July 1, 2006
Hello from Montreal: Dinner at Galianos
and Celebrating Canada Day
After my official Montreal bike
tour, my individual explorations of the
Lachine Canal and my chat with André
from Ça Roule, I decided to go for a little stroll to
explore Montreal’s Port area which was hustling and bustling
with celebrations on this Canada Day. I strolled out on Jacques
Cartier Pier to an outdoor concert stage where two well-known Canadian
singers, Kim Richardson and Sylvie Desgroseillers were enchanting
the audience with Mo-Town and R&B melodies.
Kim Richardson
I walked east and happened onto a huge playground area on the little
island in the Bassin Bonsecours that was a family entertainment
zone. Kids were sliding up and down and in and out of a whole variety
of huge inflatable slides. Freestyle skiers were jumping off a large
ramp and performing summersaults and various aerial acrobatics.
The whole area was packed with people enjoying themselves on a beautiful
summer day. I walked up Place Jacques Cartier and into a small pedestrian
street called Rue des Amables which is full of portrait artists
and galleries. At the end of this little street I found my dinner
destination: Galiano’s.
Kids are having a ball
Galiano’s is located in a 200 year-old building on a small
cobble-stoned street in Old Montreal. Formerly a "boîte
à chanson" it opened its doors eight years ago. The
restaurant stretches over two floors with an open area in the middle
and a wooden staircase leading up to the second floor with seating
on an interior balcony. The street-side patio adds additional seating
capacity and ambience to this rustic restaurant.
Rue des Amables, full of artists and galleries
Always a big fan of Italian cuisine, I was looking forward to a
filling meal after a day packed with exercise and activities. The
whole area around the restaurant and Old Montreal in general was
absolutely hustling and bustling with people and everyone was in
good spirits, ready to celebrate since it was Canada Day. Street
performers were entertaining the crowd. At just before 6 pm it was
still a bit early and I was fortunate to find a seat in the lounge
area of the restaurant that features several tables flanking an
arrangement of leather couches in front of the fireplace.
A crowd gathers in front of Galiano's
For a few minutes I was able to catch the owner, John Tsinas, to
find out more about this culinary establishment. John is part of
Montreal’s famous Antonopoulos family that owns a variety
of hospitality restaurants and hotels in Old Montreal. His uncles
are silent partners in Galiano’s.
John’s younger brothers Manny and Peter also work with him
in the business. At 40 years of age John is the oldest, and the
two other brothers are each five years apart. John says that Manny
is the people person and today Manny was seating customers, tryig
to keep up with the sheer onslaught of customers that were just
streaming into Galiano’s.
John and Manny Tsinas
Manny is also the man with the creative ideas and he was the one
that came up with the idea for lounge area and some of the new decorating
styles featured at Galianos. Another new idea is to use a small
balcony area above the entrance door as a location for a DJ or some
live music. And a wine cellar next to the entrance is presently
under construction and will be opened in the near future.
My tasty calamari
John has a lot of experience in the hospitality industry: he started
working in the restaurant business at age 14 and has worked his
way up all the way from the bottom. He even ran a food warehouse
for McGill University which included restocking the vending machines
and was a waiter at three different restaurants prior to opening
Galiano's. John added that he still thinks like an employee and
because of his hands-on experience he always treats his staff members
with respect. His working style is very hands-on, he says that today
he will be calling out the orders in his kitchen and preparing them
for the waiters.
And a very filling Galiano's Salad
Galiano’s
is known for its Italian cuisine and its generous portion sizes.
Everything is made from scratch at Galiano’s. John mentioned
their signature dishes: Scaloppini alla Veronica, their Antipasto
Misto, a Filetto Tre Sapori, home made Lasagna as well as their
Quattro Stagioni Pizza. John recommended that I try Galiano’s
Calamari Fritti. Just about 10 minutes after my order a steaming
plate of juicy and tasty calamari arrived, the perfect introduction
to a filling meal. I followed it up with a Galiano Salad: a huge
plate of salad with cold cuts and cheese. John wasn’t kidding
when he talked about huge portion sizes!
View down from the second floor
John of course had to get back to work after our little chat, but
I thoroughly enjoyed my evening meal and by the time I was finished,
the lineup was stretching all the way out the door and down the
street. Galiano’s
is obviously a favourite destination for many in Old Montreal
and for me it was a great starting point for my evening discoveries
which would include the official Canada Day Celebrations and a big
concert in the Old Port of Montreal.
Useful books about travel to Montreal:
Related articles:
Hello from Montreal 2006 - My 4-day
explorations of Montreal
Hello from Montreal: An interesting
train ride and first impressions
Hello from Montreal: Getting
the lay of the land in a driving tour
Hello from Montreal: Dinner and a
little jazz at Modavie
Hello from Montreal: Reliving
history with the Old Montreal Ghost Tour
Hello from Montreal: Architectural
discoveries in the Old Montreal Walking Tour
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Chateau Ramezay during a torrential downpour
Hello from Montreal:
Mexican delights at La Iguana & a peak at the Jazz Festival
Hello from Montreal: A guided bicycle
tour to explore Montreal's neighbourhoods
Hello from Montreal:
Biking on the Lachine Canal - Industrial history turned into a recreational
opportunity
Hello from Montreal: A chat with
André Giroux about Bicycling in Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Savouring Italian
cuisine at Galiano's and Canada Day Celebrations
Hello from Montreal:
Exploring the Olympic Stadium, the Botanical Garden & Insectarium
and outdoor action at the Jean Talon Market
Hello from Montreal: A Peruvian immigrant
success story at Restaurant Mañana
Hello from Montreal: Friendly
neighbourhood encounters on Square St. Louis
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Casino de Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Gourmet
dining at Nuances and amazing fireworks at La Ronde
Hello from Montreal: A final walk
to discover amazing architectural beauties
Helpful links for travel to Montreal:
Tourisme
Montreal - Montreal's official tourism information office
Quebec Tourism
- Official tourism website for Quebec
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