montreal Archives - Foodology

In Four Beakers

Schwartz’s Deli: Montreal Smoked Meat At It’s Finest

June 10, 2012

Schwartz’s Deli is an iconic restaurant in Montreal and is known to have huge lines! As I was in Montreal, I knew I had to have a taste of their smoked meat. People around the world have been raving about this place, so I had to see for myself if it lives up to all that hype. PLUS, Celine Dion and her husband own a portion of this restaurant.

As I left CanuckGirl to hike up Mount Royal by herself, I headed over to Schwartz’s. Exercising is good and all, but I can exercise in Vancouver too. I know, I’m horrible…I just love food.

There was a huge line outside and it would probably take 30 mins to an hour to get a seat. I decided to bypass the line by ordering takeout. If you do get takeout, you just walk through the door and no one in the line should bother you.

The restaurant is very narrow so no wonder they can’t fit too many people here. For takeout, just walk up to the right of the restaurant and order, then pay on the left side of the restaurant near the door.

I got my sandwich and found a park to eat at, I was sad that the sandwich was so small. FYI, when eating at a park, you will probably attract a few birds and squirrels….so guard your sandwich.

Mmm… look at that meat.

The meat was very thickly cut, fatty and very tender! The cross-section of the sandwich does look quite amazing, but it’s still not that large of a sandwich. Since it was only $6.15, it was a decent price. I have never seen any other restaurant have such thickly cut smoked meat. Any smoked meat needs mustard, but it sucks how it had to be the usual yellow mustard.

Overall, I loved it and I would go again just for their meat. If you have no patience for lining up and just want that sandwich fast, do takeout and you will save yourself lots of time.

Words of Wisdom:

A must-go spot for tourists
Under $10
Long lines
Must get the smoked meat

We Rate Schwartz’s Deli:

Address:
3895 Boulevard St-Laurent
Montreal, QC

Website:
http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/

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In BBQ

Rotisserie Romados: Top 50 Restaurants in Canada

June 7, 2012

Rotisserie Romados is located in Quebec near the Plateau Mont-Royal area. It was recently named one of Canadas Top 50 restaurants. When looking at the list, it was the only one that was under $10. I just had to check this little place out since I was in town for a few days with CanuckGirl. They are best known for their chicken rotisserie!

During peak hours the lines can get quite long. Nonetheless, don’t let any lines discourage you because it is quite quick to get to the front. At the back of the restaurant is where you order the chicken and on the right is where they have pastries and baked goods.

The menu is in all french, but you can use your iPhone is translate what is says. Majority of items are under $10, which is awesome. If you don’t know french, they speak english too.

1/4 Chicken Breast with Fries and Salad ($7.09) is basically a mound of salt and peppered fries. I asked my chicken to be spicy. It also comes with a large bun.

The fries tasted good and the chicken was succulent. The only let down was the salad because some of the leaves were not fresh and a bit wilted and turning black.

1/4 Chicken Leg with Salad and Fries ($6.29) CanuckGirl said she enjoyed it.

The bread that comes with it is good, but it’s gonna make you super full. CanuckGirl and I couldn’t finish ours with our meals, so we just took it back to the hotel room for later.

Overall, it was a very filling meal for cheap! It’s not the most healthiest meal, but it’s worth the price. Definitely check it out!

Words of Wisdom:

Limited amount of seating, most people do takeout
Under $10
Friendly staff
Must get the chicken!!

We Rate Rotisserie Romados:

Address:
115 Rue Rachel Est.
Montréal, QC

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In 24 hours

Resto la Banquise: Epic Poutine From Montreal, QC

June 6, 2012

Resto la Banquise is located in Plateau Mont-Royal and is known to have very good poutine. It is open 24 hours, so University students can go any time to chow down on delicious poutine. They have tons of variations of poutine and are known to satisfy all the crazy poutine lovers.

CanuckGirl and I came here since we heard it was a must-try place for poutine. It’s not the most healthiest, but at least there is a park nearby.

We had the option of sitting inside or on the patio. We chose the patio since it was a very nice day outside. In case it rains, there is a tent above the seating.

Obelix Poutine ($8.25) is topped with Montreal smoked meat, cheese, and gravy over a bed of fries. The cheese was slightly squeaky as it rubs against your molars when chewing. It was quite good, but I am not used to eating a large amount of fries.

Classic Poutine ($5.95) has cheese curds and gravy over a bed of fries. CanuckGirl also liked it and is the most authentic! She ate everything off her plate, so I am sure she enjoyed it.

Overall, it’s a great place to get poutine. It’s open 24 hours, so you can go anytime without worrying it will close. They also have other items on the menu, so you don’t need to get poutine.

Words of Wisdom:

Classic Poutine is always good
Open all the time
Indoor and outdoor seating
Service is a bit spotty since they have so many customers

We Rate Resto La Banquise:

Address:
994 Rue Rachel E
Montréal, QC

Website:

http://www.restolabanquise.com/

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In French

L’Express: French Cuisine in Montreal, QC

June 5, 2012

L’Express is located on the plateau in Montreal. The serve authentic French dishes and it’s usually packed every night. It’s best to make reservations because most people in Montreal rely on reservations. CanuckGirl and I decided to go to L’Express without reservations and got a seat at the bar fairly quickly. Even though people will make reservations, not everyone shows up, so there is hope for those with no reservations.

