An almost perfect restaurant

Tonight, we went to the English-speaking section of downtown where there are dozens of pubs and restaurants, most of them in beautiful old brownstones. The buildings were beautiful, but the establishments looked extremely trendy. We wound up at an Italian restaurant--Enzo's--that offered practically everything we could have wanted. The room was cozy, and the jazz vocals were just right. A beautiful staircase would have been the focal point, but the show was stolen by a stunning red chandelier of what appeared to be blown glass, set inside a softly-lit blue dome.

We were served by both a quietly graceful waiter and a gentleman whom we took to be the owner. Service was low-key and polite, just like it is supposed to be. The drinks were well-made and beautifully served, and the food was outstanding. Even the coffee was first-rate. The only flaw came at the end, when the waiter handed the bill to--you guessed it--my husband. Get old-world service; pay for it with old-world prejudice. As an American, I don't see the bill handed to the man that often, so it was a disappointment. But that was Enzo's only flaw.

I have been watching Skate Canada on TV. I saw half of the women's short program last night, and I've seen some of the pairs skating and the men's short program tonight. I am especially interested in tomorrow night's women's free skate program. It's nice to be in Canada and watching this competition, even if it's just on television.

It is bitterly cold outside, but there are hundreds of people on the street--most of them young--going to bars and dance clubs and restaurants, or just strolling and chatting. There are several universities here, so there are droves of very young people everywhere. Montreal is very cosmopolitan, totally bilingual, and visually exciting.