means and opportunities that we have.” —Cal Higgins,
co-founder of Rats 9, No. 4, Best Gallery, No. 4, Best Art Exhibit for JJ Levine’s
Queer Portraits
6. Parisian Laundry
7. Eastern Bloc
8. VAV
9. BBAM!
“Jay had an amazing year and is doing great things right now. He’s an
amazing friend of mine, one of my best friends, actually, so I’m really,
really happy,” said Grondin. “I remember in the past it was always William
Shatner. Fuck William Shatner—it’s all about Jay Baruchel now.”
The sentiment of getting in the top five was not lost on Grondin, as he
noted that there are no prizes or real competition with the Best of Mtl,
just the immediate gratification of knowing that people are paying
attention to you, and they like what you’re doing. Says Grondin, “People
voting are obviously thinking of you and liking your work. It’s a nice gesture
from them.”
Considering the fact that this issue is about the best that Montreal has
to offer, I asked Grondin about the places he misses most when he’s away
from his home city—the places that he would include in his own personal
BOM list.
“When I come back to Montreal, when I’ve been away for a while, it’s really
cliché, but literally I drop my luggage at my house, then I normally go to the
Montreal Pool Room—there’s nothing like it.”
“Then there’s Off the Hook. Even if I don’t want to buy things, I always go
there just to browse and talk with the staff. It’s fun to go to a store where
the people working there are actually nice. They seem to love what they’re
doing, and they know their stuff, which is cool,” says Grondin.
The next time we’ll see him on the big screen is this fall in Denis Côté’s
Vic et Flo ont vu un ours, in which he plays a parole officer opposite
Romane Bohringer (Flo) and Pierrette Robitaille (Vic), who play two female
prisoners rekindling their romance once Vic is released from prison. “I’m
rocking a goatee. It’s funny—it was hard between days of shooting to keep
it. I always had to justify to everyone why I had a goatee,” says Grondin.
“It’s a pretty awesome
movie. I’m really happy
with it. Denis Côté is one
of the most interesting
directors that we have
here. Most people don’t
seem to really know his
stuff, but he’s one of
the most distinguished
directors in Canada.”
The opportunity to see
both of your top two
local actors will come in
the form of a sequel to
Goon, which, according to
Grondin, is already in the
works. “I just can’t wait for Jay to finish the second one so we can shoot
it—the second one might even be better than the first.”
10. Monastiraki
21
Best Art Exhibit
8. Réjean Ducharme
1. Star Wars Identities 9. Saleema Nawaz
Best Fashion
Designer
2. Star d’un Soir 10. Dany Laferrière 1. Denis Gagnon
3. Uraniborg Best Cartoonist/
Comic Artist
3. Travis Taddeo
1. Aislin
5. Philippe Dubuc
2. Rick Trembles
6. Audrey Cantwell (Ovate)
3. Michel Rabagliati
7. Atélier B
4. Walter Scott
8. Renata Morales
5. Guy Delisle
9. Eve Gravel
6. Billy Mavreas
10. Atmosferique
2. Marie St-Pierre
(Stare)
(Laurent Grasso)
4. Queer Portraits
(JJ Levine)
5. Ryoji Ikeda
6. ABC:MTL 7. Gala (Dominique Pétrin)
8. MTL ZOO
9. Beaux Dégâts
10. Séripop
Best Local Living
Author
1. Leonard Cohen 22
7. Julie Doucet
4. Jennifer Glasgow
8. Serge Chapleau
Best Graffiti Artist/
Crew
9. Salgood Sam
1. En Masse
10. Ohara Hale
2. K6A – AShop
3. Omen
2. Rawi Hage
Best Video Game
Company
3. Heather O’Neill
1. Ubisoft
4. Patrick Senecal
2. Eidos
7. MONK-E
5. Michel Tremblay
3. Minority Media
8. Castro
6. David McGimpsey
4. Bioware
9. Cam Novak
7. Kim Thuy
5. Polytron Corporation
10. 100 les Mains
4. Under Pressure
5. Roadsworth
6. Kops
by Erik Leijon
For five years, the question Phil Fish—founder and
currently only member of local indie game developer
Polytron—wouldn’t stop hearing was: When is Fez
coming? Now that his dimension-defying opus has
been out for over a year, he’s facing an entirely new
question: What’s next?
Luckily for Fish, still based out of Montreal but plotting a move to the States
(possibly Austin) at some point, his next project, whatever it may be, won’t
compare to the personal pressure cooker that was Fez’s laborious multi-year
development cycle.
“I don't know if I have that kind of intensity in me anymore; Fez totally
burned me out,” Fish says by email. “Plus, the stakes were so high.
Everything depended on the success of Fez. This time around, there's a lot
less pressure, a lot less of an impetus to sacrifice as much. When we started
Fez, we had no idea it would take five years. Now I know that about myself.
I expect the next game to take a few years, too. Getting into it knowing that
now, I’m a lot more paranoid about it. A lot more deliberate.”
Goods &
Services
Finding the good stuff is
half the battle. Here are
Montrealers’ picks to help
you track down the very
best in fashion, fitness and
self-maintenance—for
the resources you need to
keep your mind, body, living
space and style tighter
than a baby’s bottom.
In clothing, nobody’s
surprised to see H&M
and Simons on the list,
but Editorial boutique’s
high rank just revealed
the secret sauce in every
stylish girl’s wardrobe.
Unicorn is confirmed as
a go-to for classy local
designers’ pieces and Off
the Hook continues its long
reign as Montreal’s preeminent streetwear shop.
Music fans proved loyal to
independent businesses,
with HMV the only chain
store ranking—while
Phonopolis, Cheap Thrills
and Aux 33 Tours all ranked
highly in both the new and
used categories. And kudos
to all the ladies in Best
Tattoo Artist, who took
the majority of the votes,
blowing a hole in the shitty
stereotype that women
can’t do ink so good.
Owain Harris
Life after Fez
suits Phil Fish
and Polytron
just swimmingly
You Montrealers are nothing if not a stylish bunch. So when you chose streetwear
shop Off the Hook as your No. 2 Best Clothing Store (New), we sent local musician
James Irwin, a guy who likely couldn’t tell you the difference between Staple and
Stüssy, downtown for a makeover. The results speak for themselves.
Best Vintage Store
1. Annex Vintage
(56 St-Viateur W.)
2. Citizen Vintage
(5330 St-Laurent)
3. Village des Valeurs
(various locations)
4. Eva B
(2015 St-Laurent)
5. Local 23
(23 Bernard W.)
6. Renaissance
(various locations)
7. Kitch ‘n’ Swell
(3968 St-Laurent)
8. Founderie
(6595 St-Laurent)
Best Clothing
Store NEW
9. Salvation Army
1. Simons
10. Friperie St-Laurent
(977 Ste-Catherine W.)
(3976 St-Laurent)
2. Off the Hook
Best Hair Salon
Fish says he’s been getting back into the swing of things by helping out
other developers on their projects, including providing artwork. He’s also
not completely done with Fez, since he (along with former Polytron partner
Renaud Bedard) recently ported the game, which was originally only
available on XBox Live Arcade, to PC. Fish, with continued help from Bedard,
is also working on Mac, Linux and Ouya versions, and “a bunch more that
aren’t fully figured out yet.”
Of course, another reason why Fish is feeling good these days is that Fez sold
200,000 units in a year, an impressive feat for a little downloadable indie. He
spent much of last year travelling, doing a victory lap of gaming festivals,
and showing everyone that the miserable, stressed-out Fish immortalized in
Indie Game: The Movie is no more.
As for that much-anticipated next game, Fish remains mum. He’s excited
about Oculus Rift—the new, consumer-friendly virtual reality headset—and
he might have a trailer to unveil at this year’s E3 gaming expo, happening in
Los Angeles June 11–13.
3. H&M
(various locations)
4. Unicorn
(5135 St-Laurent)
5. Editorial
(1455 Stanley)
6. Urban Outfitters
(various locations)
(163 Mont-Royal E.)
2. Sweet William
(5337 St-Laurent)
3. Identité
(100 Sherbrooke E.)
8. Creatures
Best Hair Stylist
1. Jason Krejberg
(Helmet)
2. David Devico
(Queen of the World)
3. Julie Matson
(Identité)
4. JJ Levine
(Lesbian Haircuts for Anyone)
5. Louise Olsen
(Salon M²)
6. Guillaume Cheny
(Helmet)
7. Evelyn Wnek
8. Samantha Diamond
(Sweet William)
Best Barber
1. Robert Squire
(Squire Barbering)
2. JJ Levine
(Lesbian Haircuts for Anyone)
3. Guillaume Cheny
(Helmet)
(165 des Pins E.)
