There is one dish you absolutely have to try when you come to Montreal and that is Poutine.
This is a French Canadian dish and for those who aren't very familiar with it, it is basically
french fries with gravy and cheese curds on top. Now it sounds a little bit gross and
it doesn't look that appetizing at first sight but trust me it is delicious.
There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this meal from a nutritional standpoint. It
is pure grease and no better way for us to sample it than in this park right here.
We went to one of the most famous restaurants in Montreal for Poutine - La Banquise - and
in this bag here I've got two different kinds.
One is the regular poutine and one is the premium kind. We're going to show you what
is inside.
It is time for the big reveal. Look down here. This is the standard one. Oh, look at all
of the cheese curd. It is melting. And the gravy. It is like these fries are swimming
in a pool of gravy. That is amazing.
You've got a premium kind. What did you get? I went for something a little bit fancier
and mine has bacon and goat cheese instead of the regular cheese curds. Alright, let's
open this. Oh, wow! Look at that goat cheese. This is going to be amazing.
This is the kind of meal we're going to have to walk off for hours and hours and hours
upon end.
Look at that cheese. My goodness.
First bite of the fancy poutine. That is just as good as imagined it would be. The goat
cheese is warm, it is gooey, it is soft and the bacon is amazing. It is greasy, salty.
It is amazing! How about the gravy? Mmmmm.
Time for the first bite of the classic poutine here. Let's get lots of gravy on it. Woah,
stringy cheese! I got it all over my mouth.
Wow!
That is so good. I just wish this was healthy so I could eat it more often.
It is like a heart attack on a plate. We've been having this every day since we've been
to Montreal and I don't see us stopping until we leave.
Out of the two poutines that we had, my favorite of course was the one with goat cheese and
bacon because those ingredients are just stellar.
Even if you don't like bacon there is a whole variety of toppings that you can choose over
at La Banquise. There are mushrooms, green peppers, hot chilly and anything that you
can think of.
So how much does a poutine cost? The regular one was just under seven dollars and the premium
one was about nine bucks, so it is quite an affordable meal.
I'm really excited right now. Montreal smoked meat along with things such as Poutine, is
something you absolutely have to try when you're in Montreal. I'm going to go sample
a sandwich right now.
Montreal smoked meat is made from brisket and the meat is allowed to cure for one week
with peppercorn and lots of other spices. It is really flavorful by the end of that
week. I'm going to take a bite over here. Let's see what this tastes like. Wow, look
at all of that meat. Oh my, this is falling apart and it smells great. You can see the
mustard as well. Look at that. Oh my, oh my gosh. Keep that sandwich together there.
Okay, I'm going to need a huge napkin after this. Wow. Oh my gosh. That is so tasty. The
meat is really juicy and tender. It is served on rye bread with mustard and I just love
that combination. Really simple flavors, the meat is smokey and it is great.
Look at that massive piece of meat. The thing is a bohemoth. I can barely keep it together
in my hands. It is time for my first bite. It is so tender and delicious. That is one
There is one establishment in Montreal that is really well known for its smoked meat.
That is a little deli placed Schwartz's and it has been around since the 1920's. However,
that is not the only place where you can get smoked meat. There is actually restaurants
and little shops across town that serve almost the exact same recipe, so it is not difficult
to track it down.
In a place that specializes for Montreal smoked meat, such as Schwartz's, you can order it
lean cut, medium or fatty. We've tried a few different ones and medium is our favorite
so far.
Some of the popular side orders that you can also get with your smoked meat sandwich include
poutine, french fries or pickles.
For a typical smoked meat sandwich in Montreal you are looking at roughly six to eight dollars
and it is well worth the price to try.
So now for a little afternoon pick me up we have St. Viateur bagels, which are really
famous here in Montreal. I got myself the cinnamon raisin one. That smells really nice.
What makes these bagels unique is that they are hand rolled and they are made in a wood
burning oven. This store is so popular that they actually produce twelve thousand bagels
a day.
Alright, time for the first bite. I don't know if you can see it well with the camera
but there are huge chunks of apples. Look at that. Wow! Are
you in your happy place? I am. This is like ultimate dessert for me.