Vacation Eats

I still haven't posted half of what we ate/tried in Montréal--funny how present-day life just gets in the way sometimes. But this one particular meal will not be forced to the back of the 'to blog' posts; it will not let me relegate it to a dusty pile of fading memories. It will be recognized!

Our last stop in Montréal was also one of our best. Before the BF and I hopped on our rented bicycles, we wisely decided to fuel up with an early lunch. We walked just a few steps from our hotel to les gourmet pressés (touting their gourmet pressed sandwiches). I'd seen a few of these around the city, but never stepped inside. I am oh-so-glad we did.

This place specializes in pressed sandwiches made with baguettes. And these are not the doughy, flat, uninspired baguettes you may have tried at your local grocery store. These. were. awesome. A gentle crunch on the outside, soft on the inside--not so hard that all the fillings squish out when you eat them. I got the common but still fabulous ham & brie, with a honey-mustard dressing, tomatoes, etc. BF opted for the grilled chicken with mayo, cheese, etc. We took our first bites and exchanged 'The Look.' You know that Look...the look that comes over you when what you've tasted is so much better than you expected. i could tell the BF was wishing he'd ordered mine, so I let him finish it off. I'm nice like that. ;)

I'm happy to report that this trip also gave the BF a new appreciation for well-crafted espresso. I had at least one café au lait a day, and every time I ordered one, the BF would sample it and inevitably go back and order one for himself. Like this one.

We also had lovely service--they bring the food to your table, and the young man behind the counter helped us in both English and French. He was polite, friendly, and a pleasure to meet. Highly recommended if you're ever in Montréal--especially the location on St. Jacques Street!

Les Gourmets Pressés Bistro
406 Rue Saint Jacques
Montréal, Quebec H2Y 0A2
(514) 937-6555

Bagels, Canadian-Style

One of the 'must-taste' stops on our trip to Montréal was St. Viateur Bagels. They've been making their own signature bagels for more than 50 years. I'd heard enough about it from Food Network peeps and travel articles to know I had to hit this spot. After the BF & I visited McGill's campus, we took a train ride up to the location on Mont-Royal.

It was a day full of on-and-off downpours, so the location was sadly not at all busy. Which was fine for us; we had no problem getting a seat. It just didn't have the same busy vibe I expected from all the TV and other media coverage I'd seen. But it's really about the food, isn't it?

While I did enjoy all the chances I had to speak French, it was just as easy to find people who speak English, as did our server. I wasn't that hungry at the time, but the BF (thinking wisely, I'd later realize in hindsight) ordered a sliced turkey sandwich with the soup du jour, cream of mushroom.

I ordered a toasted bagel with strawberry cream cheese. We asked for poppy seed (in English & French), but we both got sesame (NOT my favorite by a long shot). I managed to pick a good number off of my bagel (discreetly, bien sur) and decided to go with it. You might notice I have an entire bagel PLUS one half, which I generously shared with the BF. The cream cheese was nothing special--it tasted rather..packaged, I thought. I found out later it's Kraft cream cheese spread! FAIL.

The bagel, however...I guarantee this isn't like any bagel you've had in the US. They are smaller, chewier, and softer. It's a completely different texture than the US bagels (and I've yet to find a bagel anywhere in the US that tops NYC bagels...maybe it's the water).

While I enjoy American bagels, they can often be heavy, dense, and unwieldy, often large enough to stand in for 4-6 servings of bread. These bagels are much more subdued. They have a crunchy exterior and a soft, pillowy interior. As delicious as they were, however, I would still say I prefer American-style. These just come in at an extremely-close second place.
I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty they were, and quite sorry I didn't follow in the BF's foosteps and order the delicious sandwich. Maybe next time. :) If you're in Montréal (which I recommend visiting), definitely stop by and try a bagel.

St. Viateur Bagels
1127 du Mont-Royal Avenue East
Montréal, Québec
H2J 1X9
514 528-6361

O, Canada....

My awesome BF and I took a trip last week to Montréal, Québec City, and Stowe, Vermont. While we were in Montréal, I passed up several opportunities to have poutine, the national dish of French-Canadians. It's basically french fries topped with fresh cheese curds, then doused in piping hot brown gravy (all the better to melt said curds). Quite frankly, the phrase 'cheese curds' just gave me the willies. I mean "Curd?" Really? Could there be a less-appetizing word in the food dictionary? Besides sweetbreads, I mean.

The BF was the brave one in this instance. When we stopped for lunch in Québec City, BF saw it on the menu. I explained to him what poutine was and how the curds kind of skeeved me out, and he gallantly offered to order some and share it with me. He's nice like that. ;) It turns out that poutine is actually quite delicious--between the two of us, we cleaned the plate!

Back in Montréal we hit a 'must-see' spot (recommended by family and guide books) known as Schwartz's deli. We made it about halfway through the 5-mile hike (mostly uphill) from our hotel before surrendering and taking a cab (another excuse for me to speak French!!) It's a small, unimposing place, comprised of collapsible tables and barstools and a scarily no-frills display of the wares. The floors were dirty and a little slippery, and the decor is rustic at best, but it's also covered with photos of celebs and rave write-ups, so I decided the slick floor just added to the character. Their meat is pretty tasty, though, and not expensive at all. I had the smoked meat sandwich (smoked meat is one of the things Montreal is known for) on its own with a black cherry cola (apparently a tradition there). The soda was fan-freaking-tastic, and the sandwich was pretty darn good. Please note the fattiness of the meat I'm holding in my hand (photo below, left). You can order your meat lean or with a 'leetle fat.' I requested the 'leetle' bit. I would normally NEVER eat something that fatty (yeah, I'm one of 'those' people). I usually cut the fat off my steak, won't eat the fatty part of chicken, etc. I can't stand the texture--it triggers my powerful gag reflex. In this instance, however, it was delicious. The seasonings and the flavor were smooth and super-savory--there was nothing rubbery or chewy about it. BF had the mixed platter, which came with about a pound of meat and a pile o' bread for making your own sammiches. The write-ups I read compared the meat to pastrami, but I thought it was less stringy and more seasoned. I wouldn't say AMAZING, but it was very good. I would recommend you visit this place for lunch, though, and not the 10pm dinner we had. I had some serious heartburn when I tried to go to sleep about an hour later!

More Canadian (and Yankee) posts to come! Au revoir!

Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen
3895 Saint-Laurent boulevard
Montreal, H2W 1X9, Canada
(514) 842-4813