A Smoked Meat Sandwich at Schwartz’s

Montreal is a foodie’s dream, and you’ll get no shortage of meal recommendations from anyone who has visited one of North America’s cosmopolitan destinations. Make sure the belt you pack has room to be loosened – you’ll need it! Before you pick up some cheap flights to Montreal, it helps to know just what you’re treating yourself to. Whether it’s smoked meat or raw meat, you’ll have plenty of options. Here are four of my favorites:
Schwartz’s: If you visit Montreal and skip the smoked meat, you might as well have not visited at all. Schwartz’s is a local institution, and the sandwiches are nothing short of incredible. You will have to wait in line for a while, but it is absolutely worth it. Seating can be next to impossible, so my advice is to get your order to go and eat outside.
Mont-Royal: Head up to the Plateau neighborhood, and order your first Montreal hot dog “all dressed” (with everything) and toasted (referring to the bun). You won’t be disappointed; I assure you. I went to Mont-Royal a few years ago with a Montreal food blogger, as part of a taste test … she’d done the same in New York City with me the day before (check out the video below).
Liverpool: For a unique dining experience, head over to the ‘Little Burgundy’ part of Montreal, and get ready to dig in at Liverpool House. The neighborhood, once packed with jazz musicians fleeing prohibition in the United States, offers plenty of history … and great food to fill your stomach while you reflect on it. The intimate setting is great for couples, and the cuisine is for carnivores. Some of the meat is smoked right in the restaurant’s back yard, in a smoker welded together by the owner himself! Also from the back yard: the tomatoes.
La Queue de Cheval: Visit La Queue de Cheval for the most decadent meal you’ll have in Montreal. When I visited several years ago, the walls were packed with the fruits of local artists’ labors (and they were for sale, at impressive prices. I passed the “Scarface” booth, which looks exactly like the spot where a gangster would enjoy the spoils of crime and the compliments of sycophants. Once you absorb the utterly steakhouse décor, it’s time to move on to the meal. While it’s tempting to dive right into a slab of meat, I’d suggest going “native,” and trying the steak tartare: it’s as delicious as it is raw.

Photo: cogdogblog