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By George Medovoy, Editor (The Ritz Garden, pictured above, is the hotel's trademark outdoor restaurant, where dining al fresco is truly a memorable experience). They call her the "Grand Dame" of Sherbrooke Street. When it comes to luxury hotels, there is no finer address in this French-accented city than the Ritz-Carlton on Sherbrooke Street.
(Montreal's Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Sherbrooke Street) She's everything you'd want a great hotel to be: superb service, superb food, and a fabled location - the city's "Golden Square Mile," Montreal's version of Fifth Avenue, an area filled with sparkling apartments, art galleries, fine shopping. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is steps from the hotel. The storied hotel -- the oldest Ritz-Carlton in North America - was opened in 1913 and has served everyone from royalty to movie stars. It recently celebrated its 90th anniversary with a multi-million dollar modernization. Each of the hotel's 229 rooms, including 44 executive suites, comes with amenities like terry bathrobes, double-down pillows and complimentary newspapers and shoeshine. (The Ritz-Carlton promises wonderful comfort in its well-appointed rooms).
And though it's as up-to-date as can be with a new "technology butler" to cover computer needs, the bottom line is still old-fashioned service. In his book, No Ordinary Hotel (Vehicule Press, Montreal), Adrian Waller tells memorable tales about the Ritz: While in Montreal to film the movie Angela, Sophia Loren preferred making her own pasta in her suite…so could the hotel please buy her some utensils? In typical Ritz fashion, it was no problem at all. Loren's reaction: "Believe me, this is no ordinary hotel." Then there was British actor Richard Harris, in Montreal for several weeks to perform in the musical Camelot. The Ritz provided blackout curtains so he could sleep in; bed sheets rinsed in clear water and not to be changed during his entire stay, unless he said otherwise; and for his arrival, a non-fat yogurt, three containers of non-fat milk, a "hand-sized" banana, and a box of Bigelow's Sweet Dreams herbal tea. My own fond memories of Montreal's Ritz are nowhere near as unique as those of Loren or Harris, but they are about food. I remember fondly the pastry delights of Sophie Morneau, the hotel's thirty-ish whiz kid pastry chef, who spends her off-hours surfing the Internet for new ideas. (The Ritz whiz kid pastry chef, Sophie Morneau).
"I love the challenge to do something special," she said. "Once, when I prepared pastries that looked just like sushi for room service, the guest couldn't figure out why we sent up sushi." In reality, Morneau's sushi was a dark chocolate crepe wrapped around sweet rice and cooked with coconut milk, sugar and citronelle. The rolls were wrapped around lychee, mango or raspberries. My "favorite"
was Morneau's Discovery Plate, a sampler of Ritz pastries to die for:
four desserts with fresh fruit and edible flowers. If you stay at the Ritz in the warmer months, you must experience al
fresco dining in The Ritz Garden, a bucolic setting whose centerpiece is a pond with 20 yellow ducklings and their little "house" for night warmth. Meanwhile, at Le Café de Paris inside the hotel, there's contemporary and classic French cuisine for lunch and dinner, breakfast and Sunday Brunch. Seasonal highlights include rack of lamb, fresh fish, lobster salad, foie gras and caviar. The Ritz-Carlton's extensive wine cellar is reflected in its 20-page wine list, which highlights more than 350 wines. The cellar itself holds nearly 10,000 of the finest vintage French Burgundies and Bordeaux from France, as well as a wide choice from Italy, the United States, Chile and other countries. The wine list features 350 red and white wines, and 15 types of champagne ranging from an Ontario Chardonnay at $34 to a $1,800 Romanée Conti, or a Chateau Petrus. The most expensive champagne is a $400 bottle of Krug. The 90-seat Ritz Bar and Lounge offers indoor options for cocktails, wines and spirits, and specialties like Angus beefsteak, poppy-seed-crusted Atlantic salmon, oysters and shrimp. The Ritz Bar's signature champagne cocktail, Le Ritz Fizz, is a memorable drink made with a flute of champagne, ½ ounce of apple liqueur, and a sugar cube dipped in raspberry liqueur. Now just try to beat that! (What an inviting drink to taste in the Ritz Bar!)
