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| - This very beautiful "marché" full of stunning pastries, delicate sweets, inspiring crafts, delicious cheese, meats and more opened fairly recently inside the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth hotel, probably much to the delight of their guests. It's a very fancy market - less of a Jean-Talon and more of a Holt Renfrew or Ogilvy. The place is luminous and welcoming, and is much bigger than one would expect looking from the outside.
The different counters offer a huge diversity of goods. Near the entrance is the sweet stuff, with gorgeous cakes, tarts and other pastries. The chocolate Christmas trees look particularly pretty, and so do the candied fruits. Further in are jars, oils and other preserved goods, along with a section for Montreal- and Quebec-related souvenirs (local landmarks, maple syrup, etc.).
Next is the fresh vegetable and fruit section, which is a bit disappointing. It's not in the Marché Artisans' strengths to sell produce, and I doubt that many people would go there just to buy a bit of kale or some jalapeno. The selection is small and pricey. A single Ataulfo mango is 3.49$, and a small pack of grapes (from California) costs 11.78$/kilo! They do have fresh chanterelle, which is nice, but the oyster mushrooms are again overpriced, and can be bought from the nearby Chinatown at less than half the cost.
The ready-to-eat counter is at the very back, and offers a selection of sandwiches, sushi, fresh fruits, etc. Next to it is the meat counter with beautifully arranged, neatly bundled pork, veal and lamb roasts ready to enter the oven. Beside the counter, a temperature-controlled cabinet displays aged steaks and fois gras. A few steps further comes a sit-down area where you can order a nice delicatessen plate while chatting with friends.
The whole place is a gold mine if you're looking for gifts for food-loving friends and family, but keep in mind that prices are on the high end.
Note. The place had a strong smell of brown butter for some reason.
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