Montreal ! Nibbles at Jean-Talon Marche and Fried Chicken at Dinette Triple Crown

My favorite day in Montreal might have been the second day, in which we woke up to check out the Jean-Talon Market, a fantastic open-air farmer's market with a section of prepared food proprietors hocking things like ice cream, tacos, fresh seafood and sausages.

Immediately upon entry, we passed by a girl sorting these pastry treats out.  At $0.80, I couldn't resist.

It tasted like a cold, custard tart.  Light, not too sweet, and delicious.

My eyes were going wild, especially at this gigantic tray of pork carnitas.

But I resisted, in order to snack at the seafood end of the market.  Choice of oysters are shucked to order.

Oysters are served in wooden trays, laden with ice, wedges of lemon and freshly grated horseradish.

We grabbed a few Japanese oysters as well as a couple behemoth oysters called "Sea Angels."  The size of our fist, it was fun watching other people struggle with how to eat it, until then it was time for me to eat it, and well, there's just no elegant way of slugging it down, but boy was it briny, oh so plump and amazing.

Across the way, at the Aqua Market, seafood is fried to order.  We grabbed a plate of fried calamari to go with our oysters.

The fried calamari was absolute perfection - so fresh, tender, and beautifully battered with a touch of spice.  This was one of my most favorite eats during the trip.

To wash it all down, we grabbed some fresh smoothies from the smoothie stand, though the squeezed-to-order orange juices might have been the best bet, so vibrant in color.

After, we stared at all the beautiful fruits and vegetables.  Many of the fruit stands have plates with sliced fruits for sampling.  So many plums are in season right now !

I could just look at this produce all day!  Check out the size of these cauliflower!

A few minutes walk away from the market, we grabbed lunch at Dinette Triple Crown, a hipsteriffic spot to grab fried chicken.  You know it's a hipster place, when the first question they ask you is, "Is this for a picnic or for here?"  And if you order it for a picnic, they place everything in fantastically large picnic boxes with all the sauces and treats for fun outdoor eating.  What a great idea!

And so many sauces they had, sauces of mustard and vinegar bases, chilis and more.

The freshly made lemonades were tart, but sweet, and faintly pink (so extra lovely).

A plate of fried chicken comes with two or three pieces of fried chicken, with choice of three sides.  We grabbed mashed potatoes, hush puppies and collard greens.

The fried chicken was peppery and seasoned well, but the crust was definitely not crispy.  If it had some crunch, it would have been a great fried chicken, but with a softer crust, it does make a solid picnic poultry.

The real winner of the plate was the hush puppies.  Little hot pockets of airy, spicy fried dough topped with a creamy chive sauce.  Awesome.

After this meal, we were completely fueled for a long day of taking in all of Montreal's neverending charm!

Han's Nonsensical Rating: Jean-Talon Market is great fun - do not miss the oysters and fried calamari, or you'll live a life steeped with deep regret !  Dinette Triple Crown has decent fried chicken, but nothing worth traveling out of your way for, unless you love a cute picnic basket.

Jean-Talon Market
7070 Avenue Henri Julien  Montreal, QC H2S 3S3, Canada

Dinette Triple Crown
6704 Rue Clark Montréal, QC H2S 3G2