High Tea at the Ritz, a 90-year-old English tradition in a very French city, comes with real Wedgwood "India" English Bone China. And the menu: English scones topped with Devonshire cream, fresh strawberries and preserves; dainty finger sandwiches of smoked salmon, chicken, goat cheese and cucumber; and French pastries. Here is the Ritz High Tea summary: The Ritz-Carlton Afternoon Tea: Tea sandwiches, a plate of miniature pastries and scones with clotted Devonshire cream and preserves. Devonshire Tea: Scones (and trimmings), as well as fresh strawberries. Ritz-Carlton Royal Tea: Including a glass of champagne, as well as sandwiches, pastries and scones. (No kick from champagne? Try a Mimosa, Kir Royale, wine, sherry or port). The Angel's Tea for children offers a choice of tea or hot chocolate and pastries. Tea comes with a selection of nearly 15 kinds of English and exotic teas, including Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Mint, Lapsang Souchong, and Chamomile. One illustrious guest who has been taking tea for many years likes the energy-enhancing choice of Imperial Gunpowder, brewed from young leaves of green Chinese tea. Of course, for those who wish to break the tea tradition, all other beverages are available, including wine, Champagne, sherry, port and cognac, as well as espresso, cappuccino, iced coffee, decaf and hot chocolate. New executive chef Stephane Lo Re loves the flavors of his native Provence -- "fresh, healthy, tasty and summery"-- just like his Chilean sea bass, a masterful blend of just enough seasonings and natural flavor. "I try to find the best local produce and cook with very basic recipes to create classic and contemporary cuisine," he says. "The Ritz has a formal à la carte menu and a nightly table d'hôte, but I also believe in spontaneous creativity when we have special requests." Lo Ré counts among his specialties the delicacy foie gras. That could be sautéed, au torchon (poached and rolled), in terrine, or in a Napoleon layered with artichoke, eggplant, port jelly or truffles. Another tour de force is fresh fish, preferably Chilean sea bass or halibut, lightly sautéed à la Provençale with black-olive tapenade and olive oil. "It's a typical South of France dish," says Lo Ré. Among other Lo Ré favorites are a sublime duck breast (magret de canard) with Asian accents like red curry paste, ginger, coriander and cumin; and a spectacular lobster salad with exotic fruit like mango and papaya. Lo Ré has worked at The Ritz for three years. During the 1990s, he was executive chef at the Méridien Hotel New Orleans and Hôtel Méridien Nice in France, as well as a section chef at Hôtel Méridien Paris Étoile. During the late 1980s, Lo Ré worked at l'Oasis in Nice, France, which is rated a prestigious three stars by Michelin. He has prepared special culinary assignments in Moscow, Cairo and Rome, and he has trained at the famed Lenôtre School in Paris.
(The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is right across the street from the hotel) Once you walk out the front door of the Ritz, you'll find yourself in the wonderful world of the Golden Square Mile, which, like so much of this island city, is perfect for walking.
(How about a coffee and a pastry at the museum's cafe?) On a recent visit, we enjoyed poking around Holt, Renfrew & Co., a famous Canadian department store where an avant-garde mannequin announced the latest fashions against window reflections of Sherbrooke Street's towering architecture. (Avant-garde is the theme as seen through the window of Holt, Renfrew & Company).
From Sherbrooke, you can visit Montreal's amazing Underground City, whose clean and efficient Metro stations connect almost 20 miles of subterranean shopping, entertainment, and restaurants, making a day or night out on the town a lot easier in the wintertime. Sherbrooke Street itself and others nearby offer wonderful examples of early Montreal architecture, including early 20th-century Neo-Elizabethan-style homes. At one end of Sherbrooke, you'll find McGill University near the foot of Mont Royal, a 550-acre mountainous park in the city's center. First opened in 1876, the park was designed by famed American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the same genius who created New York's Central Park. On a Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a dreamy walk around Beaver Lake, a tranquil setting at the uppermost reaches of the park. We saw people in paddleboats, others playing Frisbee with their dogs, and many enjoying picnics. In winter, ice skaters head for Beaver Lake, while others take advantage of cross-country skiing on the mountain, where several trails offer great panoramic views of the city. For people watching, there's always Crescent Street, where you can while away the time in one of many cafes until the wee hours of the morning and make believe you're in Paris. (Montreal is alive with activities, even in the wee hours of the night).
Montreal, of course, is a lot closer to home…and a lot cheaper than Europe. During a recent visit, the American dollar was yielding about $1.35 Canadian. Whatever you choose to do in Montreal, it's always nice to come home to the Ritz, where the pledge continues to be: "We Are Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen." IF YOU
GO… For general
information about visiting Montreal and other parts of Quebec, visit
www.bonjourquebec.com,
or call (877)-BONJOUR (877) 266-5687. (Click below for more travel stories!)
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