FSI 2008

Now That's Class

Robert Deutsch  |  Apr 7, 2008

The Montreal Sheraton Centre is a nice hotel, with hotel rooms that are reasonably well-suited to audio demonstrations, plenty of larger suites in which to set up more ambitious systems, friendly and efficient staff, fast elevators, and a great bar. The hotel's weak spot is the provision of places to eat. You can eat at the bar, which is all right as such things go, but there is no restaurant serving dinner, and there's a café serving breakfast that seems overpriced, and, judging by the "Complet" breakfast that I had on the first day, mediocre at best.* Fortunately, the Sheraton is in an area with a lot of restaurants within easy walking distance, and I found a place that served a better breakfast than the Sheraton at a lower price, in a charming atmosphere. I got good vibes just going into the Café Vasco da Gama, and I knew that I picked the right place when I got to the cash register. There in a large ice bucket, along with bottles of beer and some bottles of wine to be served by the glass, was a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne. Now, that's class!

No, I did not indulge, but it was good to know that I could have.

* JA would like to say a word in defense of the Sheraton café's french onion soup, which was a meal in itself

COMMENTS
Pjay's picture
Submitted by Pjay (not verified) on April 8, 2008 - 8:23am

Agree, there were a number of very good and reasonable pubs and cafes right around the corner. The real star was Reuben's where one could get a good breakfast for cheap. The Reuben was great as well. P

Rui's picture
Submitted by Rui (not verified) on April 9, 2008 - 4:27am

That's the Portuguese style. And among all the drinks, the champagne was not the best choice. There where, at a first glance, the Ferreirinha Port wine (made here in my beautiful city of Porto / Oporto) and the excelent portuguese beer - Sagres and Super Bock. There was also white whine.Needless to say Vasco da Gama was a XV century portuguese navigator who discovered the sea route to India, across the african shore.

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