Montreal's "Big Orange": Gibeau Orange Julep.
This landmark roadside attraction, located on Décarie Boulevard at Paré Street on the westernmost fringes of Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, just east of the tiny part of the Town of Mount Royal that juts over the Décarie Expressway, is a restaurant that was built inside a three-storey dome, painted like a giant orange.
It was built in 1942 by restaurant founder and obvious eccentric Hermas Gibeau, who supposedly actually lived with his family in the top storey of this architectural wonder.
I guess I'm just a bad former Anglo-Montrealer, but I can't honestly say that I've ever tasted an Orange Julep. I know it's made out of actual orange juice, and a regular 250 ml serving contains 50% of the daily recommended dose of Vitamin C (better than a lot of other contains-some-juice-but-not-fully-juice fruit beverages), but it's supposed to have a not-entirely-nutritious extra sugary "kick" to it,
In summer, this is one of the prime meeting spots in Montreal for classic car enthusiasts, but, since I passed by on a still-quite-wintery day in April, the only classic-ish car I spotted was a white Datsun 240Z.
More about the "Big Orange": "Great Ball of Fire: Hot dogs, hot rods and hot summer nights at the Orange Julep" by Sarah Musgrave in the Montreal Mirror.
Roadtrip America: Roadside Marvels: The Big Orange.
Montreal's "Big Orange": Gibeau Orange Julep.
This landmark roadside attraction, located on Décarie Boulevard at Paré Street on the westernmost fringes of Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, just east of the tiny part of the Town of Mount Royal that juts over the Décarie Expressway, is a restaurant that was built inside a three-storey dome, painted like a giant orange.
It was built in 1942 by restaurant founder and obvious eccentric Hermas Gibeau, who supposedly actually lived with his family in the top storey of this architectural wonder.
I guess I'm just a bad former Anglo-Montrealer, but I can't honestly say that I've ever tasted an Orange Julep. I know it's made out of actual orange juice, and a regular 250 ml serving contains 50% of the daily recommended dose of Vitamin C (better than a lot of other contains-some-juice-but-not-fully-juice fruit beverages), but it's supposed to have a not-entirely-nutritious extra sugary "kick" to it,
In summer, this is one of the prime meeting spots in Montreal for classic car enthusiasts, but, since I passed by on a still-quite-wintery day in April, the only classic-ish car I spotted was a white Datsun 240Z.
More about the "Big Orange": "Great Ball of Fire: Hot dogs, hot rods and hot summer nights at the Orange Julep" by Sarah Musgrave in the Montreal Mirror.
Roadtrip America: Roadside Marvels: The Big Orange.