The Bulletin: A cowboy lottery, tavern-style pizza, fashion walks, and neighbourhood takeovers [Issue #91]

The Bulletin is a collection of what's happened, what’s happening, and what’s to come in and around Montreal.

The Main

August 22, 2024- Read time: 10 min

Digging this shot from @junebuvette's country-themed attaché @junesaloon. More on this in the weeks to come. | Photograph: @cathcooper / Instagram

Dry off, Montreal, but don't dry out.

With a hopeful reprise from what feels like a neverending trip to Splash Mountain this past week, the next few days are looking up with a new spot for martinis, a new wine bar, a country bar where you could win up to $800 with a pint, upcoming tastings—all the saucy works.

On top of all that, everywhere from the Plateau to PSC has got some form of neighbourhood-wide or pedestrian party going on, leaving most with little to no time to catch their breath. The last few weeks of storms and gray, wet days may have left us feeling like summer's over, but that's far from the case when you look at everything we've collected this time 'round.

Activities, parties, points of interest, art exhibitions, you name it: These are the weekend events you don't want to miss.

Thursday

@mr63montreal is hosting a huge party at @arsenalcontemporary for people to experience the premises of their future pavilion with art, design, and gastronomy.
@mutekmontreal, Montreal's source for electronic music and digital art fans, is back to help you discover and promote visionary artists.
The fashion & arts festival @madfestivalofficiel's shows, concerts, performances and more take over @quartierdesspectacles_mtl.
A moment of well-being, where style and care meet in an intimate and festive setting, is happening with the first-ever @beauties.lab pop-up w/ @silklaundry.montreal.
@mtlartsinter is hosting its new season's launch party and 25 years of pluridisciplinary arts with performances by @looumms, @komak_komak, and @wengnientzu followed by a set by @madebyjujube and VJ @special.devivery.
@afrotonikmtl's got a show tonight at @esplanade.louvain to celebrate African and black culture through music, plus pop-ups by @krwn_barbers and @sawahoc.

Friday

Friday to Sunday, @and.or.collective's got their first-ever MTL01 pop-up, joining forces with @deuxlionsjewelry , @le_centerpiece and @dodobazaar with host @alexandrebernierarchitecte (plus natural wines by @deuxcaves).
@plazasthubert's ending August with a final celebration of its pedestrianization pilot project with a big sidewalk sale and street entertainment.
Film aficionados should check out the @mtlinternationalfilmfestival's film premieres and insightful workshops.
Hot tip: @sans_soleil_mtl is open every night of the week until 3am.

Saturday

@mkfcm and @coreeamontreal are bringing an all-things-Korea festival to @vieuxportmtl—expect lots of food, K-Pop, and merchants.
@marchedp will host @friperie_ephemere for a thrift shopping fair with music by @groovy_and_chill.

Sunday

Who doesn't love a wholesome, weekend-long neighbourhood festival? @imagine_monkland is back in NDG with the help of @cdn_ndg and @bizndg for a pedestrian showcase of local merchants, local charities, the arts, and more.
@sdcpointesaintcharles's Fête de Pointe-Saint-Charles is a neighbourhood takeover with live shows, kiosks, food, workshops, jams, and a live mural.
@avenuemontroyal's hosting its merchant fair from August 22 to 25 between Saint-Laurent Boulevard and De Lorimier.

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Phootgraph: @berniespizzamartinibar / Instagram

WHAT TO EAT & DRINK IN AND AROUND MONTREAL

Scope the latest restaurant openings, recommendations on where to eat, plus new menus, old classics, and everything in between.

The Montreal melon is the story of a unique fruit to the city: Distinct from other melons, it was once a local delicacy but disappeared for decades. Today, it’s being kept alive when grown by folks like David McMillan and his Hayfield Farm in Saint-Armand, Quebec. (The Main)