4. Coupe Bizzarre
5. Queen of the World
(6908 St-Laurent)
7. Heritage
(1455 Peel)
1. Helmet
(3770 St-Laurent)
(171 Mont-Royal E.)
He also feels Montreal’s indie scene is on the rise since the days when he
was something of a lone wolf. “Between organizations like Mount Royal
Game Society, Pixelles and Execution Labs, we’re covering a lot of ground,” he
says. “There are a lot of events, meetings and support for indies in Montreal
now. It's great. There was nothing like that when I was getting started.”
(various locations)
10. Pure
6. Oblic
(5017 St-Denis)
7. Aveda
(3613 St-Laurent)
4. David Devico
5. Tommy
(Tommy Coiffeur Pour Hommes)
Best Tattoo Parlour
1. MTL Tattoo
(4525 St-Denis)
8. Premier
2. Bodkin
(54 St-Viateur W.)
(various locations)
(55 Bernard W.)
10. Onze
9. J’aime Coiffure
3. Tattoo Royal
9. General 54
(various locations)
(1550 Gilford)
(4424 St-Denis)
23
24
4. Tattoo Box
9. Le Pick-Up
6. Trouvailles Chandel
5. Expressions
10. L’Échange
7. Mile End Guitar
6. Adrenaline
Best Record
Store NEW
Best Computer
Store
7. PSC Tattoo
(1925 Centre)
1. Phonopolis
1. Apple
8. Studio Artease
2. Aux 33 Tours
2. Microbytes
(492 St-Charles, Vaudreuil)
(1541 Sherbrooke W.)
(4030 Wellington)
9. Imago
(169 des Pins E.)
(713 Mont-Royal E.)
(207 Bernard W.)
(1373 Mont-Royal E.)
(2085 St-Denis)
(5445 de Gaspé) (various locations)
(various locations)
(4059 St-Laurent)
(various locations)
3. HMV
3. Best Buy
(various locations)
10. Slick Styled Steel
4. Atom Heart
(364-B Sherbrooke E.)
4. Future Shop
Best Tattoo Artist
5. Cheap Thrills
5. CIPC
1. Sylvie Le Sylvie
6. Archambault
Best Internet
Service Provider
(Tatouage Royal)
2. Erika Doyon
(Studio Artease)
3. Tanya Stasilowicz
(independent)
4. Arno Schultz
(PSC Tattoo)
5. Robin Labreche
(Dahlia Tattoos)
6. Krista Bursey
(2044 Metcalfe)
(various locations)
7. Sound Central
(4486 Coloniale)
8. L’Oblique
(4333 Rivard)
9. Beatnik
(6307 St-Laurent)
(independent)
Best Stereo Store
7. Nick Oaks
1. Moog Audio
(MTL Tattoo)
8. Jessi Preston
(Bodkin Tattoo)
9. Vincent Brun
(Bodkin Tattoo)
(3828 St-Laurent)
(Imago)
1. Cheap Thrills
(2044 Metcalfe)
2. Phonopolis
(207 Bernard W.)
3. Aux 33 Tours
4. Beatnick
(3770 St-Denis)
4. The Source
5. Coup de foudre
(various locations)
6. Steve’s Music Store
(51 St-Antoine W.)
7. Audio Club
(1675 St-Hubert)
(112 Mont-Royal E.)
3. Colbanet
4. Electronic Box
5. Radioactif
4. Argo
(2396 Beaubien)
5. Cinéma Excentris
(3536 St-Laurent)
6. Cinémas Guzzo
(various locations)
Best Video Game
Store
7. Cinéma Quartier Latin
1. EB Games
8. Dollar Cinema
(350 Emery)
5. Paragraphe
(2220 McGill College)
6. Renaud-Bray
(various locations)
7. Port de Tête
(262 Mont-Royal E.)
8. Concordia
Community Solidarity
Co-op Bookstore
(various locations)
(6900 Décarie Square)
2. Game Buzz
Best Repertory/
Art House Cinema
9. Gallimard
1. Cinéma du Parc
10. Formats
(3575 Parc)
(online)
2. Cinéma Beaubien
Best Bookstore USED
3. Game Zone
4. Future Shop
5. Best Buy
(2150 Bishop)
Best Musical
Instrument Store
1. Moog Audio
(3536 St-Laurent)
1. S.W. Welch
(225 St-Viateur W.)
2. Cheap Thrills
1. Future Shop
5. PHI Centre
3. Argo
(407 St-Pierre)
2. Best Buy 6. Cinema Politica
4. L’Échange
(Concordia, various locations)
(713 Mont-Royal E.)
3. Addison
7. Blue Sunshine (RIP)
4. Apple
8. Cineplex Odeon
Forum
5. Concordia
Community Solidarity
Co-op Bookstore
5. The Source Best Bookstore NEW
(469 Milton)
1. Drawn & Quarterly
7. Port de Tête
(various locations)
(various locations) 3. Archambault
3. Cinéma Excentris
4. Dollar Cinema
(8018 20th)
2. Steve’s Music Store
(2396 Beaubien)
(3700 St-Laurent)
Best Electronics
Store
(various locations)
(various locations)
8. Paul’s Boutique
3. Cinéma du Parc
4. Cinéma Beaubien
(various locations)
6. Sound Central
(various locations)
2. TekSavvy
(various locations)
(51 St-Antoine W.)
7. Encore Records &
Books
3. Indigo
(3575 du Parc)
(3697 Wellington)
5. Death of Vinyl
(4486 Coloniale)
2. AMC Forum
1. Bell
3. Future Shop
(3828 St-Laurent)
(6307 St-Laurent)
(2536 Rosemont)
(various locations)
(various locations)
Best Record
Store USED
Since you chose male-focused Priape for Best Sex Store, we sauntered down to
the shop to explore some of their one-of-a-kind wares. Marketing manager Benoît
Gorez guided us on our tour, where Zeus’s Eletrosex 6 Channel Deluxe Power Box
caught my eye. It’s a toy that looks more like a guitar pedal, or some kind of musicrelated gizmo, and allows for a power party, as it has six individual outlets for
separate electric toys to be used simultaneously (with adjustable frequencies, of
course). Zing! Also, it’s good to note that their leather goods are handmade and
created locally at their Montreal workshop. Definitely not your average sex store.
2. Layton Audio
(various locations)
10. Safwan
(various locations)
(3770 St-Denis)
10. Death of Vinyl
Kayla Marie Hillier
(155 des Pins E.)
(6900 Décarie Square)
(2044 Metcalfe)
(2150 Bishop)
6. The Word
(various locations) 4. Italmelodie
(250 Jean-Talon E.)
Best Cinema
5. Kitts Musique
1. Scotia Bank
(5350 Jean-Talon E.)
(211 Bernard W.)
2. Chapters
(various locations)
(262 Mont-Royal E.)
8. Renaissance
25
Will Lew
Thank you to all that took the time to vote in the
Best Fish & Chips Category!
“I’d like to thank Cult MTL, and whoever was responsible for us being on this ranking,
for that nice support. We hope to live up to your high standards. I think people like
our price point—it’s very, very reasonable. We do a 20-ticket pass for $20. A lot of
families or people who come here regularly take advantage of that. Even if you buy
one ticket, one time, it’s $2.50, which is still very reasonable—for the same movies
that you’re going to see anywhere. The other thing is, our food is always available.
Popcorn, Coke, chocolate candy is all $1. Our atmosphere here is really friendly and
homey. It’s easy to come to.” —Bernie Gurberg, owner of Dollar Cinema, No. 5, Best
Repertory/Art House Cinema
Best Comics Store
9. Grand Cycle
1. Drawn & Quarterly
10. Dumoulin
Bicyclettes
(211 Bernard W.)
2. Capitaine Quebec
3. Millenium
(451 Marie-Anne E.)
4. One Million Comix
(3868 Jean-Talon E.)
(901 Cherrier E.)
(173 Jean-Talon E.)
Best Fitness Club/
Gym
1. YMCA
(various locations)
5. Astro Books
2. Parc YMCA
(5555 du Parc)
6. Crossover
3. Energie Cardio
(3568 Notre-Dame W.)
(various locations)
7. 4th Wall
4. Nautilus Plus
Best Bicycle Shop
5. Mansfield Club
Athléthique
(8364 Labarre)
1. Bikurious Montreal
(various locations)
(1230 Mansfield)
(1757 Amherst)
2. ABC Cycles
6. Concordia Gym
(various locations)
(5586 Parc)
3. C&L Cycles
7. Gym du Plateau
(75 Villeneuve W.)
