A go-to French bakery for pastries and baked goods, to go

Without Le Fromentier, Montreal's finest breadmaker, I don't think I could've survived my life as a tennis-spectating nomad last week. It helped that this artisanal bakery was on my daily route to the tournament site. I would make a morning trek to its sprawling subterranean studio filled with various giant ovens, both wood-burning and industrial ones, and stock up on fuel for the day.

Le Fomentier does not have a web presence. They are well known in Montreal though. Certainly everyone in its neighbourhood knows how to find the place: 1375 Laurier E. (514-527-3327). When you visit you can pick up the "Carte des pains" pamphlet. But since I'm worried that people like me are not so good at retaining scraps of paper in the Google age we live in, I'm giving Le Fromentier a web presence right here. If for no other reason than it will help me and my friends more easily keep track of which of our favourite loaves are baked on what day.

Le Fromentier, atelier de boulangerie

Carte des pains - Bread Menu

Levain intégral
Le Fromentier et son petit sifted whole wheat flour coated in flour, sesame or sunflower seeds [Daily] *
Le Fromentini sifted whole wheat flour coated in black sesame seeds and tamari [Daily]
La Baguette deux sésames sifted whole wheat flour coated in brown and black sesame seeds [Daily]
Le Mont-Royal sifted whole wheat and rye flours [Tues, Wed, Fri]
Le Sociétal sifted whole wheat flour [Tues, Thurs, Sat] *
Le Prophétique spelt and kamut flours (wheat-free) [Tues, Fri, Sun]
La Bande des sept wheat, barley, oat, rye rice and corn flours with sunflower seeds [Tues] *
Le Galette d'Hippocrate spelt and quinoa flours (wheat-free) [Wed, Sat]
Le Berlinois sifted whole wheat and rye flours, walnuts, caraway and cumin [Wed]
Le Kamut savoureux kamut (wheat-free) [Wed]
Le Céres spelt flour, amaranth, millet and black sesame seeds (wheat-free) [Thurs]
Le Paradis perdu sifted whole wheat, rye flakes, soya, buckwheat, barley and oatmeal [Sun]

Levain et levure
Les Fougasses sifted whole wheat and bleached flours with black olives and thyme or olives and sundried tomatoes [Daily] *
Les Baluchons du Fromentier flavoured rolls (stuffed with artichokes, olives, tomatoes, etc.) [Daily] *
Les Pizzas du Fromentier various toppings [Daily]
Le Provençal sifted white flour, olives, gruyère cheese, thyme and oregano [Tues, Thurs, Sat]
Le Trio sifted whole wheat with barley, oatmeal and flax seeds [Wed, Fri]
Le Concassé raw wheat, rye, cracked whole corn and barley, peeled millet, flax seeds and honey [Fri]
L'Américucurbitacé sifted whole wheat, corn, squash and sunflower seed shells [Sat]

Pousse lente à la levure
Le Nuage white flour [Daily]
La Coudée white flour [Daily]
La Baguette white flour [Daily]
Le Plateau white flour [Daily]
La Dodue, le Pansu et le Panophile sifted whole wheat and white flours [Daily] *
Le Fiérté sifted whole wheat and white flours [Daily]
Le Gros Albert mill-ground kamut [Tues]
Le Grand blond sifted whole wheat and kamut flours, goat's milk [Wed, Thurs]
Le Baguette d'Albert mill-ground kamut [Fri, Sat, Sun]
Le Sourissimo sifted whole wheat and kamut flours with large chunks of gruyère cheese [Sat]
Le Monferrand sifted whole wheat and buckwheat flours, goat's milk [Sat]

Les Succulents
Les Trois Raisins sifted whole wheat and white flours, Sultana, Thompson and Corinthian raisins [Tues]
Les Noisettes et abricots sifted whole wheat and white flours, apricots, hazelnuts, goat's milk [Wed, Fri]
Le Noix et pavot sifted whole wheat, white and rye flours, walnuts, dried apples, coated in poppy seeds [Thurs, Sat, Sun]
Le Baguette aux noix sifted whole wheat, white and rye flours, walnuts, dried apples [Thurs, Sat, Sun] *
Les Raisins sifted whole wheat and white flours, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove [Thurs, Sat]
Le Pain du verger white flour, apples, milk, eggs, butter, sugar, cinnamon [Fri, Sun]
Le Révolution noire sifted whole wheat and white flours, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, cranberries [Sat]
Le Caravansérail sifted whole wheat and white flours, dates, orange, dark chocolate [Sat] *
L'Irrésistible sifted whole wheat and white flours, raisins, walnuts, dark chocolate [Sun]

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) Le Fromentier makes too many different pastries -- just a few of them are lovingly photographed above -- to commit them to a baking schedule that would allow one to intercept them as they emerge on the cooling racks. However, a thorough and summerlong investigation has revealed that the best viennoisserie called L'Agrumier or "the Citrus-y one" is reliably for sale each weekend, and usually Fridays too (LF is open every day from 7 am, but closed Mondays). This amazing Danish with candied orange and anise is at the height of authentic French pastry making and definitely worth the week of waiting. Other favourites are noted with an asterisk above.

I have to say that last week Le Fromentier made my marathon tennis adventures more sane. And certainly more French too, which is something that in the face of losing defending champ Amélie Mauresmo for this year's tournament roster, cheered me and my innate Frenchness up a great deal (perhaps I just misused the word "sane").

As far as I was concerned, I had my French baked goods and I got to see French tennis star Nathalie "pass the raisin dutchie" Dechy. I was happy.