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    The Bulletin: How King Tut’s tomb influenced Montreal architecture, beef jerky that gets you high, and the results of Nuit Blanche [Issue #14]The Empress Theatre in its glory days. The building, located on Sherbrooke Street in the NDG borough, has been vacant since 1992.

    If it wasn’t for the big ol’ dumptruck’s worth of snow that fell on the city this week, we might be thinking the first day of spring is here... or at least close enough. Sadly, and yet unsurprisingly, the weather here sucks Youpi’s furry orange nuts most months of the year.

    That said, we’re not without hope. And though we may still be nursing hangovers from Nuit Blanche’s pilot project of nearly two dozen bars staying open until 6 a.m., we’ve still got the energy to enjoy anything and everything there is to see and do this weekend. With everything from 1980s goth parties, Ukraine fundraisers full of blini, the Pink Floyd exhibition that’s actually pretty impressive, sugar shack events—there’s a lot to do in Montreal this weekend, so take your pick.

    Feel like staying home? Try the SQDC’s new beef jerky. More on that below.


    Weekend events you don’t want to miss

    Read below to become the 'local guide' your friends always dreamed of.

    Friday

    • Happening Gourmand is back for its milestone 15th edition, where 11 Old Montreal restaurants will offer table d’hôte brunch and dinner menus at a reduced cost.
    • It’s the last weekend to check out the Pink Floyd exhibition at Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal, showing the band's journey from 1967 to the 2000s with 350+ artifacts.
    • Chefs John Horne and Ron McKinlay of the Toronto institution Canoe will be cooking up a 7-course tasting menu alongside Jérémie Bastien at Monarque.
    • It’s the last weekend to experience films as part of the 41st Rendez-Vous Québec Cinéma film festival celebrating films d’ici at five different theatres throughout the city.
    • Get a headstart on sugar shacking with Labonté de la pomme’s gourmet dinners and winter picnics, plus dinner boxes to order if you can’t get a ride out of town.

    Saturday

    • If you want to try a new bar, check out the latest spot full of deli sandos and booze from the folks behind places like Atwater Cocktail Club and Milky Way. It’s called Bon Délire.
    • Taste the Caribbean specialties of Saint-Henri’s PIKLÌZ in a fiery atmosphere accompanied by a good cold beer at the 4 ORIGINES microbrewery; tickets to eat and drink go for $46.
    • Get out of your bat cave and grab a glass of red wine with The Dark Eighties at Cabaret Berlin following their last sold out party at Bar Le Ritz; expect a lot of dark hits from the 1980s.
    • Bar Notre-Dame-Des-Quilles is hosting a fundraiser party for Ukraine's Energy Crisis Relief, a donate-what-you-can event full of booze and blini: Make blini, not war.
    • Dine in a dome on the 8th floor of the William Gray Hotel as part of their pop-up winter rooftop, and try out their 5-course dinner menu themed around sugar shacks.

    Sunday

    • Check out the new Indo-Malay restaurant Satu Lagi for cocktails designed by Drink Masters’ Tao Zrafi and gluten-free menus.
    • Skate to the sound of jazz at Place des Festivals, eat maple taffy, and gaze in wonder at all the lights downtown with the very last night to experience Montréal en Lumière.
    • Try out the city's “only authentic plant-based Indian restaurant” to date with the new restaurant Tula that’s cooking everything from vegan butter chicken to biryanis, and curries.
    • Dig the contemporary instrumental jazz of the Alex Lefaivre Trio and their mix of jazz standards, pop covers and original compositions over at Bootlegger.
    • End the weekend on a warm and comforting note with bowls of ramen, chicken karaage, and tempura crab sticks from Verdun’s new ramen destination Iku Ramen.

    What you need to know

    ICYMI: Presenting a weekly round-up of the latest local news, from food and entertainment to current affairs.


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    The SQDC Menu Just Got Even Weirder: You Can Now Get Weed Beef Jerky
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    The South Shore’s getting a new airport, but not everyone wants it

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    What quarantining in a Montreal basement taught one out-of-towner

    Back in 2020, Sydney Baker had to find a new temporary place to live, and ended up in a basement suite on the South Shore. Thanks to being confined underground with low ceilings, a lack of natural light, and limited space to move around, she had some revelations about what she considers liveable. (Dwell)

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    We’re kind of into this winter greenhouse made out of tempos

    A series of temporary carports or ‘tempos’ have been converted into greenhouses growing everything from lettuce and cabbage to bok choy, radishes and greens. The project’s supported by the borough, and was created by an urban agro research group and food advocacy group working together. (CBC Montreal)

    Temporary carports lining a Montreal street are full of what you might least expect | CBC News
    The modified tempos are not heated. They are passive solar greenhouses that are carefully designed and managed to absorb heat during the day and slowly radiate that heat when temperatures outdoors drop.
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    Bonjoor-He!

    The Quebec government’s language watchdogs over at the OQLF have found that 74% of businesses made language errors—typos, spelling or grammatical errors, anglicisms, and syntax errors—on public-facing signage in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke and Gatineau in 2021. (CTV News)

    Quebec government finds 74 per cent of businesses make language errors on public signage
    No less than three-quarters of businesses do not respect the standards of written French in their public signage in Quebec, according to the Office quebecois de la langue francaise (OQLF).
    Montreal

    A Montreal museum experience that makes you feel like a bug by design

    Montreal’s Insectarium goes way back, and—we think—generally gets looked at as an activity for kids. Its revamped architectural design, however, says different: The insect zoo and museum’s interiors are made to emulate the experience of being a bug. Get a sense of the space with these photos. (Dezeen)

    Montreal Insectarium designed to subvert “museological norms and expectations”
    Kuehn Malvezzi, Pelletier de Fontenay and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architectes have created an insect zoo and museum in a glazed sawtooth-roof building with interior spaces that emulate the experience of being a bug.
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    Tweet of the Week

    Quickly becoming our favourite part of the weekly newsletter, we got two for you this week:

    VIDEO: In Montreal, a winter and sporting event is transforming the city. The famous Saint-Denis Street, a commercial artery downtown, has been for the first time transformed into a ski and snowboard slope. pic.twitter.com/l96okFKdf7

    — AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 28, 2023

    Footage from APIK, one of the many events at Montreal en Lumière / Nuit Blanche 2023.

    Toits de Montréal
    Marc-Aurèle Fortin
    1916 pic.twitter.com/40SZRySJR1

    — Canadian Paintings (@CanadaPaintings) February 27, 2023

    This was just too wholesome not to share.


    That wraps up this week's edition. We’ll be back with more curiosities, local stories, and events to discover next week.

    If ever you catch something we should know, reach out to us on Instagram.

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    The Bulletin: Downsizing the Gazette to death, Nuit Blanche festivities, a mini-casino in the Bell Centre, and more [Issue #13]

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    The Bulletin: Downsizing the Gazette to death, Nuit Blanche festivities, a mini-casino in the Bell Centre, and more [Issue #13]

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    The Bulletin: Bootleg Chinese menus, dead ends in the Underground City, and a corporate casket for Montreal’s neon signs [Issue #15]

    The Bulletin: Bootleg Chinese menus, dead ends in the Underground City, and a corporate casket for Montreal’s neon signs [Issue #15]