OMG BAGEL ARMAGEDDON NYC V MTL !!!

cloud v rock

what's MTL bagel like?

rock

they're fairly sweet and less dense, a bit more like a bread roll.

In NYC, sometimes a bagel just isn't sour or chewy ENOUGH: hence the bialy.

not like a rock!! you have to eat them within 5 min of buying fresh & warm or keep in paper bag inside of plastic bag inside of maybe other plastic bag. i managed to bring some on the plane all the way to vancouver at christmas and they still were good on arrival. but really eaten right away fresh on location mtl bagels kick all other bagels to the curb sayin

yeah, you do not want one after it's cooled off.

maybe i will give nyc bagels another chance when in nyc this wkend!

recommended

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=2743

http://www.ess-a-bagel.com

x=post Interesting. My English husband doesn't understand the appeal of NY style bagels which he insists are just bland chewy bread. Maybe he'd like MTL ones better. If I'd known, we could have gotten some when we were there last year. :-(

Voted MTL. But I haven't had one in years so maybe time is increasing their flavor for me.

<3 ess. last year we measured a particularly robust specimen from there - over 4 inches high at its zenith.

english bagels/beigels are nothing to brag about, though.

No, he was talking about American ones. I don't think he ever had one in England!

both of the pictures above seem to be NYC bagels... VOTE RIGGED.

i am told that bialys are very much like mtl bagels but what do i know.

whatevs theres no point in trying to talk to britishes abt food - just give him a "biscuit" and send him on his way

bialys aren't like mtl bagels at all. they're very sour and usually have a bit of onion.

I've never had a great bagel in NY.

They're all in NJ.

ah yr right i may hav fukd up the images there

here u go

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/Bagels-Montreal-REAL.jpg/200px-Bagels-Montreal-REAL.jpg

I've never had a great bagel in NY.

They're all in NJ.

-- dan selzer, Wednesday, April 16, 2008 10:26 AM (52 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

challenging opinion

haha, one way to put it.

this place: http://www.nyc.com/Restaurants/Bagel_Boys_Express_Inc.60704/editorial.aspx

you know tracer despite it being blocks from my home i have never been there - it just never looookd good - will investigate!

bialys aren't like mtl bagels at all. they're very sour and usually have a bit of onion.

omg i want one of these right now!

yeah from the street it looks HORRIBLE and once inside the impression doesn't improve but god their bagels are good

xpost

Bialys are even more sour than NY bagels, and way, way chewy. Usu with a bit of mushy onion in the middle as Lauren said (tho I scrape it out). If MTL bagels are "sweet and bready" as was said up-thread, they're the opposite of bialys...?

There's bagels, and then there's beigels. I don't like the American ones that are on steroids but I grew up in a town which still has a salt water bagel bakery run by people who founded it 60 years ago.

In London on Leather Lane is a bakery that does the closest to NYC I have tasted, fresh from the oven and 'rocky' later. An ilx beigel enthusiast tried to tell me the dough was a little sweet, but he was wrongo mc wrongington. It has the right consistency of chew. Although Sainsburys, which does the best Britisher supermarket bagels in that I deign to eat them and no others, is doing bialys now for stupid money, and they have peppers on some of them, gross.

yeah i really love onion bagels but i think it's b/c of the sweetness + onion, tho i like sour too. there are these onion croissants you can get here and they are like DAMN

i get them from the same place i buy giant poppyseed rugala etc

I've never had a great bagel in NY.

They're all in NJ.

-- dan selzer, Wednesday, April 16, 2008 10:26 AM (52 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

this may be true

Suzy, when we lived in London the two food items I missed most were good bagels and pizza - ha typical. I never quite found anything that was just right. Wish I knew about the place on Leather Lane then. I'll bear it in mind for when we move back!

I'm gonna wager its the city with ~800,000 Heebs.

NJ bagels are definitely better ... the same with pizza and Italian food, aside from the 2 or 3 oldtime places still around in Broklyn.

more challenging opinions I absolutely agree with.

they have jews in canada?

oh wait slocki lol

http://www.chow.com/assets/2007/02/61_23_290x210.jpg

AAAAAAAAAAAAA must get some tonight

Is it true there are only TWO kinds of bagels in MTL?

no

no

but only two worth eating imo

anyway... fresh mtl wins any day.

though i really only ever get sesame or poppyseed b/c they are usually right outta the oven
xpost yep

of course i'd say that. but is true. xp

i resent the photo mix-up at the top

the problem is i always go buy six but i eat them too slowly, so by the time i get to like #3 it's sorta like "what's the point"

if you freeze 'em in time it's all good.

Send me some, S1ocki. NZ needs 'em. I need 'em. Now. It's time for breakfast here. Oh, and some Liberté cream cheese, too. Please.