4. Fitz & Follwell
8. Monster Gym
(2101 Trans-Canada Highway)
(115 Mont-Royal W.)
5. La Bicycletterie JR
9. Midtown le Sporting
Club Sanctuaire
(6105 du Boisé)
6. iBike
10. Downtown
(201 Rachel E.)
(2127 Rachel E.)
7. Velomakak
(215 Murray)
8. Yeti Boutique
Plein Air
(5190 St-Laurent)
26
YMCA (1440 Stanley)
Best Skate/
Snowboard
1. Empire
(various locations)
2. Amber Huntley
9. Dawn Mauricio
3. Dawn at Studio
Bliss
10. Line Trépanier
(amberhuntley.blogspot.ca)
(Naada Yoga)
(Yoga Jam Montreal)
(3841 St-Laurent)
4. Julia Barilà at Studio
Bliss
(3841 St-Laurent)
5. Amber at Studio Bliss
Emily Gan
(3841 St-Laurent)
“A heartfelt thank you to the incredible community that is Naada Yoga. Your support continues to
inspire us to make Naada Yoga the most nurturing environment possible.” —Elizabeth Emberly,
co-founder of Naada Yoga, No. 2, Best Yoga Instructor, No. 1, Best Yoga Studio
2. Underworld (RIP)
3. Rollin
(2500 Moreau)
4. Studio Bliss
Best Yoga Studio
1. Moksha
2. Naada Yoga
(various locations)
6. Espace Nomad
(4650 St-Laurent)
5. LeDep
(1201 St-Dominique)
7. Ovarium
(400 Beaubien E.)
6. Surf 66 (RIP)
8. Éveil des sens
(168 Mont-Royal E.)
Best Sports Store
1. Sports Experts
(various locations)
2. Mountain Equipment
Coop
(various locations)
3. Evangelista Sports
9. Spa Diva
3. Studio Bliss
5. Sports Gilbert
Rousseau
(5916 Papineau)
6. D’un sport a l’autre
(171 Bernard W.)
7. Boutique Le Yéti
(5190 St-Laurent)
8. Empire
(various locations)
9. Cordée
5. Bikram Yoga
(5487 Monkland)
6. Yoga Happy Tree
(1878 Ontario E.)
5. Queen of the World
(6908 St-Laurent)
6. Salon Identité
2. Marché Tau
4. Home Sense
(7373 Langelier)
(various locations)
3. Rachelle Béry
5. Style Labo
(various locations)
(5765 St-Laurent)
4. Frigo Vert
6. Corbeil
(2130 Mackay)
(various locations)
5. Frenco
7. Home Depot
(3985 St-Laurent)
(various locations)
6. Aliments Merci
8. Pier 1 Imports
(7010 Henri-Julien) (various locations)
7. Mondiana
9. Rona
(162 Jean-Talon E.)
(various locations)
8. Aliments Naturels
Fleur Sauvage
10. Structube
7. Studios Lyne St-Roch
9. Avril Supermarché
Santé
(various locations) (4812 St-Laurent)
9. Ashtanga
10. Ambaa Yoga
Best Yoga
Instructor
(119 des Pins E.)
Best Kitsch/
Antique Store
3. Boutique Erotique
Romance
1. Kitsch ‘n’ Swell
4. Boutique Séduction
2. Marché aux Puces
St-Michel
Best Spa
1. Bota Bota
(358 de la Commune W.)
(6218 St-Hubert)
3. Monastiraki
Wanderlust)
(5478 St-Laurent)
2. Elizabeth Emberly
4. Kavanagh
(Naada Yoga)
(1001 Lenoir)
3. Jo Willers
5. Style Labo
(Moksha Yoga Montreal)
(5765 St-Laurent)
4. Leah R. Vineberg
6. Rokokonut
(Resource Yoga)
(3972 St-Laurent)
5. Thea Metcalfe
7. Village des Valeurs
(various locations)
Montreal, Naada Yoga)
(69 Fairmount W.)
6. Jill Campbell
(Acro Yoga)
2. Scandinave Les Bains
Vieux-Montréal
Best Massage
Therapist
3. Strom Spa Nordique
1. Katie Cunningham
at Studio Bliss
(1001 Forêt)
(3841 St-Laurent)
(5220 Métropolitain E.)
5. Fetiche Armada
(1201 Ste-Catherines E.)
6. La Capoterie
(Studio Bliss, Centre Luna Yoga,
10. Red
(723 Mont-Royal E.)
(3250 Crémazie E.) 1. Frances Vicente
(Moksha Yoga NDG, Moksha Yoga
(1311 Ste-Catherine E.)
(6325 St-Hubert)
(2159 Ste-Catherine)
9. Candy Nail Bar
1. Priape
2. Boutique Sexe Cité (various locations)
8. Tease Hair Salon
Best Sex Shop
(6346 St-Hubert)
(165 des Pins E.)
7. Mëdz Salon
(various locations)
10. Pousse l’ananas
(3968 St-Laurent)
(3613 St-Laurent)
4. Chromatik
(9191 Cavendish)
(163 Mont-Royal E.)
3. Ikea
(201 St-Viateur W.)
(5561 Monkland)
2. Aveda
3. Helmet
1. Bio Terre
(5042 St-Laurent)
(various locations)
8. Sattva Yoga Shala
1. Au Premier
2. V de V
(1470 Peel)
10. Aveda
(6821 St-Laurent)
4. Play It Again Sports
(various locations)
4. Enso Yoga
(4416 St-Laurent)
Best Beauty Salon
Best Health Food
Store
(3841 St-Laurent)
(1455 Peel)
(3613 St-Laurent)
(various locations)
(5540 Casgrain)
(125 Labelle)
4. Amnesia
1. Zone
(various locations)
(3841 St-Laurent)
5. Finlandais
Best Home Decor
Store
8. Du Design, Du Retro
et Du Kitsch
(4038 Ste-Catherine E.)
(2061 St-Denis)
7. Joy Toyz
(joytoyz.com)
8. Roses & Passion
(various locations)
Best Drug
Paraphernalia
Store
1. High Times
(various locations)
2. Greenlight Gallery
(3878 St-Laurent)
3. Psychonaut
(154 Prince Arthur E.)
7. Andrew Bathory
(Wanderlust)
9. Salvation Army
(various locations)
4. Utopia 16
(59 Duluth E.)
8. Carina Raisman
(Resource Yoga)
10. Nic & Gigi’s Antiques
and Collectibles
(155 Van Horne)
5. Boutique Rock
27
Like it or not, we’re in the
age of the foodie. Sure,
Montrealers have always
been serious about grub,
but our current obsession
with it is unprecedented.
Just look to the Habs intro
video, where ubiquitous
Joe Beef co-owner Dave
McMillan's mug is included
in a sequence of local
luminaries, to see why. Our
archaic street food laws
were finally relaxed this
year. We have decent (if not
always authentic) barbecue
and tacos. Caffeine-addled
hipsters now get their fix
on pour-over brews from
third-wave joints. And we
debate the age-old question
of Schwartz’s vs. the Main
(No. 1 and No. 2, respectively,
in Best Smoked Meat) in the
same breath we do Kazu vs.
Imadake (first and second in
Best Japanese). But despite
our worldlier outlook, we
still get shit wrong. That’s
why Bartek Komorowski
is here to critique our
rankings and to teach us
all a lesson in taste (in his
column Culinary Dictum,
immediately following these
results).
(4436 Wellington)
4. Satay Brothers
(138 Atwater)
5. Maison Publique
(4720 Marquette)
6. SuWu
(3581 St-Laurent)
7. Park (378 Victoria)
8. Hotel Herman
(5171 St-Laurent)
9. Maïs (5439 St-Laurent)
10. Grinder
“All of us are super happy to hear that we’ve even been selected to be in the poll. To get in a top ranking is really exciting. We’ve only opened recently, and
we’re a small establishment—so far, things are going well. I think people voted for EVOO because they recognize that we are doing something different
and a bit more refined than what’s generally on offer in Montreal. I think what makes us stand out is that we are trying our best to make everything
in-house, so we can offer customers the freshest food made with local ingredients—whenever they are available.” —Peter Saunders, co-owner and chef
(with partners Sophie Ouellet and Claudie Harvey), EVOO, No. 2, Best New Restaurant
Best New Food
Trend
1. Food trucks
4. McKibbins Irish Pub
2. Tacos
3. Vegan
4. Doughnuts
5. Mexican
6. BBQ
7. Pulled pork
8. Poutine
(32 Beaubien E.)
