From Julien’s list, I would not miss:
And the best sushis are at Maiko.
A little late to the party but here goes for QC- based upon our trip in May 2012:
Fine dining:
-Loved Le Saint Amour - couldn’t recommend it more. Loved the atmosphere and the food was excellent.
-Thought Laurie-Raphael was overrated. I was really excited for this one and it was a real disappointment. Food was just ok and clunky.
Snacks and bistro-ish:
For lunch near the Chateau - Le Pain Beni
For brunch - Le Billing
Hoping to go back this May/June!
And Chez Ashton for poutine in QC (be prepared for a fast food shop)
I also would have loved to try Pied au Cochon, but a couple days before when we called for reservations, they offered an 11 o’clock table. Yes, a seating at 11 at night.
One more modern restaurant that we heartily in enjoyed in Montreal was Le Cercle. Excellent value.
A. Bourdain’s new tv show “Parts Unknown” on CNN recently did an hour on Quebec Provence covering mostly Montreal and Quebec City. These are rerun all the time, and also there is web info on the contents of the show. I do know he raved about Joe Beef and an adjacent restaurant owned by the same chef/owners as Joe Beef. Au Pied Cochon was raved about by Bourdain in one of his previous shows.
doing all three of those recs! Reservations all confirmed.
alan
What are some of the things to do (beside eating) in Quebec City and Montreal?
alan
QC: Walking, upper town and lower town. In the lower town, there is the Museum of Civilization and the church of Notre-Dame des Victoires. In the upper town, the old city, the cathedral, and the whole area around the Plains of Abraham and the Citadel. Also Montmorency Falls outside of town to the east, esp if the weather is hot. There is also the Promenade which hangs off the upper town with great views of the lower town.
Montreal is much more of a modern city with a small old town. There’s the Notre-Dame Basilica, the fresh markets (Jean Talon and ???). There’s Mont Royal itself. Walk the length of Blvd St-Laurent with a stop for lunch at Schwartz’s. You’ll need a good walk afterwards. 
In Montreal…walking around the Vieux Porte is great…you feel like you are in France…and the actual waterfront is beautiful, too…
Buckminster Fuller’s bio/geo dome for the 1967 World’s Fair is worth the trip out there…for sure…the inside is fascinating and unique, in my experience.
The art museum and the area near McGill University are worth an effort to seek out and walk around…and the museum worth a visit.
You said…“besides eating”, but as Ken points out…the area near Schwartz (as well as near PDC) are both worth a stroll…and Schwartz’s is a “do not miss” , IMO. You can get into the “controversy” over whether pastrami or Montreal “smoked meat” is tastier…they are similar.
Lots of great walking in Montreal, IMO…and, if you’re into buying furs for the family…that’s the place…their fur district in near the Vieux Porte…(I bought a beaver hat…mountie style there…which I love; my wife passed on the furs, though).
thanks much. We are enjoying it here!
alan
Hi Alan
If you are in Montreal and want to drink some nice Rousseau, send me a PM
Schwartz’s was great (2 data points), Les 400 Coups quite good, St. Viateur delicious, Joe Beef amazing, Au Pied de Cochon wonderful, Club Chasse et Peche serviceable, l’Initiale correct but uninspiring, Marie Clarisse very good but unexciting, Lapin Sauté fun and solid. I am now officially close to starting my diet and I do not want to see foie for quite a while. Thanks to all. We had a fabulous time. Can’t believe I ate so much.
Did you do things other than eat, Alan…?
I’d like to hear about them, too…
And…now you can weigh in (pun intended) on the all-important comparisons between “smoked meat” and pastrami and the St. Viateur vs. NY (or other US bagels.) Serious question…I have my opinions…
walked 8-9 miles a day, saw all the sites, laughed a lot w friends. The meat was like brisket, wouldn’t call it pastrami. Loved the coleslaw also. Had some good but not great wines–crazy markups in restos.
bagels were small and more cakelike to me. No egg bagel exists and that is my favorite. Very dense, clean fresh flavors. Very much liked. May even have some shipped to me. They ship 4 dozen minimums.
$30 for the bagels - $39 shipping to Chicago
The markups are huge (3 x retail) in high-end restaurants like Pied de Cochon, Joe Beef, etc. You can easily find 2 x retail in other restaurants.
However, keep in mind that the SAQ already sells us these wines at a (much) higher price then most of the free markets, like in the USA.
Make sure you buy some Maple Syrup at the market (Atwater or Jean Talon). And don’t buy the Medium Grade crap that you can get anywhere here in the US. EXTRA CLAIR is the Musigny category of maple syrup.
err…he already went. 
went to both markets, bought some syrup but didnt know the grades–where were you last week?
alan