NYC. I love MTL bagels and if this was smoked meat vs. corned beef vs. pastrami, I'd take the MTL side in a second, but NYC bagels are still the best.

Fuck Noahs I would just like to say. Destroyed an entire nation's concept of the bagel.

i forget s1ocki, do you prefer St. V or Fmount? I know you used to live on top of St. V but I can't remember if that made you hate them or love them best.

it made me eat them most... but to be honest, i'm more of a fairmount man these days.

wtf is noah's?

A dementedly evil company which makes cake-y bread concoction that it calls bagels and which people misguidedly consume. Here on the west coast anyway (where we don't know any better.)

ah...like Lender's? Never heard of Noah's.

Lender's!! NOM NOM NON HAI MIDWEST

NY bagels x1000000

ok, so it only destroyed an entire coast's conception of the bagel.

i grew up on Lenders and Bagels Forever. :) :) :)

OK, because I am moving there next week, would someone please rank the MTL bagel places for me? I went to one in Mile End a few years ago—forget the name—and it was good, but perhaps didn't live up to the hype.

You are kidding me. Well, I am sure I will get to MTL pretty soon now, so one of you fine MTLites will be able to make your case. But, srsly.

I'm with Dan. Best bagels I ever head were back in my Rutgers days from some place in Somerset, NJ. Sunday Morning Hangover Heaven.

Though the bagels from that one ooold place on Brick Lane in London were pretty memorable, too.

OK, because I am moving there next week, would someone please rank the MTL bagel places for me? I went to one in Mile End a few years ago—forget the name—and it was good, but perhaps didn't live up to the hype.

-- fields of salmon, Wednesday, April 16, 2008 10:23 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

both are in mile-end. both are worth checking out and they're 5 mins from each other. fairmount cuz it's the best and st-v cuz the street is worth hanging out on.

Thanks! It must have been Fairmount that I went to, because it was in an alley (?) and not in a street worth hanging out on.

in an alley?

did some guy in a trenchcoat sell you bagels?

It was a plastic bag. Black market bagels only benefit the consumer by increasing competition.

Actually I think it was a side-street.

lol. fields of salmon amuses me.

i THINK i have decided that the actual objective truth of montreal bagels MIGHT be that:

1) st-viateur bagels are the best bagels if you are eating a plain hot bagel.

^ this i am certain of and has been scientifically proven by my belly.

2) fairmount bagels are the best bagels if you are eating them (vvvv fresh) with cream cheese.

3) st-viateur bagels are the best bagels if being eaten (hot/vvvv fresh) with peanut-butter.

St-Viateur and Fairmount are parallel and one (long) block apart. Both are more "side-street" than "main street" (compared to busy Parc or St-Laurent) but both are covered in cafes and the like, st-v more than f.

what is most fun about montreal is that right after you finish having the big st-viateur bagel vs fairmount bagel argument you can have the cafe olimpico vs social club (vs in gamba, nowadays?) argument. and THEN i guess if you are on yr bike (as you should be) you can have the bilboquet vs havre aux glaces argument. and then basically you are FULL OF DELICIOUS.

Montreal, now.

http://www.nga.gov/press/2007/assets/films-spring/lonesome_1928_lrg.jpg

sean otm in bagel break down!
i had some st viateur bagel and cream cheese and a whole variety of home-baked muffins and breads and even cinnamon buns! this morning after final morning of yoga intensive i've been doing. it was like super montreal adorable+food scene. then i had to go to work :/

oh wow my friend was doing that yoga intensive WORLDS COME CRUSHING TOGETHER.

srsly! the one at rada/with julie? whao

what is most fun about montreal is that right after you finish having the big st-viateur bagel vs fairmount bagel argument you can have the cafe olimpico vs social club (vs in gamba, nowadays?) argument. and THEN i guess if you are on yr bike (as you should be) you can have the bilboquet vs havre aux glaces argument. and then basically you are FULL OF DELICIOUS.

-- sean gramophone, Friday, April 18, 2008 5:12 AM (11 hours ago) Bookmark Link

gamba not a contender yet

NYC. I love MTL bagels and if this was smoked meat vs. corned beef vs. pastrami, I'd take the MTL side in a second, but NYC bagels are still the best.

