The Bulletin: Pinoy Cubanos, Jazz Fest Opens, a Sous-Sol Peruvian Hangout, and a Hochelaga Block Party [Issue #187]

Morning, Montreal.

While some of us are coming off of a brief St-Jean interlude to our week with the light of fireworks in our eyes and perhaps a slight hangover, other Montrealers are far from celebrating. To say it’s been a trying week since our last communiqué would be a grave misstep: The tragedy of the Côte-des-Neiges shootings and the flooding of the West Island and South Shore have left many reeling.

Admittedly, there's no clean segue from that. What stays is the unreal proximity of celebrations on one side of the city and raw grief on the other, separated by nothing more than a few days and kilometres. Our city is both grand and complicated in how it holds both those qualities at once.

To the people who have shown support, opened doors, helped neighbours dig out, and provided community to those shaken, we thank you. That's far from nothing, and in weeks like this past one, it might be everything.

— JP Karwacki, Managing Editor

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTRÉAL

It starts tonight. The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal runs June 25 to July 4 for its 46th edition, and if you haven't mapped out your ten days yet, we did it for you.

We've put together a full guide to the festival: the free shows worth arriving early for, the ticketed nights worth the splurge, the late-night spots that keep things going until 3 a.m., and the centenary programming honours.

The Editors' Picks

The places our editors keep coming back to. Every one has earned an editorial badge.

One Story to Read This Week

This week’s story is ostensibly a crawl through five casse-croûtes in the 450. They are all old school places dating back decades (if not nearly a century) with features like outdated PA systems to announce your order being ready.

But URBANIA writer Jean Bourbeau keeps getting distracted by his intern, a Gen Z kid who can't finish his poutine and doesn't know what "la tournée des grands-ducs" means. By the end, the food is secondary to the journey that ensues.

This week's read is about poutine, yes, but also what it looks like when two generations share a meal and run out of things not to say.

PRESENTED BY LAVAZZA

A Cup of Coffee and the Sound of Jazz

Long before jazz had festival stages, it had small, smoky rooms with little more than espresso, bebop, and a warm welcome to pull up a stool. That's the culture Le Café Lavazza is bringing back to the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal this summer.

Stop by their terrasse at the corner of Ste-Catherine and Jeanne-Mance for coffee or an Espresso Martini in the shade. Snap a photo and pick up a free bag of Lavazza coffee while you're at it.

Thursday

🎷 The 46th edition of the Montréal Jazz Festival, the world’s largest jazz festival, kicks off today in the Quartier des Spectacles. Enjoy 10 days of music with over 350 shows showcasing over 3000 performers.

🎶 Aire Commune presents Discorinho Extravaganza for a night of disco, funk, and house.

🚨Learn about the history of one of Montreal’s most vibrant neighbourhoods with a guided tour of the formerly known Red Light District.

⚽ Watch the Montreal Roses play Ottawa Rapid at Stade Boréale.

🎤 Caf’Conc’ is having their next comedy club hosted by Coco Belliveau with sets in both French and English.

Friday

🐝 Experience a twist on a spelling bee with The Spelling Bee of the Century, a unique show part of the 26th edition of Suoni Per Il Popolo.

☀️ Promenade Wellington’s summer sidewalk sale is back this weekend. Walk the street and discover free entertainment and local businesses in the area.

🎺 5 à Set is hosting their first live listening party with Fyodor, a local jazz-house artist.

🖼️ Stop by Fonderie Darling for A Light That Never Goes Out, a new art exhibition exploring themes of light and darkness.

🌴 Brasserie Beaubien is turning into Motel Beaubien for a beach club themed night with music and a raffle.

Saturday

🎉 Branle-Bas d’Hochelaga, a neighbourhood party, returns for a weekend of outdoor shopping and free live street performances.

🎵 Marshall Jefferson, house music legend, will be doing an exclusive DJ set at Spaceloft 1439. Tickets are limited.

🎥 Cinéma Cinéma is presenting three documentaries about trailblazing jazz artists and musical icons, simultaneous with the Montreal Jazz Festival.

🏞️ Les Guinguettes du Sud-Ouest are back this weekend with live entertainment and a local market by the Lachine Canal.

Sunday

🛼 Lace up your roller skates and head to the SAT for an afternoon of Roller Dance, set to the soundtrack of disco and 70s tracks on vinyl.

🍛 Discover Indian food and the magic of Holi at the Flavours & Colors Festival.

🧘 Take yoga and pilates classes, or try out a running club at Quartier DIX30 in Brossard.

🎬 In light of Madagascar en lumière, attend a screening of Disco Afrika at Cinéma Beaubien followed by Exposition Foko at 325F.

🎸 Catch one of the last shows at Suoni Per Il Popolo, community-based avant-garde music festival.