(various locations)
Best Pub Grub
1. Dinette Triple Crown
1. Ye OIde Orchard
(6704 Clark)
(various locations)
2. EVOO
2. Burgundy Lion
Best Cheap Eats
1. Patati Patata
(4177 St-Laurent)
(1234 Bishop)
6. Fiddler’s Green Irish Pub
(1224 Bishop)
7. Brit & Chips
(various locations)
(5322 St-Laurent)
9. Brutopia
(1219 Crescent)
10. La Station des Sports
9. Vua
(1579 St-Denis)
10. Lafleur
(various locations)
2. Nilufar
Best Late-Night Eats
5. Irish Embassy Pub & Grill
8. Sparrow
Best New
Restaurant
Will Lew
Food &
Drink
3. Blackstrap BBQ
3. Cosmos
1. La Banquise
(994 Rachel E.)
4. La Belle Province
2. Nouveau Palais
(various locations)
(281 Bernard W.)
(32 Beaubien E.)
(32 Beaubien E.) 6. Depanneur le Pick-Up
4. Chez Claudette
(7032 Waverly)
7. Buns
(various locations)
8. Boustan
(2020A Crescent)
(351 Laurier E.)
5. Boustan
(2020A Crescent)
(various locations) JUNE 2013 • Vol. 1 No. 9 • WWW.CULTMONTREAL.COM
29
7. Pizza Pizza
2. Pizza Pizza
(514-737-1111) 3. Cuisine Caraïbe Delite (various locations) 8. Poutineville
3. Chef on Call
(514-844-2044)
4. Mango Bay
(various locations)
9. Big in Japan
4. Velo Burrito
(438-765-7868)
5. Anancy
(3723 St-Laurent)
10. Rapido du Plateau
5. Domino’s Pizza
(various numbers)
6. Ma’s Place
(4494 St-Denis)
Best Breakfast
6. Alto
7. Tropical Paradise
Best Chinese
1. Le Vieux Vélo (59 Beaubien E.)
2. Bagels Etc
(4320 St-Laurent)
(514-844-9898)
(514-272-2617)
8. St-Hubert
(4816 Parc)
(1202 Bishop)
(6587 Somerled)
(5208 Décarie)
1. La Maison Kam Fung
(1111 St-Urbain)
(various numbers)
3. Sparrow
(5322 St-Laurent)
9. New System Bar-B-Q
2. La Maison VIP
(1077 Clark)
(514-932-1484)
4. Chez Cora
(various locations) 10. Blackstrap BBQ
3. Mon Shing
Romados rises
(90 de la Gauchetière W.)
by Gemma Horowitz
4. Beijing
It isn’t easy to explain Romados to someone who
hasn’t tried it. Tourists, vegetarians, ignorant
rotisserie loyalists—they won’t believe you when
you tell them that a nondescript Portuguese grilled
chicken joint and bakery on the corner of Rachel and
de Bullion is as essential to the city as Schwartz’s.
(514-507-6772)
5. Cosmos
6. Nouveau Palais
(281 Bernard W.)
7. Fabergé
(92 de la Gauchetière W.)
Best African
1. Le Nil Bleu
(3706 St-Denis)
(25 Fairmount W.)
8. Arts Café
2. East Africa
(201 Fairmount W.)
9. Prohibition
(4011 Décarie)
Best Food Truck
1. Grumman ‘78
5. Muvbox
Best Delivery
1. Chak Wow (438-862-6134)
7. Wok Café
4. Au Tarot
(2130 St-Mathieu)
(142 Fairmount W.)
(500 Marie-Anne E.)
5. Au Coin Berbère
(73 Duluth E.)
6. Akwaba
(4541 Bélanger)
4. Pas d’cochon dans
mon Salon
(2115 St-Denis)
2. Dispatch Coffee
3. Nouveau Palais’s
Winneburger
6. Yuan
3. La Khaima
(5674 Monkland)
10. Orange Café
5. Qinghua
(1676 Lincoln)
7. Le Couscous Royal
(919 Duluth E.)
8. Chez Khady
8. Maison du Nord
9. Cuisine Szechuan
(2350 Guy)
1. Le Jardin du Cari
(5554 St-Laurent)
2. Caribbean Curry House
He was wrong.
Best Eastern
European/Russian
An insurance inspection found that smoke had seeped through the
restaurant’s walls and into the apartments upstairs. “Toxic smoke is worse
than any other kind of fire damage,” says Machado. “We had to gut the entire
restaurant.”
1. Euro-Deli Batory
(115 St-Viateur W.)
2. Stash Café
(200 St-Paul W.)
3. Mazurka (RIP)
4. La Caverne
(5184 Côte-des-Neiges) (6892 Victoria)
5. Chez Boris
(5151 Parc)
6. Boris Bistro
(465 McGill)
Best French
As Romados navigated a maze of insurance bureaucracy and contended with
the whims of construction workers, customers got desperate. They vented
their frustrations by scrawling notes on the restaurant’s door and in testy
Facebook posts. Machado responded on Romados’s page with optimistic
promises and a reminder that messages like “Fuck you. We want chicken!”
weren’t exactly speeding things along.
But now there is an end in sight. The family recently started serving
customers at its St-Michel wholesale bakery, and Machado says they are
hoping to reopen the Rachel location by St-Jean Baptiste Day. Window
installation is the last remaining obstacle. “The day they are in, we open,” he
says.
So what changes can we expect from the revamped Romados? Machado,
who is also an interior designer, is taking the opportunity to give his family’s
restaurant a facelift. He promises that its functionality and food will return
unaltered but says the layout and decor will be different, with one benefit
being more seating.
1. L’Express
Another thing we can expect: those line-ups. Despite being closed for the
entirety of the voting period, Romados ranked No. 1 for Best BBQ Chicken
and Best Portuguese in the Best of MTL. Which begs the question: Will
Romados ever franchise its chicken?
2. Les Deux Singes de
Montarvie
Machado would only answer cryptically.
(3929 St-Denis)
(176 St-Viateur W.)
“As owners, we’re young, and the crew that we’ve hired is pretty young, and there’s a
certain energy to that.” —Kyra Foort, co-owner of le Vieux Vélo, No. 1, Best Breakfast
That’s when a small electrical fire broke out in the basement of the
restaurant. As the news spread feverishly over social media, Manny
Machado, Romados’s operations manager (and son of owner Fernando), took
to Facebook and Twitter to assure alarmed—and hungry—Montrealers that
the fire was minor and that Romados would be slinging chicken and natas
again soon.
10. Kanbai
(850 Décarie)
Best Caribbean
But Romados is special. Its alchemical sauce-slathered chicken, piquant
fries and ridiculous portions for under $10 more than warrant the line-ups
that were a constant until January 5, 2013.
3. Le P’tit Plateau
“The demand definitely exists, and we'd like to make our products as
accessible as possible to the very hungry citizens of Montreal and beyond.”
(330 Marie-Anne E.)
31
9. Atti
5. La Matraca
10. Chingu
6. Maria Bonita
Best LatinAmerican
7. Amaranto
1. La Carreta
8. Burritoville
2. Arepera du Plateau
9. Itacate
(4050 de Bullion)
(51 Beaubien E.)
3. La Chilenita
10. Mesa14
(2077 University)
(5171 Parc)
(350 St-Zotique E.)
(various locations)
“Montrealers are big smoked meat eaters, so I assume [their votes have] to do with our smoked meat. Our smoked meat poutine is
phenomenal.”
—Diane Bass, manager of the Main, No. 2, Best Smoked Meat
4. Toqué!
(900 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle)
5. Au Pied de Cochon
(536 Duluth E.)
6. Laloux
(250 des Pins E.) 7. Le Paris
8. La Prunelle
2. Indian Curry House
(996 Jean-Talon W.)
3. Pushap
(various locations)
4. Chef Guru
(various locations)
5. Mysore
Best Japanese
1. Kazu
3. Mikado
(4216 St-Laurent)
(various locations)
6. Ganges
4. Big in Japan
(3723 St-Laurent)
(327 Duluth E.) 9. Le Club Chasse et
Pêche (423 St-Claude)
7. Maison India
8. Le Taj
(2077 Stanley)
10. Leméac
(1045 Laurier W.)
Best Greek
1. Milos
(5357 Parc)
2. Arahova
(various locations) 9. Malhi Sweets
(880 Jarry W.)
10. Bombay Choupati
(5011 Sources)
5. Soba
6. Kanda
(various locations)
7. Tri Express
(1650 Laurier E.)
