Swiss Heist

Easter weekend is here and for me this simply means that I have extra time off and my Mom bought me some awesome chocolate. For those of you who celebrate this as a religious holiday, enjoy! Either way, I wish everyone a happy long weekend.

I just finished a lovely visit to my sister in Montreal, as you all know if you read my last post regarding my journey here. We managed a lot of shopping, restaurant dinners and movies. A few things stood out, though, which I shall now recount.

Many of you know just how much I love Swiss Chalet. My sister informed me that there is a restaurant that is exactly like SC but just old tymey looking and french. Now I usually take my sister's word for things, but this time I needed proof. We made the long trek (not really that long, but a subway ride plus a walk) to Chalet BBQ and it didn't look like much upon arrival. Turns out that it has been there since 1944 and they have left the decor exactly the same since then- think wood panelling, booths that are almost too small for today's fat restaurant goers (myself included)and waitresses that have legit been working there since 1944.

So I ordered myself my classic SC dinner: 1/4 chicken white, fries, sauce, bun. It really was exactly the same save a few small, albeit important points. The first is that the roll (which is usually delicious and one of my fave parts) is actually just a tosated McDonald's hamburger bun. For some reason, this is the same across the board in Mtl. No one wants to eat that shit in general, let alone on it's own on side their meal. Secondly, the entire menu is on a placemat and had not changed since 1944. As my sister (thankfully) pointed out, you can get a glass of tomato juice as an appetizer-legit! I believe it was $1.44. Third and last is that I'm told their dessert is terrible. SC pecan pie is one of my fave things EVER, so this saddens me.

So, here's what I think happened: Swiss guy strolls in to Chalet BBQ in 1953 while on vacation with his Swiss family. He eats it, loves it and thinks, Imma totally steal this shit... Goes home with his Swiss family, seeks out much more delicious rolls and pie, and BAM! Swiss Chalet opens in 1954. Now I will know my chicken is fraudulent every time!

Another highlight of the trip was our visit to the spa. I told my sister I would treat her to a day at the spa for her birthday, so she researched and found a super cool one called Bota : http://www.botabota.ca/index.php?id=158

It is a spa on an old converted boat in Montreal's port. The boat doesn't actually move (probably good...sea sick in a sauna=bad news) but it has a bunch of different stuff you can do. There are traditional spa services like massages and stuff, but we did the water circuit instead. You get 3 hours to go to the different areas which included a hot steam room, dry sauna, two outdoor hot tubs and cold plunge baths and showers. The idea is to choose a hot...we did the steam room first, spend about 15 minutes in there, then come out, jump in a freezing cold bath (or shower off in cold water if you are less brave) and then relax for 15 minutes, then repeat. The relaxing areas were cool with options of bean bag chairs, hammock chairs, couches, circle window seats and sun chairs on the top deck. We spend a relaxing 3 hours there, all for about $50 each. I'd recommend it to anyone who needs some relaxation and wants a unique spa experience.

Hoppy Easter kids! Go eat some chocolate :)