Sebastian Bond - Montreal: 2016

MONTREAL 2016 The Food Enthusiasts Complete Restaurant Guide Sebastian Bond Sebastian Bond is the Food Enthusiast. When hes not playing tennis, he dines anonymously at the Publishers expense. Gramercy Park Press Copyright by Gramercy Park Press Published on Smashwords Formatted by Please submit corrections, additions orcomments to gppress@gmail.com * * * All rights reserved. Without limiting therights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without theprior written permission of both the copyright owner and the abovepublisher of this book. Smashwords Edition LicenseNotes This eBook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away toother people.

If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with. Thank you for respecting the author'swork. * * * Table of Contents * * * Though Quebec has all those quaint littlestreets and more properly looks like it belongs in a theme parkthan in the real world, Montreal is really where all the action isin this mostly French-speaking Canadian province. This location has always been an economiccenter, first settled by the Iroquois, and then by the French whenthey arrived in 1535. Two hundred years later, the English tookcontrol when they defeated the French, giving Montreal afascinating cultural history that is reflected in the enormousdiversity we find there today. Despite the British victory in the field,the French part of Canada couldnt be stronger.

This city hasmore native-born French speakers than any city in the world besidesParis. Certain specialties youll want to seek out:poutine (which is basically French fries with a generous dollop ofgravy-sauce with cheese curds added), deep-fried foie gras,Portuguese chicken, bagels made in the distinctive Montreal styleand smoked meats. POUTINE This dish is served as a fast food in Canada(even in the hockey arenas and at certain McDonalds), and can bealmost as revolting as its description sounds, but when done withcare and creativity, its a masterpiece of simple culinary joy.When its done right, the fries will be crispy (not leaden, thickand mealy), and the sauce-gravy will be rich and flavorful. Good places to get it are: PatatiPatata 4177 BlvdSt-Laurent, 514-844-0216 No web site and La Banquise 994 Rue Rachel East, 514-525-2415 http://labanquise.com/ The portions are larger here, and theyreopen 24 hours. BAGELS Not to be confused with the New York versionyoure probably more familiar with. These are boiled in water lacedwith honey and made with eggs and unsalted dough.

They are cookedin a wood-burning oven. The holes are larger and the overall sizeis smaller. The surface is not as shiny as New York bagels. I likethem sprinkled with sesame seeds. Good places to get them are: Fairmont Bagel 74 Ave. Fairmount West, 514-272-0667 www.fairmountbagel.com and St-ViateurBagel 263 Ave.

St-Viateur West, 514-276-8044 www.stviateurbagel.com SMOKED MEATS Jews from Eastern Europe are responsible forbringing this concept to Montreal decades ago. It is beef brisketmarinated for days in a rich brine and spices thats been steamedand hot-smoked and its very, very tasty, especially if you specifythat you want the meat fatty. Your first bite causes the taste budsin your mouth to explode. Best served with any excellent mustard,pickles and cold beer. (Do not call this corned beef its smokedmeat.) Good places to get it are: The Main Deli Steakhouse 3864 Blvd St-Laurent, 514-843-8126 www.maindelisteakhouse.com and Schwartzs Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen 3895 Blvd St-Laurent, 514-842-4813 / cashonly www.schwartzsdeli.com PORTUGUESE CHICKEN In Portugal, this dish is called Africanchicken, not Portuguese chicken. Its just a simple whole chickencooked in a rotisserie or grilled and theres usually a chili rubor some other spices added.

Its served up by the substantialsub-culture of Portuguese-Canadians here in Montreal. Good places to get it are: RotisserieRomados 115 rue RachelEast, 514- 849-1803 http://romados.ca/ Dont let the stark fluorescent lights putyou off. Or the long lines. The service is swift and the line movesrapidly. If you think youre leaving, take one deep breath and thearomas will keep you where you belong. and Portugalia 34 rue Rachel West, 514- 282-1519 No web site Simple service at the blue-tiled counter.Here the chicken is butterflied and daubed with a hot chili pasteand other condiments.

FRIED FOIE GRAS They take the goose or duck liver, bread itand then pop it into a deep fryer. Sounds terribly bad for yourheart, right? Well, it is. Two of the best examples of this are at JoeBeef and Au Pied de Cochon see listings below. Montreal has had its ups and downs as theprovince flirted with independence (there was a vote as recently as1995 that was narrowly defeated), causing a lot of companies tobail out and move their headquarters to Toronto. But Montreal has nevertheless always been awonderful place to visit. * * * ACCORDS 212 rueNotre-Dame Quest, Montreal, 514-282-2020 www.accords.ca CUISINE: French/Wine Bar DRINKS: Full Bar SERVING: Lunch & Dinner daily, ClosedSun PRICE RANGE: $$$ This is primarily a wine bar with a seasonaleclectic menu for wine and food pairing. * * * ACCORDS 212 rueNotre-Dame Quest, Montreal, 514-282-2020 www.accords.ca CUISINE: French/Wine Bar DRINKS: Full Bar SERVING: Lunch & Dinner daily, ClosedSun PRICE RANGE: $$$ This is primarily a wine bar with a seasonaleclectic menu for wine and food pairing.

The breads and dessertsare house-made and the coffee is organic. The brick-walled outdoorpatio in good weather is great, a snug little hideaway in the bigbad town of Montreal. Menu favorites include: Agnolotti stuffedwith guinea fowl confit and Cornish hen. AMIR 580 Rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montreal,514-849-0990 www.restoamir.com CUISINE: Lebanese DRINKS: No Booze SERVING: Open Daily PRICE RANGE: $$ This Lebanese-style Middle Eastern fast foodchain with counter service serves delicious food like shish taouk.Here youll find shawarma sandwiches, falafel, hummus, andtabbouleh. Several locations in the Montreal area. AU PIED DECOCHON 536 AvenueDuluth Est, Montral, 514-281-1114 www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca CUISINE: Argentinean DRINKS: Full Bar SERVING: Breakfast, Brunch, Late night PRICE RANGE: $$ Chef Martin Picard offers his menu of heartyQubcois fare.

Menu favorites include: Foie gras & pork andthe Happy Pork Chop. Extensivewine list.