8. Park
(378 Victoria)
Best Italian
1. Pizzeria Napoletana
9. Kaizen
(various locations)
10. Ginger
2. Bottega Pizzeria
(5874 Monkland)
(2055 Bishop)
(1425 Bishop)
(various locations)
5. Los Planes
(531 Bélanger) 6. Sabor Latino
Best MiddleEastern
1. Boustan
(2020A Crescent)
7. Barros Luco
2. Kaza Maza
(5201 St-Urbain)
(4629 Parc)
8. Cabanas Pupuseria
3. Damas
(1453 Bélanger)
(5210 Parc)
9. El Chalateco
4. Rumi
(520 Beaubien E.)
10. El Rey del Taco
(232 Jean-Talon E.)
Best Mexican
1. Ta Chido
(5611 Parc)
2. El Rey del Taco
(232 Jean-Talon E.)
3. Carlos & Pepes
(1420 Peel)
(5198 Hutchison)
5. Amir
(various locations)
6. Petit Alep
(199 Jean-Talon E.)
7. Khyber Pass Cuisine
Afghane
(506 Duluth E.)
8. Daou
(519 Faillon E.)
(189 Dante)
3. Marathon Souvlaki
(5269 Casgrain)
4. Bocadillo
(various locations)
2. Imadake
(4607 St-Denis)
4. Tequila Taco House
(2 Sherbrooke E.)
9. Byblos le Petit Café
(1499 Laurier E.) (16 Pine)
(65 St-Zotique E.)
(5318 Parc)
3. Restaurant Da Emma
5. Tripoli
(679 St-Roch)
4. Nora Gray
(1391 St-Jacques)
6. Souvlaki Village Grec
(654 Jean-Talon W.)
7. Souvlaki George
(6995 Monkland)
8. Ouzeri
(4690 St-Denis)
9. Rotisserie Panama
5. Lucca
(12 Dante)
(various locations) (1001 Jean-Talon W.)
32
2. Bulgogi House
3. 5000 Ans
4. Chez Bong
(1021 St-Laurent)
7. Casa Napoli
(6728 St-Laurent)
5. Miga
(432 Rachel E.)
(16 Maguire)
(521 Duluth E.)
1. Bombay Mahal
(177 Bernard W.)
6. Pizza Pizza
8. Pizzeria Magpie
Best Indian
1. Omma
(various locations)
(789 Jean-Talon W.)
10. Le Jardin de Panos
Best Korean
9. Café via Dante
(251 Dante)
10. Inferno
(6850 St-Dominique)
6. Hwang Kum
7. GaNaDaRa
(1862 de Maisonneuve W.)
8. Seoul Chako
P. Mimumo
4. Mythos
"I think people voted for Ta Chido because all the experience we had as restaurateurs
was my mom's delicious food and my dad's experiments with bread at our family
reunions, and we simply open the invitation to all people to join us and enjoy our food
as we do. We don't think of Ta Chido as a restaurant—we never had a business plan
where everything was calculated. Ta Chido is simply an extension of our home, of
ourselves." —Mariano Franco, owner of Ta Chido, No. 1, Best Mexican
10. Omnivore ComptoirGrill
5. Le Faubourg
4. Rotisserie Portugalia
Best Portuguese
(5101 St-Laurent)
6. Thai Grill
5. Serrano Bar-B-Q
1. Rotisserie Romados
7. MakMak
6. Blackstrap BBQ
(115 Rachel E.)
2. Chez Doval
8. Resto Lychee
7. Piri Piri Rotisserie
3. Ferreira Café
9. Bato Thai
8. St-Hubert
10. La Belle Thailandaise
(34 Rachel W.)
(4351 St-Laurent)
(1446 Peel) 4. Piri Piri
(various locations)
5. Portus Calle
(4281 St-Laurent)
(187 Mont-Royal E.)
(4514 St Denis)
Best Vietnamese
(4436 Wellington)
(415 Mont-Royal E.)
(various locations)
(6704 Clark)
10. New System Bar-B-Q
6. Coco Rico
1. Restaurant Pho Tay Ho
(3907 St-Laurent)
(6414 St-Denis)
Best Burger
7. Rotisserie Portugalia
2. Café Saigon
(34 Rachel W.)
(1280 St-André) 1. Five Guys Burgers and
Fries
8. Jano
3. Pho Lien
Will Lew
(150 Marie-Anne E.)
(161 St-Viateur W.)
(various locations)
(3883 St-Laurent)
9. Helena
(438 McGill)
10. Braseiro
(8261 St-Laurent)
Best Spanish
(5703 Côte-des-Neiges)
4. Pho Bang New York
(1001 St-Laurent)
5. N’guyen
(1612 Fleury)
6. Pho Thanh Long
(103 Ste-Catherine)
1. La Sala Rosa
(4848 St-Laurent)
(256 Roy E.)
4. Casa Tapas
(266 Rachel E.)
5. Tapeo
3. Nouveau Palais
(281 Bernard W.)
4. Le Gourmet Burger
(1433 Bishop)
5. Patati Patata
8. Hoai Huong
6. m:brgr
(5485 Victoria)
(2025 Drummond)
9. Lyla
7. Burger Bar
(431 Jean-Talon W.)
(1465 Crescent)
10. Milani
8. Mr. Steer
(227 Bernard W.)
Best Bagel
9. Hachoir
2. Club Espagnol
3. Pintxo
(various locations)
7. Lotus Bleu
(350 Duluth E.)
(4388 St-Laurent)
2. Buns Hamburger
House
(4177 St-Laurent)
(511 Villeray)
6. Casa Galicia
(2087 St-Denis)
7. Toro Toro
(260 Notre-Dame W.)
8. El Gitano
(3507 Parc)
9. Taza Flores
1. St-Viateur Bagel
(various locations)
(4177 St-Denis)
10. Steerburger
2. Fairmount Bagel
(74 Fairmount W.)
Best Falafel
3. D.A.D.’s Bagel
1. La Panthère Verte
(various locations)
(5375 Parc)
4. Brossard Bagel
Best Thai
(various locations)
1. Chao Phraya
5. Beaubien Bagel
2. Thailande
Best BBQ Chicken
(50 Laurier W.)
(828 Beaubien E.)
(88 Bernard W.)
3. ChuChai
(115 Rachel E.)
2. Boustan
(2020A Crescent)
3. Nilufar
4. Amir
(various locations)
5. Rumi
(5198 Hutchinson)
(4088 St-Denis)
4. Chak Wow
2. Rotisserie le Chalet
Bar-B-Q
6. Crazy Falafel
(delivery only, 438-862-6134)
(759 Côte-Vertu) 5. Bangkok
3. Coco Rico
7. Restaurant Sara
(3907 St-Laurent)
(1 Mont-Royal W.)
Kazu's
mastermind
by Emily Raine
“Every day,” Chef Kazuo Akutsu tells me, when I ask
him if his Japanese restaurant, Kazu, is still lineup-prone three years in. I stopped by on a Monday
afternoon, and the place was crammed.
I “accidentally” showed up 20 minutes early for our interview, so I had an
Asahi and two of my favourite dishes, the delicious pork cheek paste with
tortillas and a greasy grilled-bun shrimp burger with ribbons of lettuce,
puffed rice and splashes of Kazu mayo.
I make no pretense toward journalistic integrity or objectivism, Montreal:
This is my favourite restaurant, too.
The diminutive 30-seater took No. 1 Best Japanese by a landslide, and
patrons’ continuing willingness to wait—rain, shine or sub-zero chill—at a
small, perpetually popular and walk-in-only place stands as a testament to
the enduring appeal of Montreal’s OG izakaya joint.
“[There’s] no wait. Outside wait, but inside, no wait,” Kazuo tells me, giggling
whenever his English fails him. Kazu’s modest size means that everyone—
customers, cooks and servers—gets up close and personal, ensuring not
only the quickest (and, for that matter, most genuine) service in town, but
also that you’ll have a funny social run-in with your neighbours, in line or at
your table.
No small part of the restaurant’s energy comes from Kazuo himself. The
affable Japanese expat is accomplished in kaiseki, the Japanese equivalent
of what we might call haute cuisine. He’s earned a rare-as-unicorn-teeth
blowfish license, has cooked under Normand Laprise at Toqué and done
stints at chi-chi Italian joints Bice and Cavalli. And yet he still watches his
customers as they eat, often seeming genuinely touched and surprised when
they inevitably mouthgasm all over his tables.
Kazu is Kazuo’s first solo establishment, although he tells me that he’d think
about opening another at some point, if he could find the right people. “Later.
Need more staff.”