As we sat down, we were given complementary bread with butter. The bread was quite hard and the butter was solid too, thus making it hard to spread.

You also get a jar of complementary little pickles. I love pickles so I naturally ate them up. I didn’t eat the whole jar, but I was very tempted to.

Octopus Lentil Salad ($16.55) the lentils is hidden under the thin slices of octopus. The sauce around it gives it a it of acidic taste which compliments the dish nicely. THe octopus has been well prepared and very tender.

Shrimp Risotto ($20.30) had lots of shrimp for the portion size and very creamy. CanuckGirl also said it was a good portion for dinner too since other places can give you less.

Duck Confit Salad ($24.40) had lots of warm duck on top. Since duck is naturally oily, it made the bed of salad quite oily. It’s still pretty good. Duck is delicious and tender.

Overall, it was good French Fine Dining experience. The only disappointment was over the service. Our main server ignored us most of the evening, so we had to always resort for asking questions to an alternative server. We had a hunch that the server was acting snobby because we did not order wine. We were quite bitter over the service since it was clear our server was treating all of the other customers much better and having long conversations with them.

Words of Wisdom:

Make reservations to have a seat at a table
You’ll usually get a bar seat without reservations
Fine Dining
Decent prices

We Rate L’Express:

Address:
3927 Rue Saint-Denis
Montreal, QC

Website:
http://www.restaurantlexpress.ca/

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In Dessert

Les Givres: Artisan Ice Cream in Montreal, QC

June 3, 2012

After meeting up for dinner with BraisedandConfused, she took us to Les Givres for some post-dinner treats! Les Givres specializes in artisan ice cream. It is all made in-house and made with the best ingredients. They always try to come up with some crazy flavour combinations that tastes great.

Once you enter, there is the counter on the left and seats on the right. It’s really a great spot to just chill after dinner.

They have a good amount of flavours to choose from, so I am sure you will find something that tickles your tastebuds.

If you aren’t into ice cream, they have other desserts such as chocolate mousse cakes and macarons.

We grabbed a few and just stole a little bit from each other so everyone could try a bit of the flavours. There is coffee, pistachio and green tea. These all had strong flavours and were very enjoyable, the downside is that each scoop is about $3, so it’s not cheap at all.

Green Tea (matcha) Ice Cream

Apple Pie Ice Cream is another one we got after our initial 3 types. The taste is very subtle and you can start tasting the flavours once you stumble upon the apple pie pieces inside.

Overall, great place to just chill and catch up with friends or just anything.

Words of Wisdom:

Made in-house
Can be a bit expensive for ice cream

We Rate Les Givres:

Address:

3807 Saint-Denis
Montreal, QC

Website:
http://www.lesgivres.ca/

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In Specialty Shop

Jean Talon Market: Fresh Produce in Montreal, QC

June 2, 2012

Jean-Talon Market is located in Villeray near Jean-Talon Station. It is a market full of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants. The local farmers come here to sell their goods. They open daily at 7am! CanuckGirl and I headed over here one day as we heard this place is pretty cool to walk around and try some produce.

On one end of the market, it’s a bunch of shops selling food and there are a few tables to sit down.

A majority of the market is outdoors under a roof and many tents. It’s a great stroll in rain or shine.

There are rows after rows of amazing smelling produce. I honestly think this place is so much better than a grocery store. $1 for a box of strawberries!!

What I love most about the market is how you are able to sample the produce before purchasing. Even if you don’t intent to buy that product…you may be tempted to after tasting how sweet and fresh the items are.

Overall, it’s a great place for locals and tourist to shop. There is a ton of produce and makes for a good stroll.

Address:

355 Rue Jean-Talon E
Montréal, QC

Website:

http://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/English/Jean-Talon/

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In 24 hours

St. Viateur Bagel & Cafe: Awesome Montreal Bagels

June 1, 2012

St. Viateur Bagel and Cafe is known best for their freshly made bagels. It is a family owned business since 1957. They are open 24 hours and sell about 1000 bagels each day! This isn’t their original location, but they still make fresh bagels here too.

CanuckGirl and I were passing by and we just had to have a taste of their famous bagels!

Right at the counter of the cashier, you can see them make all the bagels. They are very fresh! If you look into the oven, they have a few dozen in their making. It’s really fun seeing them work their magic.

Their mascot is called sesame and he can be seen depicted on their bags, murals and interior decor.

Sesame Bagel ($0.70) was still very hot when we got it. We decided to get this flavour since the mascot is a sesame bagel. It was the most mazing bagel I’ve ever had. 1000000x better than anything in Vancouver. We ate this bagel right away and it was crunchy on the outside and super hot and chewy on the inside.

Words of Wisdom:

Must get the sesame bagel and eat it right way!
Cheap
Can’t sit down in the cafe if you are just ordering a bagel

We Rate St. Viateur Bagel & Cafe:

Address:
1127 Ave Du Mont-Royal E
Montréal, QC

Website:
http://www.stviateurbagel.com/

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In Cafe

Cafe-Bistro Van Houtte: Coffee in Montreal, QC

May 31, 2012

Walking around Montreal, I found that there were more Van Houtte Cafes in the area than Starbucks. I guess it isn’t’ too strange since Van Houtte is based in Montreal Quebec. Since I always need a cup of coffee to get my day started, I thought I would try this place out.