Jardin Nelson, Vieux Montréal 9/7/26: I was ravenously hungry and wandered around a little bit with the idea that I’d find something at some point. A local friend suggested Lester’s but it turned out to be a 35 minute commute from Place d’Armes/Basilique Notre Dame de Montréal. And as much as I could have gone for a smoked meat sandwich, it just was too much for me. I had to be out and heading to the bus at around 4:30am the next morning.
I started Googling restaurants and came across Jardin Nelson, which was a few blocks away. First, I looked at the menu and did a rough estimate of the currency conversion. “That’s not bad at all,” I thought. Second they had live jazz. I really wanted to hear some jazz while in town. (If I got into town earlier, I probably would have stopped at Diese Onze on Rue Saint Denis. But such is life.)
It was an enchanting evening in Old Montréal: The cafes and restaurants were packed. Buskers were performing on every other corner. For a brief moment, I felt as though I were transported to Paris. . . .
Adding to that enchanted vibe, Jardin Nelson had a jazz trio — keys, bass/vocals and drums — performing standards on an upraised stage in an equally gorgeous garden. What a perfect way to spend my last few hours in one of my favorite cities.
I managed to catch a part of the previous set while waiting to be seated and an entire set while eating.
I ordered a Charcutiére Pizza — tomato sausage, pepperoni, ham, italian sausage, smoked meat, cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. And I had a Unibroue NEIPA de Tropoque sur le Lac, a hoppy 6% ABV local IPA that I had been drinking for much of the trip. A very memorable meal.
Discover more from The Joy of Violent Movement
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.