Superb Lodging in Montreal: Petite Auberge Les Bons Matins, Where the Mornings Are Wonderful!

By George Medovoy, Editor

When Harold Cote decided to name his Montreal bed and breakfast "Petite Auberge Les Bons Matins," he really had the right idea.

(Harold Cote, the wonderful host at Petite Auberge Les Bons Matins in Montreal makes breakfasts come alive with his personal service)

No doubt about it because the name fits perfectly!

For those conversant with French, the meaning of the name refers, of course, to Good Mornings (Les Bons Matins).

(A table setting at the auberge marks the beginning of a great day in Montreal!)

And Good Mornings it is, because there is nothing more pleasing and more wonderful on the palette in those early hours of the day than to wake up to breakfast at Cote's friendly inn - and be warmly greeted by Cote himself.

Cote Serves Up Coffee with a Smile

Once you meet Cote, you'll know what I'm talking about. He's a jovial soul with a twinkle in his eye who delights in being the one to serve you your first cup of coffee.

Cote worked for many years in the restaurant business and strives to create "an atmosphere," as he puts it, and "makes sure that all the details come together."

(Two of the servers at the inn make sure that "all the details come together")

By personalizing the service, like serving you a cup of coffee, Cote believes that it helps people feel that they are in a very small b&b.

Cote's obvious hospitality skills come originally from his youth. He comes from a family of 14 children. The family was poor and lived on a farm in Quebec. At the age of 11, his mother would send him out to run a small snack stand on the family farm.

You're in a Superb Location

When you stay at Cote's inn, you will be in a superb location, right in the center of Montreal, the exciting Canadian city where you know you're in North America, but with a twist: a certain joie de vivre so inherent in the French culture.

I say center with one proviso, of course. Though the inn is close to important shopping and night life, its placement on a quiet little street gives it a kind of secluded feel. But when you want to get to Montreal's superb underground transportation system - the Metro - you're only a short walk away from one of the subway stops, a very convenient fact especially in the middle of winter.

Beyond the location, I think the comforts are outstanding. Take our suite, for example, which felt like our own personal apartment.

There was a big, framed, wood-burning fireplace with a wood mantle in the center of a large living room area with a big, comfortable, red couch and matching easy chair, plus two rattan chairs with puffy beige pillows. The walls were yellow, blue, and green, and there were wooden blinds against the windows.

The large bed sat in front of a brick wall with a painting by Cote's brother, artist Benoit Cote, above the bed. That night, thanks to the friendly concierge who gave us CD's to play in our suite, we listened to Charles Aznavour and another of Henri Salvador. I especially liked Salvador's slow, dreamy, romantic songs.

Historic Residences 110 Years Old

The inn is actually made up of four houses side by side, with five rooms in each, covering a wide spectrum of small rooms to entire suites. The houses are about 110 years old and at one time were the residences of executives of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

But let's get back to breakfast, because that is such an important activity here.

My wife selected the Eggs Benedict, and I had the inn's signature Neptune Omelette with salmon, onions and red peppers. When I told the waitress that the breakfast was delicious, she looked at me and, with a straight face, asked: "Do you want another one?"

Then we had one of the inn's scrumptious specialties - French toast with passion fruit. Cote told us that he got the idea for this dish from Brazil, which he visits often. "In Brazil," he said, "they also use passion fruit as a mousse and a cocktail, too."

The other thing that counts for Cote is the aspect of freshness, like fresh-squeezed orange juice, fresh-ground, freshly-brewed French-style coffee, home-made bread, croissants and pastries, fruit salad made fresh daily, mouth-watering home-made waffles and French toast with real Canadian maple syrup, Brazilian passion fruit or lime mousse, an assortment of cereals, yogurt, and the finest artisan cheeses - made by Cote's brother, Normand, who owns Fromagerie Medard in Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec.

Then there's cold cuts, Atlantic smoked salmon, homemade jams, and some special dishes like Spanish tortilla, Eggs Florentine, quiches, omelettes, and eggs any way you like them!

And like everything else here, Cote is always striving to go a step further. As he puts it, at Auberge Les Bons Matins, it's all "a work in progress."

For more information or reservations, call (800) 588-5280 or visit www.bonsmatins.com. The address is 1401 avenue Argyle, Montréal (Québec) H3G 1V5, Canada.