While this is wildly dependent on where they open up should they choose to open a store here--WF is very anti-union so that may just kill the possibility before it starts--I honestly believe that small stores will be in no danger of closing down. Loyal clientele is its own rewards sometimes, and food market icons like Atwater/Jean-Talon will remain because that is more in the spirit of Montreal and what visitors like to see as well.

Again, this would really depend on where they would open. I can't think of any large areas on the Island offhand that would lend themselves to the space a WF wants/needs.

Maybe in Canada, but in my hometown of Atlanta, Whole Foods opened up on Ponce--a thickly populated grab bag of an avenue--and about a block up was a Kroger's, which are as ubiquitous as, say, a Provigo or IGA. So at least where I'm from, that doesn't hold true. A Whole Foods will open up wherever there's a large enough space for them to. (But you are right that they are usually linked to other chain stores.)

Man, not even Two-Buck Chuck is two bucks anymore. It's more like Three-Dollars-and-Some-Change Chuck these days.

That said, I do delight in the esoteric selection of their wines and beers. Their house brands tend to be drinkable plonk--nothing I'd serve at a dinner party, but completely acceptable for a girls' night in or an intimate gathering with friends--and the non-house are always interesting.

Oh, and that wasabi trail mix. Man, I smuggled four bags of that stuff back in my luggage a few weeks ago.

Ah, TJ's. How I miss you.

Right before I moved up here, my husband wrote TJ's, asking them if they were going to open any stores in Canada, especially Quebec.

I believe you could term the reply as "polite but barely restraining their laughter of disbelief."

Oh well. There are stores in Nashua, Portsmouth, and Portland, but I am hoping one opens up in Burlington sometime soon. It makes sense after all.

As for Whole Paycheck, I like them fine. I like them even more when they carry hard-to-find vegan products that I cannot find for love or money in this province; of course, these days, I just pop down into Newport's Natural Foods to look for that stuff (still not the same variety, though).

I didn't realize they were unsweetened until after I purchased them--yes, this was a dumb move--and the Internets is no help with what to do with them.

Help!

Lamentably, this is true. Quebec does not have a cocktail culture. (This makes me sad. So so sad.) However, Quebec beer can be AH-mazing.

My rec would be focus on the good beer and go with what the other 'Hounders are telling you in terms of food.

Speaking as someone working hard to open a storefront, finding a professional kitchen to rent for events to cater is a lot harder than it looks.

But so far, that's exactly the problem. Right now you can't rent space in a professional kitchen in order to have a food truck. It makes the offerings skewed towards people who have already been established and not upstarts.

Again, I desperately hope the bylaws change in favor of entrepeneurs, and not restauranteurs who feel menaced by something that is being done successfully and awesomely by other North American cities. There's enough room in the pool for everyone. To complain otherwise just shows you can't change with the times or accept something cool and new.

Thank you very much for the suggestion, but as my dad is sick and disabled, we kinda need to keep it close to home.

One day I'll get around to sampling the amazing vegan cuisine I hear is on offer all around Asheville.

Yup, Happy Cow is the first resource I go to, believe me!

I think the new Lifeit Cafe will be a solo trip as it doesn't offer omni options for the rest of the family and who wants to hear complaining about food during a special outing? :)

(It looks delicious, that place.)

Ah, Austin.

And you are correct re: how their success bloomed from a food truck.

Yep, I remember that being one of the restrictions too.

That's ridiculous. It doesn't give upstarts a fighting chance. The city is not quite getting the idea of what a food truck "scene" is supposed to be. It may take a while before we get the diversity we want.

Precisely. I have always thought of food trucks as a way for someone to get started and do something neat yummy things, making regulations or framework like this off the bat discourages that.

http://globalnews.ca/news/466184/city...

"For food safety, the trucks chosen will have to be associated with an already established restaurant."

I hate to say this, but part of me hopes that with current restrictions the city is putting on who gets to have a food truck, that the whole project fails so they can see that this model doesn't work. Food trucks are a good way for up-and-coming entrepeneurs to offer something new and unique without having to worry about the influx of capital one needs to open a bricks-and-mortar restaurant first. Because, IMHO, that's the whole point. New and cool food things happen like this because you can't afford your restaurant yet. If it's just going to be the same old iterations of places already established....well, as a poster pointed out previously in the other food trucks thread, who wants to pay for a potentially pricey street version of resto dish just so you can eat it on a paper plate?

Tonight it's TLTs (tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato) for the main, and an improvised side salad of edamame, corn, and roasted zucchini.

I was going to ask what restaurant or catering business these guys work for because of the current qualifications for a food truck in Montreal.

If they don't have either of those things going for them, I'm with catroast, how can backers be assured that this will work out?

Hey, SE Hounders!

I will be visiting ye olde hometown of Greenville next week for my mom's 60th birthday and she wanted me to find a restaurant that will be vegan-friendly for me, her vegan daughter, so the family and I can go out for a special meal.

Last time we went to Soby's, and they were very nice about acommodating me, but I was sorry to say their vegan entree was disappointing and overpriced, IMHO.

Aside from poking around the usual vegan websites for options, I'd rather hear if anyone out there has their own personal suggestions. Thanks so much!

Caveats: though my mom is of Hispanic descent, she and the rest of the family do not dig on Asian food like I do.

Oh god, I just assumed it existed here already. What I take for granted as an American....

Well...not all alcohol is vegan, but don't let that stop you! :)

http://www.barnivore.com/

Aw, that's too bad! I have a couple of bottles of it downstairs in my wine rack. Is it too much trouble to go and visit Les Vergers de la Colline on a weekend, maybe?

I'm not a fan of doing it the "classic" way. I usually steam my seitan. The broth way has never resulted in a seitan I enjoy very much!

WHOA

I did not see that coming.

I think in Atlanta, they adjusted the laws because it was all like that the last time I went home--can't be hear restaurants, can't cook onboard--but current news is that it's relaxed and a lot of cool trucks are popping up!

And that's sad. I'll be honest, I was hoping this would be a sea change for casual dining because I could more likely afford to run a food truck than a bricks & mortar bakery right now. It was, for me, a bright spot in alternative eating and thinking.

But I guess nowhere in Canada is really ready to commit to this right now. Not without sucking all the fun out of it.

Yeah, catroast has a point. With the exception of a few, most street food in Portland is prepared on site in said trucks/carts/etc., so why not do the same here in Quebec? Would it violate the curent health code? (The latter is a legitmate question.)

Yeah, I use cane sugar as a vegan baker and I weigh it and use it just like regular sugar. (You don't really need to weigh it anyway unless you're a stickler.)

You should be fine using it as you would ordinary sugar.

I just use a plain old steamer insert in a saucepan. It works just fine!

Maybe this? (I don't know how large your mushrooms are!)

http://herbivoracious.com/2012/11/vegan-bacon-from-king-oyster-mushrooms-recipe.html

Or this?

http://www.theveraciousvegan.com/2011...

Usually I'd put in my vote for Atma because it has that sort of elegant yet slightly chubby atmosphere that I sometimes surprise myself by liking. The first time my husband and I went there we loved it. The second time we went our service was less than stellar, we were rushed, and the food wasn't as good as before.

Still, I'm game for giving it another shot.