I have only been to Montreal three times, so I can’t say for certain if the selection is that much better than Paris, but I did find this amazing vegan eatery called Aux Vivres.

I arrived at lunch hour to an absolutely packed restaurant with a line practically to the door (usually a good sign). I opted for the take out side and ordered the sirocco sandwich on chapati, the tropicalia smoothie and the biggest brownie you’ve ever seen in your life, the chipotle cinnamon brownie.

I knew before I even started it would be way too much food, but I had to try a little bit of everything. For those of you hungry folks, I recommend a sandwich on chapati, as it was way bigger than expected. I was assuming I’d get a girly sized wrap with more chapati than filling, instead, I was surprised when they handed me a fat Chipotle sized overstuffed burrito oozing with hummus and tapenade. The spreads were definitely the star of the dish, overpowering the veggies. The smoothie was just what I was in the mood for, an all fruit based, sort of strawberry, sort of tart tasting fruity drink. I was however a little disappionted come dessert time. Being a sweet fanatic, I had high hopes for this amazing sounding brownie, but my tastebuds thought it lacked in the two ingredients that sold me on it in the first place, cinnamon and chipotle. In their defense, I tend to like an explosion of flavors rather than hints of, so if you’re the opposite, I’d say go for it.

Overall, the food was delicious and I highly recommend it for a casual spot. I will definitely be returning on my next visit to Montreal.

Fabs will start blogging from across this great country. She goes lots of places. So onward and upward. Maybe I’ll chime in with my beautifully crafted prose and critiques on literature, opera and other fine arts. Or not. I don’t know yet.

Onward and Upward!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,400 times in 2010. That’s about 3 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 44 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 78 posts. There were 53 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 3mb. That’s about 1 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was January 22nd with 40 views. The most popular post that day was To Italy With a Toddler.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, en.wordpress.com, mail.live.com, weddings.theknot.com, and mail.yahoo.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for massimo bartozzi, il redentore facade, il redentore, il redentore i venezia, and san marco district.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

To Italy With a Toddler January 2010
2 comments

Some Pictures June 2010
4 comments

Must Do’s in Venice: Il Redentore April 2010
1 comment

Map of Key Wedding Events in Venice January 2010
6 comments

About August 2009

Nick says: "This chaise lounge is extremely comfortable and surprisingly affordable."

Well, Fabrizzia and I have been married a month and just moved into our first place in Marina Del Rey. I’ll email our address to everyone soon. We have no furniture (it’s on order), but I feel a little like we are characters in the Ryan Adams song, This House is Not for Sale.

Anyway, some pics from groomsmen the Lobot and Nick.

Lobot’s Pics: Click here

Nick’s Pics (are linked from Nick and Jen’s supremely awesome blog): North Meets South

The Grand Canal and The Church of the Salute, by Canaletto

Last week I was in D.C. and decided to walk from the Capitol to the Smithsonian Metro stop. As I was walking on the Mall I decided to spend a half an hour walking around the National Gallery. Coincidentally the first room I walked into was dedicated to Venetian art. Overall I walked through 5 rooms that had some incredible pieces by some incredible Venetian artists. It’s hard to imagine that such talented artists lived in this tiny floating town at roughly the same time.

Of course, most of us will be able to see many of these great works on our tour to the Accademia on Saturday May 29 at 3PM. Here you’ll see such great Venetian masters as Titian, Bellini, Canaletto, Carpaccio, Longhi, Lotto, Tiepolo, Tintoretto and Giorgione.

Also there, a very famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, the Vitruvian Man.

These prolific artists gathered in a city that is a piece of art itself. When I walked out of the National Gallery it left me thinking what a great experience it would be for everyone to see these great pieces of art in the city that inspired them.  It is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

In Suffer the Little Children, a raid gone awry leaves a prominent doctor speechless and his child abducted. But, it was the federal police that have taken his son. A lot is going on in this book, but it wasn’t cohesive and thrilling like Leon’s predecessors. So, I actually don’t recommend it. So why am I writing about it? Because I want to, that’s why. Read Blood From a Stone instead.

Centrale Restaurant and Bar

Whoever said that Venice doesn’t have a nightlife didn’t know what he was talking about. Wait, I said that, and I stand by it. Venice, not much of a nightlife. And by that, I mean that Venice is no L.A. or NYC. So if you’re looking to get glammed up and drink cosmos, well, this isn’t the place for you. Well, maybe that isn’t completely true.

The past few years have seen new life brought to Venice’s evening hours. Young Venetians are trying to bring the glamor back to the city, so there are a few places to scope out for a late night party.

Try Dogado Lounge in Cannaregio. This bar offers fusion dining and fantastic cocktails and DJ sets and jazz concerts nightly. Or check out Centrale Restaurant and Bar in San Marco. Centrale is a glamorous warehouse-style venue that is more NYC than Venice. You can eat and drink here past 2AM. Lastly, try out the B-Bar at the Bauer Hotel. This bar was a cult nightspot in the 1970′s and is now again back in style with Venice’s cool set. It has a 1950′s vibe with gold walls, marble floors and lounge chairs.

After a fire and multiple collapses it was decided to build a stone bridge across this key point in Venice. In 1551 proposals were solicited for the bridge and plans were submitted by some heavy hitters in architecture, including Andrea Palladio (architect of Il Redentore). But all these were passed on, and the current stone bridge was built and completed by Antonio da Ponte in 1591. This single arch bridge contains a covered porticos lined with shops. These shops sell the normal tourist fare, but you can imagine a day when the richest merchants in Venice held shop here.

Perhaps the greatest thing about this bridge is the view, people will clamor to the top to see down the Grand Canal at a point that has always been central to Venetian life. Look down and see the gondolas and look at the grand palazzi that line the canal. It’s Venice in all its fading glory, both dilapidated and regal.

Venice has a fine tradition of fantastic seafood and great vegetables (from the fertile island of Sant’ Erasmo), and there are plenty of high-end restaurants to eat at. But, real Venetians have a food culture much like Spain’s tapas culture – cicchetti! Usually small bites like cured meats and cheese (even horse salumi), bruschetta with salt cod. All of these small plates should be washed down with un ombra, a small glass of wine – literally “shadow” for when these small glasses of wine were sold in the shadow of the Campanile.

Walking around Venice and trying different cicchetti bars is a must. Many have different themes or takes on small plates. Try out Pronto Pesce first. They specialize in fish, which is obvious since it’s directly in front of the Rialto Fish Market.