Dollard-des-Ormeaux is now home to "Canada’s first authentic Tavern Pizza and Martini bar" with the arrival of @berniespizzamartinibar.
Have you been to the back alley taqueria @terrazaluz.mtl yet from chef @juanlopezluna of @alma.mtl? Open August 25 from noon to 3pm.
@travelingbartenders is back in Montreal for masterclasses on cocktails, plus a secret menu to try out while you're there; you've got until August 23 to sign up.
@loydvonrose is celebrating the first anniversary of @tittletattlecocktailbar with a taco night hosted by @cabaret.lenfer and chef @santino_at on August 25.
@lespremiersvendredis is hosting chefs like @chefpaultoussaint with "Montreal’s biggest BBQ": Les Rendez-vous gourmands will have tastings, discussions, live demonstrations, musical programming and street food on offer from August 23 to 25.
Want to go out of town? @auberge.saintmathieu and @cidre_intrus are hosting an épluchette feast on August 25 from 2pm til they're sold out.
Thursdays now feature $1 ribs at @_bon_delire_, no biggie.
The 8th edition of @nightmarketmtl is turning Chinatown into a street food fest from August 22 to 25, with most dishes priced between $4 and $8.
@domomontreal is hosting a pop-up from @disco__mayo once more, this time with Greek gyros, calamari and other good stuff on August 23.
August 25 will be @lacavedemamie hosting a tasting session with Jura from @aboiredebout; 7 cuvées for $40.
A new wine bar is on our radar: @polari.vin.
@grand.ordinaire and @agencesansnom are hosting a BBQ with gelato and vino Italiano in Jarry Park on August 26.
Pour one out for the NDG restaurant @maisonzoso which announced its closure on August 20.
Instead of playing VLTs, head over to the new country bar @2656_saloon to drink beer and maybe win some money.
Next week on August 27, @lemajestique will be popping up at @sora45mtl, located at the top of Place-Ville-Marie.
Anchovies galore. Real Aioli. Petits farcies. Artichokes. Roast Lamb. “Rhône à la Côte d’Azur” wine list: @restaurantbeba is hosting a 'a la Provençale' night on Sept 6.

Recs from the best ⭐

Emma Cardarelli is a leading figure in Montreal’s landscape. Her restaurants—Nora Gray, Elena, and Gia—are testaments to her skill, creativity, and unwavering dedication to her craft. Here are her favourite restaurants in the city. (The Main)

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Here, you'll find a weekly round-up of the latest local news, from entertainment to current affairs and more.

📸 Shoot your shot

Over a century of historical inspirations and a half-dozen local photographers can't be wrong: Montreal's a world-class destination for photographers from around the globe. Here's why. (The Main)

Ol' unfaithful

The water main that broke on August 16 is only going to get inspected in October, and repairs will take weeks in the meantime. Some are saying the city knew the pipe was in dubious condition. Meanwhile, CBC is asking whether the island's hidden rivers could offer clues about the city’s topography. (CBC Montreal)

On track to become "a Toronto that speaks French"

This one flew over our heads when it ran, so in case you missed it too: Here's Toula Drimonis unpacking when exactly Montreal started becoming unaffordable, and how that has effects that're equal parts cascading and devastating. (The Walrus)

We're making pretty good time

Could Montreal ever become a 15-minute city? Apparently, we have the shortest travel time between all three major Canadian metropolises, with an average travel time of 27 minutes in 2021, down by 3 minutes from 2016. (Le Devoir)

When nighthawks get peckish

Why are there fewer options for late-night eating in Montreal, asks Erik Leijon? It is, and it isn't, all about the pandemic as places that never closed suddenly started closing. (Montreal Gazette)

In case you needed a reason to go

The MMFA caught international attention by putting its exhibition Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools: Three Hundred Years of Flemish Masterworks in the context of viral images, as art then was the ultimate form of entertainment and social spectacle. (CNN)

Making riding the bus cool again

Montreal’s École de technologie supérieure (ETS) is testing how effective green bus shelter roofs could be in cooling down bus users by tracking the impact made by growing plants on top—why haven't we done this before again? (CBC Montreal)

Those better festival days of yore

"We’ve lost a lot of our community as music journalists because there are so few third spaces where people can safely, affordably gather, and in a lot of ways, (Montreal's Jazz Fest) showed the potential to bring that opportunity for connection back." (Consequence)

How is this still a thing

We love a bike lane, but: Hundreds of small business owners in Montreal say they're suffering because people can't shop following major construction work starting on a 15 km stretch of Jean-Talon and Bélanger streets to develop part of the city's bike network. (CTV News)

"A different city in just 20 minutes"

Shout-out to The Main's co-founder Daniel Bromberg, who led writer Nathan Diller on a tour of the town so inspirational that the writer's going to be booking another trip in no time. (USA Today)