If you're planning a picnic, bike ride, or simply an evening in, pick up supplies in Vieux-Montréal at any of three shops along rue St-Paul. On the west end of the street is Olive et Gourmando at no. 351 and, just across the street, the Marché de la Villete at no. 324. Both sell fresh breads, fine cheeses, sandwiches, salads, and pâtés. On the east end of rue St-Paul, a block and a half from the main plaza Place Jacques-Cartier, is Chez l'Epicier, at no. 331. It's an ambitious restaurant with a gourmet delicatessen of takeout goodies.
Better still, use this as an excuse to make a short excursion by bicycle or Métro (the Lionel-Groulx stop) to Marché Atwater, the public farmer's market at 138 av. Atwater, which is open daily. The long interior shed is bordered by stalls of gleaming produce and flowers, the two-story center section given to wine purveyors, butchers, food counters, bakeries, and cheese stores. The Boulangerie Première Moisson (tel. 514/932-0328) fills the space with the tantalizing aromas of baskets of breads and cases of pastries -- oh, the pastries! -- and has a seating area for nibbling on toasted baguettes or sipping a bowl of café au lait. Two of the best cheese purveyors are the Fromagerie du Deuxième (tel. 514/932-5532), whose knowledgeable attendants know every detail of production of the scores of North American and European cheeses on offer, and the Fromagerie du Marché Atwater (tel. 514/932-4653), which has over 500 different cheeses, some 50 of them from Québec, and also sells pâtés and charcuterie. Marché Atwater is right on the revamped Lachine Canal, where you can stroll and find a picnic table.
