Chacroute garni and cassoulet in Montreal

I will be in my favorite city -Montreal in mid march.Where can I find great chacroute(sp sorry)garni and cassoulet?

L'Express (3927 St.-Denis) serves up wonderful bistro fare, so it's a good bet for choucroute and cassoulet.

Why bother with that stuff? You can get it in lots of other places (try Strasbourg, Paris, NY, etc. etc.)
The big question not posed by bigguyinpasadena is: "Where in Montreal can you find the greatest poutine?"

moniter-I know(hope?)your response was in jest.I have never had the nerve to try poutine-it seems to be so sloppy.I don't like anything interfering with a good crisp pommes fritte(maybe some decent mayo based dipping sauce)
And yes I have tried the other Montreal specialities,smoked meat,bagels etc...
But here in LA we do not get choucroute(and it is a pain to make in small quantities)or cassoulet(ditto)so,as I have no plans to go abroad till the dollar strengthens(4 more years?)I will again appeal to the contributers of this great site.

As a confirmed aficionado of great junk food, my post was not completely in jest. Great poutine ranks right up there with the very best, certainly right up there with the frites Belgiques that you make with the mayonnaise. Take a look at this wonderful and (for me) nostalgic essay:
http://www.montrealfood.com/poutine.html

Moniter,thaks for reaquainting me with montrealfood.com-had forgoten about it.
And though it is a little more limited in menu,I prefer au petite extra to L'exprsse-which is way to full of itself IMO.Au petite extra is a guaranteed good time with no pretentious wait staff/owner.

Hey big guy,

If you ever get down Autoroute 20 to YQB, try Bistro Le St-Malo on Rue St-Pierre in Lower Town; great cassoulet and excellent horse steak too ! The boudin aux pommes isn't half bad either !

As for poutine, there is much debate in Québec as to who makes the best; in the YUL area some say Belle Province, others Lafleur, or any of a dozen other greasy spoons !

In YQB we like Ashton's !

Bon appétit !

I'm going to get flamed for this (seems anytime I say anything about anyone or anything French, I get piled on, but here goes), but in my experience (and I've been to France and Montreal both numerous times, so that makes me an expert without equal), Montreal's gastronomic tradition is unique in that cassoulet does not seem to really have much of a place. Cassoulet is considered Southern French, and while I don't know the geographical origins of the French who populated Quebec, I don't think they were of the South, because cassoulet is only on menus in expensive restaurants, and the little people's places serve things like crepes and smoked meat, which is Northern. You can't even buy canned cassoulet in the supermarket!

Frankly, one of the things I love best about visiting Paris is buying cans of cassoulet at the markets like Le Bon Marche - they are so good! As it is even at the corner Bistro down the street...

There's a restaurant in New York here, Au Gascogne (IIRC), on 8th Avenue - I took an old girlfriend a couple years ago and ordered the cassoulet - I remember it was very expensive and very good - JUST very good, not excellent - it was not very creamy, as cassoulet should be, and seeming undercooked. I enjoyed it, but I took from that experience that paying a fortune (something like $25.95) for a dish of French-style beans and sausage anywhere outside France is a bad idea.

Can't tell you about the Choucroute in Montreal.

Anonplz---I don't know were chamin de vert is???But I do know you can get cassoulet(I belive it is produced by Rougie)in jars at Hamel in the Jean Talon Market,and also at a little store on the opposite side of the market(near Bruilerie St.Dennis)in a market which sells only Quebecois product.
When I ran a fancy food store we would get cassoulet,gras d'oie,soupe de poisson ect,,,under the Petrossian lable(yes the caviar folks)so if you are in NYC stop by Petrossian,treat yourself to a nice lunch,and shop in their retail shop next door.
A company called D'Artanagne sells all sorts of Gascogne goodies.They are based in new york but are widely marketed and also do mail order.

Thank you for that! ^ I will definitely put that on my shopping list for next time.

Been living in NYC for 9 years - shows you what I know.

^ Yes, actually, D'Artagnan is a great company - I buy their products all the time - they used to have a market stall @ the big market @ Grand Central, but I don't get over there much anymore so I don't even know if it's still there. Since many upscale food shops in NYC sell their wares, I don't really have much need to make a special trip. I just hit the Garden of Eden or Zabar's. Complicating things is that my s.o. is a fussy eater, and won't touch liver products, so I have to eat it all myself, sadly.

One of the many treats I afford myself when I go to Montreal is local(Quebecqoise)foie gras.The little store that sells quebecqoise items sell a little three pak of individual servings of fresh foie gras-and the price is quite reasonable.
I know it is not good for me-but so few of the things in life that I love are!

Les Halles in New York serves it. Is there a Les Halles in LA? I know they have rest. in DC and Tokyo.

It appears that LCB Brasserie Rachou, the former La Cote Basque, in NYC has both choucroute garni and cassoulet on its menu. La Cote Basque was my favourite restaurant in NYC and I am glad to hear it has re-opened in a new less formal style and is in very fine form.
While this does not help the OP to find the above items in Montreal, NYC is only a 1hr 15 minute flight!!

D'Artagnan Rotisserie on 46th b/w Lex & 3rd offers cassoulet too. Didn't have it when I was there (I had foie gras every course except dessert... "with a side of angioplasty, please...") but I enjoyed the restaurant very much. I'd have high hopes that their cassoulet would please.

In Montreal I'm afraid I'm not of much help on that score - I did enjoy Toque! very much, as well as St Viateur for bagels. And poutine... gosh, avoiding it would be like going to Philly and avoiding cheese steaks. Yes, it may seem gross to an outsider... but there's a reason it's the provincial dish.