Holy Smoked Meat

Schwartz's
Deli/Sandwiches
3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Montréal, Québec H2W 1X9 Canada
ph: (514) 842-4813

When I mentioned that I will be going to Montreal for a vacation, people would tell me excitedly: "Must go to Schwartz's and have their smoked meat, it's the best ever!" naturally, that was the first place that I wanted to attack when we landed in Montreal. Staying at a hostel near St. Laurent, we ventured out in search of this ever-famous Delicatessen.

After a few "Do you know where Schwartz's is?" and being told that we have a few more blocks to go was making us impatient and surely enough, when we got there, there was a nice little queue already formed outside the door. Thankfully, the nice sunny weather made the hour long queu more like a chance to soak in all that Montreal sun. I had no complaints getting a good dose of Vitamin D except that my tummy was already making those "feed me" noises which I never failed to satisfy.

Before impatience and hunger won the best of us, we were finally unshered in. The restaurant was fully packed, right from the bar to every seat in the big white room and to take out area which were also filled with people waiting to order. The restaurant is a simple Delicatessen where cafeteria-like tables and chairs occupy the space and the menu is written on a piece of paper, it is simple but it works. You don't really expect a Delicatessen to have fancy adornments since they were serving smoked meat and fries not foie gras and caviar.

We were led to a table big enough for a party of 6. My friend and I were then asked to share our table with 4 people who seemed to be out-of-towners and Schwart's first-timers like us. Ordering was easy for me since I wanted to get some food in my body so I immediately picked the smoked meat sandwich and a side of fries. The service was fast and efficient considering it's very busy state but after all that waiting, my friend didn't order anything since she didn't want to eat any beef, well, bad choice of restaurant for her, as for me, I couldn't wait for the much-talked about smoked meat.

When my sandwich arrived, it was so loaded that chunks of meat would fall off when I picked it up. I took one big bite and made my taste buds take over... it was good but way too hyped up for me. I'm not a smoked meat expert so I can't really tell if that was indeed the best of the best but it was good. I'm also a condiment fanatic and I thought that it needed a bit more mustard. The fries were typical fried potatoes and I thought maybe my meal would have been better if I ordered the more interesting sides such as coleslaw, olives, sour pickles and even peppers but I was already getting full with what I had.

Our "table mates" seemed to have over-ordered and were drowning in smoked meat. I didn't hear any Oh-my-god-this-is-so-good! statements so I guess the hype also killed it for them. All I can say is that if I lined up for an hour, I expect to swoon in deliciousness, unfortunately that didn't happen but I'm still happy that we did head down to Schwart's otherwise our Montreal gastronomic trip would never be complete.

Bon Essen

La Brasserie
French-German Cuisine
1091 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1M5
Canada
ph:(604) 568-6399

Located in the heart of Davie Village stands a sleek cozy little restaurant called La Brassiere. Having to pass by this quaint French/German bistro and seeing the diners sip their tall pints of beer while happily enjoying their meal, I was drawn. I read the menu posted outside and made a mental check list: good menu – check (the suckling pig, onion tart and the pork schnitzel caught my attention), reasonable price – check, good beer/wine selection – check and of course the ambiance – check.

I’m not surprised seeing the long queue outside the restaurant, there’s just something so charming about this little bistro that seems to lure you in. Of course, in a few weeks time, I found myself joining the – thank God - a very short line-up for La Brassiere.

We got there just in the nick of time before more people started arriving. The host was very accommodating and told us that there was a 30 minute waiting time so we said we were gonna come back. Unfortunately, if you wanna dine, you have to stay by the bar but luckily enough, the bar table was free for a party of three and looking at the roomy space, we didn’t mind taking the spot.

Inside, the restaurant was just as cozy as it looked from the outside. The walls were adorned with mirrors making it look more spacious and the small space was very well designed that it didn’t feel cramped or cluttered. Modern, sleek tables contrasted the homey vibe and gave an overall pleasant appeal.

Our server immediately gave us the menus and my friend and I ordered two pints of the German beer while making our culinary choice. We decided to share three entrees, an appetizer and maybe some desserts but making our choices seem to be a bit difficult because being seated right in front of the hard working chefs and watching the dishes leave the kitchen was just making us salivate. Everything they were serving looked so appetizing and seemed to be cooked to perfection. Some dishes we have to play a guessing game what they were since there are some dishes that seem to be unknown to us – the culinary amateurs. Dishes such as the Coq au Vin and the Saurbratten with the kase spatzle were a little bit new to us and of course our taste buds.

With a little help from her server, we opted for the Alsatian Onion Tart to start, the Suckling Pig, Mussels and Frites and the “Fresh Catch of the Day” which made my friend's salivatory glands work overtime when she saw the dish being served. As we ordered, our tall pints of German beer arrived as well as some bread with butter and chicken spread, which was very delicious. While we were munching, sipping, chatting and of course, waiting for our food, we actually got entertained watching the chefs create the dishes. We even got more excited when the savory aromas touched our noses. We just knew that it will be good.

Our tart arrived and it was a good size mainly because it was cheesily rich. There was a sweetness in the crust that made onion and the cheese blend so well together. I would definitely order it again. Slowly, our dishes were starting to arrive. The “Fresh Catch of the Day” dish came first. It was scallops and fresh fish strips on a bed of what seemed to be yogurt, cucumber and tomato salad. We evenly divided it into three and tasted our first entrée. It was yum-my. The salad gave a nice tang to the seafood which made the taste stand out. While were finishing up, the Suckling pig came and the meat was still steaming. Once again we all got our share of the tender pork meat with the light the crispy skin. The saurkraut, and the schupfnudel condiments complimented this dish very well and made us very happy.

Finally, our last dish arrived, the mussels and frites with a side of home made mayonnaise. My other friend ordered more bread to dip in the mussel broth while I focused on dipping my frites in the mayo and broth. The mussels were very well flavoured and very fresh. Once again, it was delicious. Everything was delicious and we tried to polish our plates as much as we could but eventhough our bellies thoroughly expanded, we cannot pass on dessert.

That glutton part of us always wins us over but we can not possibly say no to their creme brulee since all the dishes were beyond delectable and we got to watch one of the chefs torching this creamy delight. All the other sweets sounded good as well and tempting especially the rich chocolate desserts but our server recommended the lemon tart so we opted for that and of course the crème brulee.

The crème brulee was a great end to an amazing meal, light and surely hit the spot. We don’t know if we were way too full to enjoy the lemon tart but we wished to have gone for the more chocolatey dessert but overall, we had a great time. Although we obviously over-ate and were way to full that we made promises to ourselves to go on starvation mode the next day, we exited La Brassiere with a very satisfied smile on our faces.

* picture stolen from www.labrasserievancouver.com