While the grill work and ramen at Kazu are top-notch, what really makes the
food shine is the sauces—the fragrant mayonnaise in the shrimp burger and
on grilled okonomiyaki, and, of course, Kazu’s signature red and black sauce,
the main kick behind the popular tuna-salmon bowl.
This spring, Kazu began to bottle and sell its mayo and red and black sauces,
providing the masses with the means to recreate at least some of the magic
without waiting in line. And I won’t lie—I bought some.
33
8. Omnivore ComptoirGrill
(various locations)
(4351 St-Laurent)
3. Montreal Pool Room
9. Benny & Co.
(10550 Pie-IX)
10. Restaurant Falafel
Freiha
(3858 Perron)
Best Fish & Chips
1. Brit & Chips
(various locations)
(1217 St-Laurent)
4. Decarie Hot Dog
(953 Décarie) 5. Café Sardine
(9 Fairmount E.)
(32 Beaubien E.)
7. Costco
(1015 Marché Central)
2. Comptoir 21
3. Burgundy Lion
4. Fiddler’s Green Irish
Pub
(1224 Bishop)
5. McKibbins Irish Pub
(various locations)
6. Brasserie Reservoir
(9 Duluth E.)
7. Ye Olde Orchard
(various locations)
8. Irish Embassy Pub &
Grill
(1234 Bishop)
9. Else’s
(156 Roy E.)
10. Aqua
(various locations)
8. Chaud Dogs
(food truck)
9. Green Spot
10. Patati Patata Friterie
de Luxe
(4177 St-Laurent)
Best Noodles
1. Noodle Factory
(1018 St-Urbain)
2. Just Noodles
(various locations)
3. Soupe et Nouilles
I think [people voted for us] because we love what we are doing. We’re small artisans, you know? So I think that people can feel
that we love what we are doing.” —Ngoc Phan, co-owner of Kem CoBa, No. 3, Best Ice Cream
8. Pizzedelic
6. Diablos BBQ
9. Van Horne Pizzeria
7. Icehouse
10. Pizza St-Viateur
8. Madisons
Best Poutine
9. Le Fumoir Rubs
Smokehouse
(various locations)
(1505 Van Horne)
(15 St-Viateur W.)
1. La Banquise
(994 Rachel E.)
4. Ramen Misoya
(2065A Bishop)
2. Poutineville
(various locations)
5. Nudo
(1055 St-Laurent)
3. Chez Claudette
(351 Laurier E.)
Best Fries
6. Kazu
1. Patati Patata
7. Ramen-Ya
(4177 St-Laurent)
P. Mimumo
(various locations)
4. Le Resto du Village
(1310 Wolfe)
(4274 St-Laurent)
5. Chef Guru
(various locations)
2. Lafleur
(various locations)
3. McDonald’s
(various locations)
4. Resto Nouveau
Système
(323 Beaubien E.)
(various locations)
6. La Banquise
8. Thai Express
(various locations)
(5788 St-Laurent)
9. Tampopo
(4449 Mentana)
(various locations)
Best Pizza
1. Pizzeria Magpie
(16 Maguire)
2. Pizzeria Napoletana
(189 Dante)
3. Bottega Pizzeria
(65 St-Zotique E.)
(6631 St-Laurent)
4. Domino’s Pizza
(various locations)
(115 Rachel E.)
10. Poutineville
5. Pizza du Parc
(4827 Parc)
(various locations)
Best Hot Dogs
1. Lafleur
(various locations)
34
8. Mamm Bolduc
(4351 Lorimier)
(various locations)
8. Vices & Versa
7. Au Pied de Cochon
(536 Duluth E.)
10. Zyng
(994 Rachel E.)
7. Comptoir 21
6. Royal Phoenix
6. Sandhu
(4548 Papineau)
7. Pendeli’s Pizza
(various locations)
9. Gibeau Orange Julep
(1693 St-Denis)
(51 Roy E.)
(various locations)
(17 Prince Arthur E.)
Best Sandwich
4. Garde Manger
(408 St-François Xavier) 5. Le Bremner
(361 St-Paul E.)
6. Oyster Shack
(1242 Bishop)
7. Poissonnerie &
Restaurant Rayan
8. Le Filet
(219 Mont-Royal W.)
1. Dagwoods
(various locations)
9. Comptoir 21
(various locations)
2. Café Santropol
(3990 St-Urbain)
10. Lawrence
(5201 St-Laurent)
3. Dépanneur le Pick-Up
(7032 Waverly)
4. Aux Vivres
(4631 St-Laurent)
Best Smoked Meat
1. Schwartz’s
(3895 St-Laurent)
(32 Beaubien E.)
2. The Main
(3864 St-Laurent)
6. Ta Chido
(5611 Parc)
3. Dunn’s Famous
(various locations)
7. Pâtisserie & Boulangerie
Clarke 4. Lester’s Deli
(29 St-Viateur W.)
(various locations)
8. Olive et Gourmando
5. Smoke Meat Pete
(351 St-Paul W.)
(283 1st Ave, Île Perrot)
9. Joe’s Panini
6. Reuben’s Deli
(1404 Drummond)
(various locations)
10. Café Milano
7. Le Roi du Smoked
Meat
(7700 Décarie) 10. A.A.
Best Ribs
1. Bâton Rouge
(various locations)
2. Bar-B-Barn
(5188 Jarry E.) (1201 Guy)
Best Seafood
3. Bofinger
1. Milos
(various locations)
(5357 Parc)
4. Blackstrap BBQ
2. Sirène de la Mer
(4436 Wellington)
(various locations)
5. Restaurant le Boucan
3. La Sala Rosa
(4848 St-Laurent)
(6705 St-Hubert)
8. Jarry Smoked Meat
(6549 Jarry E.)
9. Snowdon Deli
(5265 Décarie)
10. Quebec Smoked
Meat
(1889 Centre)
6. Tapeo
6. Au Pain Doré
3. Maison de Thé Cha Noir
7. Biarritz
7. Olive et Gourmando 4. Fuchsia Epicerie Fleur
8. Imadake
8. Mamie Clafouti
(511 Villeray)
(4801 St-Laurent)
9. Voro
(various locations)
(351 St-Paul W.)
(various locations)
9. Cocoa Locale
(4807 Parc)
(275 Fairmount W.)
1. SoupeSoup
(various locations)
10. Elatos
(550 Jarry W.)
2. Dagwoods
(various locations)
3. Marché Soupson
(149 Jean-Talon W.)
Best Steak
1. Moishes Steakhouse
(3961 St-Laurent)
(1001 St-Laurent)
5. Café Santropol
(3990 St-Urbain)
6. Ramen Ya
(4274 St-Laurent)
7. Pho Lien
8. Aux Vivres
(4631 St-Laurent)
9. Chez José
2. The Keg
(various locations)
8. Amour des Thés
1. Aux Vivres
1. Café Myriade
2. La Panthère Verte
2. Café Olimpico
3. Lola Rosa
3. Starbucks
4. Lumière du Mile End
4. Club Social
(214 Bernard W.)
5. Chu Chai
(4088 St-Denis)
6. Crudessence
(various locations)
7. Commensal
(various locations)
8. Yuan
(2115 St-Denis)
9. Burritoville
3. Steak Frites
(various locations)
1. Dieu du Ciel
6. Le Bifthèque
3. Brutopia
(1234 de la Montagne)
(6705 Côte de Liesse)
7. L’Express
(3929 St-Denis)
(1016 St-Laurent)
Best Souvlaki
1. Arahova
(various locations)
2. Souvlaki George
(6995 Monkland)
3. Marathon Souvlaki
Best Locally Brewed
Beer
5. Queue de Cheval Steak
House
(173 Duluth E.)
10. Pho Bac 97
10. Le Cagibi
(5490 St-Laurent)
4. Joe Beef
8. 40 Westt Steakhouse
2. St. Ambroise
4. Cheval Blanc
5. Benelux
6. Vices & Versa
(2305 Trans-Canada Hwy)
7. Bierbrier
9. Holder
8. Brasserie Réservoir
(407 McGill #100A)
10. Leméac
(1045 Laurier W.)
(5968 Monkland)
Best Coffee
(various locations)
4. Pho Bang New York
6. Gryphon d’Or
Best Vegetarian
(various locations)
(880 Ball)
(1428 Mackay)
7. Bar à Beurre
(various locations)
9. Marven’s
5. Thé Kiosque
10. Boulangerie Kouing
Amann
(4631 St-Laurent)
Best Soup
(4050 Coloniale)
10: Toro Toro
(260 Notre-Dame W.)
