Tampa summer heat is the perfect excuse to head north. I usually spend Memorial Day weekend up in Boston and Montreal. I grew up in Maine, but most of my adult life I’ve lived in the Boston area. And Montreal is a great city that’s an easy drive away if you’ve got your passport. Let me show you around!
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareA skyscraper, church and statue. The might be the most Boston photo ever taken.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareFirst stop in Boston for food is usually for a lobster roll. Nobody does it better. There's apparently a Luke's Lobster location in Miami. I haven't tracked it down yet. There are a couple in Boston. But I've been to Luke's Lobster locations in Philadelphia, NYC and Las Vegas. They're all great.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareNot the most photogenic lobster roll with those spices on top, but definitely tasted incredible. And that blueberry soda is a must too. They actually have it in stock usually at Mazzaro's in St. Pete.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
SharePronounced Gah-din.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareBoston Common is kind of like a mini version of New York City's Central Park.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareThe reviews for this food truck were off the chart so I gave it a shot.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareGo the "in a cup" route. Or it'll be a mess in 20 minutes.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareI went with birthday cake cookies with Milky Way ice cream inside. No regrets. At first...
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareDon't order the cookie sandwich. I eat fast but couldn't eat fast enough to avoid a meltdown.
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ShareGeno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareWearing a Lightning hat to a Bruins game? My Twitter friends made me do it. Clearly they didn't care about my well being.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareBefore the Stanley Cup finals, the Bruins did a charity scrimmage game at TD Garden. I grew up in Maine so the Bruins were my childhood team. And since the Bolts were out of the running, I was pulling for 'em.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareTime to eat. And there's no better place to be hungry than Boston's Italian north end.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareMost pizza experts say this is the best you'll find in Boston. I like Regina, but I have other plans when I go to the North End.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareEvery Boston visit means a trip to Giacomo's for Chicken Parmesan. Like most places I'm going to recommend, there's always a line at Giacomo's... even if it's 2 degrees out in the middle of winter. There's a reason people are willing to wait. They don't take reservations or credit cards.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareYou might not have room after Giacomo's for dessert. But go anyway. White Mike's Pastry boxes will be seen as soon as you get to any tourist area in Boston.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareI caught Boston on one of its 5 nice weather days of the year. But time to heard north over the US border into Canada. By car it takes about 4 hours to get from Boston to Montreal.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareFirst stop when I get to Montreal is at IGA, their big supermarket that carries my two must-haves: Old Dutch Ketchup Chips and Saint Henri Cheese Curds (Squeaky Cheese.) You can't find either in the US. The first time I had squeaky cheese was at a little convenience store. There was a basket of packages of cheese like this sitting next to the cash register. I wondered who the employee was who'd be fired for leaving the cheese out of the refrigerator. They DON'T refrigerate it. It's so fresh it's good for days like this! And when you bite in, it squeaks. So good.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareWeather was perfect... temps at night were in the 50s. Felt great!
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareStreet musician in Old Montreal on my bike ride. They have bikes you can rent for about $5 a day. Just be careful. You can't keep them longer than 30 mins or there's an extra charge. You switch out at stations all over the city. On Sundays though, they're free. But the 30 minute limit still applies.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareYup. Another line. A stop at Schwartz's on Saint Laurent is always a must. Smoked meat sandwich, fries and cole slaw is my usual.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareA heart attack between two slices of bread.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareCanadian style cole slaw is so good. It's not sweet or creamy. It's tangy. So so so good. Most go to Schwartz for smoked meat. This is my reason to go.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareMontreal definitely makes you feel like you sprung for a European vacation to Paris.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareGreat Portuguese BBQ spots are all over Montreal. Barroso is my pick.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareHonestly the views aren't that incredible on the Montreal version of the big wheel.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareOne of my favorite breakfast spots is "Cacao."I went with the Apple & Bacon waffle. No regrets.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareLast visit, I had the Illegal. Worth a few days in jail.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareBananas, strawberries, waffles and a brownie to dip in chocolate. And that's your appetizer.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareReally glad we don't have "Cacao 70" in Florida. They'd have to widen the studio door. When your breakfast is your dessert. This is chocolate bliss. It's crazy to me there's no long line at Cacao 70 every morning.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareBack in line again at one of my all time favorite breakfast spots - Le Passe Compose.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareHands down the best french toast you'll ever have. The French know how to do french toast right. Who'da thunk it? It's crunchy... sweet... it tastes like something you'd think they'd have at the Florida State Fair.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareOn the flight back to Florida, I had a connection in Charlotte, which meant I got to grab a burger at Bad Daddy's. This place puts airport food to shame.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareThe bacon cheeseburger on steroids is an appropriate name.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareAny day with tots is a good day.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareNo napkins. They give you a roll of paper towel. You'll need it.
Geno Eats His Way Around Boston and Montreal
ShareLook at size of this thing. I'm about 300 pounds... I think the burger was about 280. And after this burger, I exploded so the trip was over. Hope you enjoyed.