What to Eat & Drink In and Around Montreal

Scope the latest restaurant openings, recommendations on where to eat, plus new menus, old classics, and everything in between.

Pizzeria Crosta, a spot specializing in sourdough pizza, opens in Mile-End.

Club Pelicano has transformed into Tiradito Lounge: different name, same vibe, now with a greater emphasis on Peruvian cuisine.

Le Patio Café has now added soft serve ice cream made with real fruit to their menu. Open every day until 5:30 p.m.

SAE LOW, a new place in Villeray serving brunch in the morning and apéros in the evening, is currently in soft opening.

Soif de cidre returns for its 5th edition, offering a variety of ciders from producers around the province and cocktails crafted by mixologists. June 26 to 28 at Lachine Park.

Get a taste of Indian street food, traditional dishes, and desserts at the Indian Food Festival on June 27 and 28 in the Old Port of Montreal.

D.O.N. is collaborating with Café Kuya Brossard to serve their Pinoy Cubano, a Filipino twist on a Cuban classic - featuring Lechon-style pulled pork, sweet ham, green mango atchara, and ube mayo. Only on June 27 starting at 11 a.m.

Buboy is back in NDG for one night at Honey Martin on June 28 from 6 p.m. until late.

La Sala Rossa’s restaurant, Le Resto Sala, is open from 5 to 11 p.m. until June 28, serving drinks and shareable plates.

Le Pois Penché is paying homage to New Orleans Jazz Nights on July 2, 3, and 4: Louisiana-inspired dishes and live jazz starting at 7 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

The next monthly supper club for Lela’s Table is July 5 at Café Paper Hill. Seven course meal prices at $155 per person. Only 20 seats available.

Parisian Bouillon Week returns to Le 9e from June 14 to 19 for six days of classic French cuisine. Reservations are now open.

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Here, you'll find a weekly round-up of our stories from the past week, plus the latest local news.

Six kilometres of asphalt, three and a half centuries of history: the full story of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, told end to end. Read more.

A NDG pizzaiolo spent eleven years taking a trip to Rome and using up ten kilos of flour in a single weekend, all to chase a pizza that didn't exist yet. Read more.

A Montreal creative director speaks out what gets lost when brands start cutting away at the teams that bring value to their companies in the first place. Read more.

The CAQ and PQ have declined an invitation to an English-language leaders' debate ahead of the Quebec provincial election, meaning no such debate will take place. Read more.

Questlove's fourth music documentary takes on Earth, Wind & Fire, and it turns out nobody alive is better suited for the job. Read more.

Tennis Canada wants to replace IGA Stadium with a 15,000-seat venue at Jarry Park and says the ATP and WTA have made clear the current one isn't cutting it. Read more.

The Mile-Ex warehouse where Grimes and Marie Davidson once recorded is slated for demolition—and the artists still inside it have nowhere to go. Read more.

July doesn't play around: Jazz Fest, Nuits d'Afrique, Just for Laughs, Fantasia, Osheaga, and about 25 other reasons to be outside. Read more.

While you’re at it, here’s the latest on every festival in Montreal, organized by season, from a frozen rave in the Old Port to a burlesque takeover at Club Soda. Read more.

A debut film about a wealthy teen trying to talk an online stranger down from violence: dark, funny, and more unsettling than it has any right to be. Read more.

Radio-Canada found nearly 25,000 vacant units on the island by analyzing Hydro-Québec consumption data; that’s the equivalent of every apartment in Villeray, all in the middle of a housing crisis. Read more.

We’ve traced the city's best catches, from a Jean-Talon oyster bar with 60 varieties to a Verdun tasting menu at $85 a head. Read more.

Montreal tips better than any other city in Canada, and apparently feels the least pressured into doing it. Read more.

Our dancing guide covers everything from a candlelit Mile End speakeasy that turns into a dance floor by midnight to a dry after-hours institution that's been running since 1998. Read more.

The OQLF received a record 11,000-plus language complaints last year, more than half of them aimed at businesses in Montreal. Read more.

More than a third of the people killed or seriously injured in Quebec police chases over the last decade weren't the ones being chased. Read more.

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And that wraps yet another weekly bulletin. We’ll be back with more curiosities, local stories, and events to discover next week.

If ever you catch something we should know, don't hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram.

👋 Masthead: Philip Tabah, Founder & Head of Creative / Daniel Bromberg, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief / Jean-Philippe Lauzon, Co-Founder & Head of Tech / JP Karwacki, Managing Editor / Whitney Domingo, Community Manager / Samuel Vadnais, Head of Partnerships / Anahi Pellathy, Editorial & Production Coordinator / AnnaClare Sung, Junior Staff Writer / Kristina Stamkopoulos, Editorial Intern