“We at Brit & Chips are thrilled by the great news and really excited that Montrealers
have embraced our fish and chips. We work very hard to maintain a high standard
of quality product and service and are constantly trying to come up with new and
interesting batter flavours that will keep people talking and coming back.”—Paul
Desbaillets, co-owner of Brit & Chips, No. 1, Best Fish & Chips, No. 2, Best Pub Grub
(4646 Wellington)
9. Fin du Monde
10. Coup de Grisou
(322 Mont-Royal E.)
(350 Notre-Dame E.)
(1224 Bernard W.)
(1432 Mackay)
(124 St-Viateur W.)
(various locations)
(180 St-Viateur W.)
5. Café Névé
Best Fromagerie
1. La Fromagerie Hamel
(various locations)
2. Fromagerie Atwater
(134 Atwater)
3. Fromagerie Copette et Cie
(4650 Wellington)
(151 Rachel E.)
6. Dispatch Coffee
4. La Foumagerie
(food truck)
7. Pikolo Espresso Bar
5. La Vieille Europe
(3855 St-Laurent)
(3418 Parc)
8. Café Plume
(123 Mont-Royal W.)
9. Flocon Espresso
(781 Mont-Royal E.)
10. Le Couteau
(4627 St-Denis)
6. Yannick Fromagerie
d’Exception
(1218 Bernard)
7. La Fromagerie Beaubien
(1001 Beaubien E.)
8. Fromentier
Best Non-Chain
Coffee
9. Arhoma Boulangerie
Fromagerie
(14 Place Simon-Valois)
1. Café Olimpico
(124 St-Viateur W.)
2. Café Myriade
10. Milano
(6862 St-Laurent)
(1432 Mackay)
3. Club Social
(180 St-Viateur W.)
4. Pikolo Espresso Bar
(3418 Parc)
5. Café Névé
(151 Rachel E.)
6. Café Sardine
(9 Fairmount E.)
7. Café Plume
(123 Mont-Royal W.)
8. Tunnel Espresso Bar
Best Ice Cream
1. Le Glacier Bilboquet
(various locations)
2. Ripples
(3880 St-Laurent)
3. Kem CoBa
(60 Fairmount W.)
4. Havre aux Glaces
(various locations)
5. Dairy Queen
(various locations)
Best Tapas
Best Bakery
1. La Sala Rosa
1. Boulangerie Guillaume
(4848 St-Laurent)
(17 Fairmount E.)
9. Santropol
5. Villa du Souvlaki
2. Pinxto
2. Première Moisson
(256 Roy E.)
(various locations)
10. Café Vito
6. Pitarifique
3. Casa Tapas
3. Patisserie de Gascogne
(266 Rachel E.)
(various locations)
Best Teahouse
7. Kojax
4. Taza Flores
4. Samos Bakery
9. Point G
(5375 Parc)
(201 Beaubien E.)
1. Camellia Sinensis
Tea House
8. Boustan
5. Club Espagnol
5. Le Paltoquet
2. David’s Tea
10. Yeh! Yogourt et Café
(various locations)
4. Souvlaki Village Grec
(654 Jean-Talon W.)
(8 Rachel W.)
(various locations)
(2020A Crescent)
(4388 St-Laurent)
(1464 Van Horne)
(1253 McGill)
6. Gastronomia Roberto
(2227 Bélanger)
(3990 St-Urbain)
7. Les Givrés
(3807 St-Denis)
(151 Villeray)
(various locations)
(various locations)
8. Crémerie Meu-Meu
(4458 St-Denis)
(various locations)
35
Best Chocolates/
Sweets
Best Butcher
1. Juliette et Chocolat
1. La Maison du Rôti
2. Latina
1. Jean-Talon Market
1. Marché Tau
2. Fruiterie Mile-End
(185 St-Viateur W.)
(5686 Parc)
(4807 Parc)
3. Chocolats Geneviève
Grandbois
Best Organic Produce
Store
(7070 Henri-Julien)
(various locations)
2. Cocoa Locale
Best Vegetable/Fruit
Stand
3. Spécialité Slovenia
Boucherie Charcuterie
3. Atwater Market
(138 Atwater)
(3653 St-Laurent)
4. Charcuterie Fairmount 6
(3833 St-Laurent)
4. Fruiterie Val-Mont
(546 Duluth E.)
6. Cacao 70
7. Boulangerie Cheskie
(359 Bernard W.)
8. Les Glaceurs-Glaces et
Cupcakes
(8200 19th E.)
5. Mondiana
(3960 Bélanger)
6. Boucherie Champfleuri
(192 Place du Marché-du-Nord)
7. Marché du Village Côtedes-Neiges
7. Boucherie Beau-Bien
(5415 Gatineau)
(3748 Ontario E.)
8. Boucherie aux Deux Galois
(3180 Masson)
9. Ferme St-Vincent
(138 Atwater)
10. Boucherie de Tours
(138 Atwater)
(5151 Parc)
6. Segal’s
3. La Mer
(1840 René-Lévesque)
4. Odessa Poissonnier
5. Poissonnerie Aqua Mare
6. Atkins et frères
(4001 St-Laurent)
(7070 Henri-Julien)
7. Fruiterie Mile-End
(5686 Parc)
7. New Waldman
(3806 St-Laurent)
8. Coop la Maison Verte
9. Birri et Frères
9. Branche d’Olivier
(7075 Casgrain)
10. Alimentation Bala’s
10. Jean Talon Market
(5668 Parc)
2. Poisonnerie du marché
Atwater
(7070 Henri-Julien)
8. Vert Pomme-Fruiterie
Meloche et Fils
(4324 Wellington)
(5726 Parc)
(4900 Molson)
6. Chez Nino
(383 St-Jacques)
10. Chez Boris
4. Frigo Vert
5. Maison Sami T A Fruit
(130 Duluth E.)
(453 St-Sulpice)
9. Leonidas Chocolaterie
3. Bio Terre
(2130 Mackay)
5. Boucherie & Epicerie
Soares & Fils
1. Poisonnerie Nouveau
Falero
(138 Atwater)
(201 St-Viateur W.)
(1225 de Maisonneuve W.)
5. Chocolats de Chloé
2. Rachelle-Béry
(various locations)
(various locations)
4. Suite 88
(4238 St-Denis)
Best Fishmonger
(7070 Henri-Julien)
8. Poissonnerie Antoine
(5020 Parc)
9. Poissonnerie Shamrock
(7015 Casgrain)
10. Coralli Fish Inc
(8955 Meilleur)
:culinary dictum
Some of your food choices are correct
by bartek komorowski
Dear reader,
The editors of this very fine publication
have tasked me with commenting on
your Best of MTL choices for food. This
is no easy task, given the number of
categories and the word limit of this
column. I will therefore only engage
with some of the categories.
Let’s start with Best New Restaurant. You chose
Dinette Triple Crown. You are doubtless charmed by the
picnic baskets—a stroke of genius, I admit. The food
is much better than a lot of the stuff that people try to
pass off as barbecue in this town, but I would not call
it exceptional. My top new restaurant choice would
have been, without hesitation, Hôtel Herman (5171 StLaurent) for its thoughtfully executed food, its appealing
natural wine list, its elegant but breezy locale, and its
charming staff. You failed to even put it on your list.
36
we deeply resent being thrown into the same bag as our
longtime oppressors. That being said, I do endorse the
two extant Polish restaurants on the list, Batory and
Stash, which you wisely ranked No. 1 and No. 2.
I endorse your top choices for Best Greek (Milos), Best
Japanese (Kazu), Best Vietnamese (Pho Tay Ho) and
Best Latin-American (La Carreta), all four of which are
in my experience tops in their category. I do, however,
strongly dispute your choices for Best Italian (Pizzeria
Napoletana) and Best Chinese (Kam Fung). Both are
big restaurants that draw huge crowds. They can be
fun, but the food really is not that great in either case.
In the Italian category, I would probably put your No. 3,
Bottega, at the top. In the Chinese category, my favourite
by a long shot is KanBai (1813 Ste-Catherine W.), which
you failed to mention.
The survey included a slew of ethnic food categories. For
several of these, I have no opinion. These include Best
Caribbean, Best French, Best Indian, Best Korean and
Best Thai. I have tried too few of your top-five choices
and so I do not feel qualified to respond.
I question your top Best Middle Eastern choice, Boustan.
If we’re talking Middle-Eastern fast food, the best
bar none is at Abu Elias in Ville St-Laurent (733 CôteVertu). It’s far and it’s sketchy, but it grills its meats on
individual skewers over charcoal. It also happens to sell
the world’s creamiest humus. If we’re talking MiddleEastern fine dining, then Kaza Maza and Damas (your
No. 2 and No. 3 choices, respectively) take the cake. The
inclusion of Rumi and omission of Petit Alep (191 JeanTalon E.) give me the impression that you don’t leave
Mile End very often.
