Lenora Travis first called Seven Days because she wanted somebody to write about the VFW. The club had made a deal to sell its headquarters on South Winooski Avenue in Burlington to the Champlain Housing Trust, which would redevelop the property into affordable housing while including a new, smaller space for the club.
When Seven Days decided to produce a Québec Issue this year, I was looking forward to heading north to eat a day's worth of meals in Montréal with maybe a brief sidebar list of past favorites. Somehow, one day turned into three after friends of publisher Paula Routly suggested I chat with Marie Comtois, a native Montréaler, who they said knew the city and its restaurant scene intimately.