I do, of course, have opinions about the Best Eastern
European/Russian category. One opinion, actually a fact,
is that Poland is in Central, not Eastern, Europe and that
Among the specialty categories, I am perplexed that
Dagwoods is your top pick in the Best Sandwich
category. Either you are a culinarily unambitious
Concordia student or there was some ballot-stuffing.
I also don’t understand your adoration for Patati
Patata’s fries and for the cloying, sugary ribs at Bâton
Rouge. I reluctantly agree with your choice of Five Guys
for Best Burger—reluctantly because the field is so
weak. With pizza, the situation is even worse. There is
no place I can really get behind.
There are a few cases where, rather than disputing
your choices, I would make some suggestions. One is
Best Late-Night Eats. If you want real food, not gravydoused starch, head up to Tripoli in Parc Ex (your No. 5
under Best Greek). This little hole-in-the-wall excels
at grilled meats and is open till 2 a.m. most nights
and until 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Another such
case is the Best Falafel category. Your five choices
are (slightly) better than most but inconsequential
in comparison to the fried-to-order, fresh mint- and
parsley-covered balls at Falafel Freiha in Laval
(3858 Perron).
I have a couple of suggestions not for you but for
my dear editors. For the next Best of MTL survey, it
might be useful to have separate categories for best
(weekend) brunch and best (weekday) breakfast, as
places that do the former often don’t do the latter. I
would also propose splitting the Best Bakery category
into Best Pastry and Best Bread, as these two things
might get confused. A separate best flatbread category
could be interesting, too. Don’t you think, dear reader?
Follow Bartek on Twitter @SzefBartek
#film
On screen in
June
Cinéma du Parc is presenting two programmes simultaneously this
month, appealing to feminists and cinephiles alike. When Cinema
Falls in Love With Women includes six films about women’s struggles
centred around three themes. Each screening is followed by a
presentation (in French) and discussion. They’re also doing a film
retrospective on director Abdellatif Kechiche, who just received the
Palme d’Or at Cannes last month for his film Blue Is the Warmest Colour.
They’ll be screening four of his films several times throughout the
month as they impatiently wait for Blue’s release in 2014.
This Is the End
The month’s major Hollywood releases include This Is the End (June
12), the directorial debut of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, which
should be hilarious—comedians playing themselves partying at James
Franco’s house when the apocalypse strikes. Man of Steel (June 14)
is the first of many summertime action/adventure films, including
Marc Forster’s World War Z (June 21), starring Brad Pitt, White House
Down (June 28) starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx, and The Lone
Ranger (July 3) starring Johnny Depp in all his Disney Western glory.
Personally, I’m waiting on The Heat (June 28), Paul Feig’s follow-up to
the extremely successful Bridesmaids, starring Sandra Bullock and
Melissa McCarthy as reluctant cop partners.
On the more artsy side, there’s The East (June 17), starring Britt
Marling, Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgård, Noah Baumbach’s
Frances Ha (June 28), which should appeal to anyone who enjoys HBO’s
Girls, as well as Michel Gondry’s new film, Mood Indigo (June 28), about
a woman who suffers from an illness caused by a flower growing in her
lungs. Oh, Gondry.
Cinéma du Parc will be screening Stevie Nicks documentary In Your
Dreams (June 14–17), chronicling the creation of the titular album.
The PHI Centre also has an incredible line-up of films for you midmonth, including advance screenings of Linklater’s Before Midnight
(June 17), the potential conclusion to the Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy
romance that started in Before Sunrise, and Sofia Coppola’s The Bling
Ring (June 18), before their release on June 21. They’ll also be offering
screenings of Israeli film Fill the Void (June 19), about an 18-year-old
girl pressured to marry the husband of her late sister, set in the Haredi
Jewish community of Tel Aviv, and Broken (June 20), a U.K. drama about
a young girl whose life changes after witnessing a violent attack.
37
Joespeh St Marie
#culture
Shane Adamczak
Seduce All Humans
Fringe forecast
by Emily Raine
The annual St-Ambroise Fringe Festival is
summer’s biggest crapshoot. The party/
performance free-for-all is uncurated and
inexpensive, so you might find yourself
watching pretty much anything—but
that’s also what makes it exciting. The
community-minded showcase offers
independently produced live music and
theatre as diverse as people’s funny ideas,
plus movie screenings, knit-ins, an art
exhibit, a fake prom and a giant late-night
waffle party.
In addition to a metric shit ton of theatre, this year, Fringe
presents two different concert series—the daily afternoon lineup of outdoor free shows in Fringe Park, as well as ticketed Indie
Montreal events at Divan Orange, with shows by Buke and Gase,
Groenland, the BCASA and more ($12).
To investigate off-island productions that have already killed it
at their home Fringe, head to the Out-of-Towner Fringe-for-All
on June 13 to see a short preview of each. Of note, British duo
Life & Depth present surreal physical comedy in 2 for Tea (June
16–23), while performance poet Jem Rolls’ Attacks the Silence
promises a verbose smart-funny diatribe (June 14–23). Circle
follows award-winning Fringe vets Christel Bartelse and Bob
Brader through the six degrees of separation in fictional New
Yorkers’ sex lives (June 17–22), while two Australian shows go
retro—the neo-vaudevillian The Birdmann (June 15–22) and
comedy, circus, magic and acrobatic performer Dandyman
(June 14–23). Australian actor and comedian Zack Adams
literally travels through time in Zack to the Future (June 14–23).
Fringe is always up for some smut. Check out naughty fairy
tales courtesy of Glam Gam’s Best of MTL-winning The Little
Beau Peep Show (June 8–15), or the burlesque sci-fi of
Sausome Productions’ Seduce All Humans (June 14–23). There’s
a bilingual erotica storytelling show, Smut Slam, on June 11,
and Mado hosts the beloved annual drag race on June 22 in
Fringe Park. Holy Tranity: A Dirty Love Song to the Gay 80s
(June 18–23) promises a flashy tribute to flamboyance, big
hair and new wave.
For first timers and local loyalists, there are a number
of tried-and-true options. Johanna Nutter, the fest’s
spokesperson and one of Fringe’s great success stories,
performs her breakout play, My Pregnant Brother, in both
languages on June 10. In Horrible Things, comedienne
DeAnne Smith plays an endearing sociopath, while Dan
Bingham’s Now That I Have Your Attention tackles the
horrors of his romantic life (both June 13–23), as does U.K.
expat storyteller Gerard Harris in Verbal Diarrhoea, or: How I
Learned to Stop Worrying and Bomb at Love (June 14–23).
To narrow your options, head to the infamous L’Après FRINGE
series, an interactive talk-show-format party where festival
goers and performers report back on the evening’s shows,
followed by a dance party (Cabaret du Mile End, daily at 1
a.m., free), or check in on their daily YouTube update at home.
And, of course, stay tuned to Cult MTL as our intrepid culture
hounds report back on the best and worst of the fest.
≥ St-Ambroise Fringe Festival, June 3–23, various venues.
For more info, go to montrealfringe.ca
39
42
Summer
lovin’
by Emily Raine
To state the blindingly
obvious, summer is a
great time to get with
nature. The city goes
mad with parties,
and either fucking or
drinking always feel
imminent as we all
pound the hot pavement
in search of the next
adventure. But some
of summer’s sweetest
times are found
somewhere even wilder:
Montreal parks offer
lush, wet flora and vast
swaths of visible skin.
There’s way too much to do right now, but the heat
demands a little lying around as we all suddenly
remember what “gummy” feels like. Anaïs
Trocherie’s ethereal capsule collection for Atelier
B evokes the stillness of the Quebec woodlands
where this editorial was photographed, with tunics
and light fabrics that breathe.
This city is getting hot. Through some combination
of trendy short-shorts, mini skirts on bike paths,
strapless floor-lengths and tanktops, I’ve basically
seen most of you naked, more or less. It’s all out
there now.
But if you somehow missed that kick-ass viral
XO Jane graphic circulating last month, the
directive for summer fashion is this: “Play up your
confidence and natural sex appeal by wearing
whatever the fuck you want.”
Credits:
Photographer: Naomie Tremblay
Stylist: Mélodie Wronski
Makeup: Tania Major
Models: Éliane Sauvé and Jérôme Nadeau
Clothing by Anaïs Trocherie for Atelier B
43

June 6 - Cult MTL

Transcription

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