I'm nodding in total agreement with Alex in SF.

is gamba that place on parc near the videotron? or am i thinking of something else?

man olimpico is amazing even if you cna buy the same stuff they use in a can at most specialty grocery shops. PLUS SOCCER ON THE TEEVEES IS THIS HEAVEN?

i went to olimpico every day for about 3 yrs. then i went to social every day. then i moved off of st-v and i miss my coffee shops :( :(

i am a hippie and so unless it's world cup i just make it as far as cagibi bichez

in truth tho i still gotta shake the last remnants of some former-friend-related juju or wahtever associated with olimpico/social :/

also i kinda like going to the st viateur small location that's further east. i dig it's weird proletariat vibe.

hahaha that

haha i know eh - they're always really friendly! tho slightly misogynist. but friendly about it!
haa

p.s. i apologize for the it's vs its wrongness; it is friday and grammar/usage can bite me

do you mean st. v's east location? what is that things deal anyway? i thought it was for like... grocery stores to go buy 1009401 bagels at a time or something.

i think i need to move out of mile end this summer, too expensive :( although if you know someone who wants a 3.5 lease transfer around september for under $600 right on casgrain (2 blox east of st. L) near st. V let me know!

also... where should i move? i gotta spend like <400/mth because i am a poor-ass fool and you cna get away with it in this city. rosemont? st. H? ndg? cote st luc? fuckin... dorval? :(

i liek how i am making this the official random mtl questions thread.

dont go to cote-st-luc or the west island for god's sake!!

where is cheap and good these days, though?

Might be interested in that apartment, Will M, but would be more interested if you were moving before the end of this month as I'll probably find else something before September.

Meanwhile. I have been wondering about the possible confluence of this smoked meat and bagel product. Is it wrong? I think smoked meat sandwiches look kind of gross, like you're gnawing away at a side of beef fresh from the locker, but the stuff tastes nice enough. Bagel Sandwich!

Also. Smoked meat pizza? C/D?

dude we should just switch apartments
tho i like i cheap rent (under $400) - and i'm on st laurent just south of bernard - but wld like more space

xpost to will m

smoked meat + bagel is just basicially a lot of food and i mean rye is where it's ate with smoked meat

i am not sure i can do pre-september... probably not, that's when the s/o moves away for school, i can't imagine we'll move out in july only for her to move again in sept!

keep me posted rrrobyn! i might be interested in such a move!

yep totally!

i think i need to move out of mile end this summer, too expensive :(

Wow, it's been a long time since I lived in Montreal O_o

it is a sadness that encroaching reality :(
so many businesses closing in the factory area, condos going up, renovations into condos in planning stages, etc ugh

ya like everywhere it seems :(

seriously, at this rate MTL bagels will be better... but it'll be cheaper to live in NYC!!! WAAAAO TWILIGHT ZONE

rrrrrobyn can you bring me some montreal smoked meat when you come to visit? i wouldn't want to risk the bagel not traveling well, but smoked meat, well...

make sure you do it up right when it gets there ie steam it

i will bring these things! and all-dressed chips!
slocki, i can get take-out smoked meat (just the meatz) from schwartz's right? cause that is what i should go do

oh i just looked online - right on

Sliced smoked meat $10.95/lb
Sliced smoked meat - hot $11.95/lb
By the brisket $9.95/lb
Turkey breast $9.95/lb
Smoked spiced whole turkey Special order
Karnatzel $8.95/lb
Stuffed chicken $5.50/lb
Salami $4.75/lb
Smoked veal Market price
Kosher salami $6.00/lb
Smoked chicken $9.95/ea
Beef & poultry spices $3.99/ea

*drools on keyboard*

don't get it sliced.

get a whole thingy from schwartz's that ian can steam and hand-slice himself.

Steam.

okay! good advice! i hope ian knows what 'steam' means b/c i have no idea.

like in a vegetable steamer?

hmm...i assume it's just a little water in a pan (i do this with pastrami. and add a little mustard to the water)

SAVE ME SOME!

THERE ARE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PACKAGE

dude there is no package - i went straight to the source and dropped my slocki-derived science, and the guy was all 'you want it hot?' and i'm like 'no i want it cold' and he says 'cold?' and i say 'yeah i'm going to steam it' and he's all you know what you're talkin about. and i got this great chunk of smoked meat that we will steam as per instructions i found on the interenet. but yeah, like a vegetable steamer! for like 1.5 hrs apparently??. it is currently smelling up my fridge with peppery garlic meat smell of deliciousness. will put it in a freezer bag with an ice pack for trip. it's gonna be sweet. we may need some light rye bread too.

also on this smoked meat getting adventure i ran into friends as i was looking for bike parking (long story) and one of them came with me to the smoked meat place b/c i was all spun out from tiredness and b/c i forgot to put my glasses on in order to ride my bike in the dark and so felt all unstable and crazy and also the general uhhh of it being friday night on street full of friday night people. then i drank some really good beer with said friends.

that is the friday night story.

i'm getting the bagels tomorrow morning

for like 1.5 hrs apparently??.

Yeah, it takes a long time! (makes sense, tho, it's a lot of brisket.) I definitely remember there being some instructions on the thing.

My only experience with the Schwarz's take-out was when my cousin tricked my sort of out of it 95 yr old Grammy into smuggling a brisket over the CDN-USA border so we could have smoked meat for my brother's wedding rehearsal dinner. It was like Smokey and the Bandit, but with Jews.

ohman i totally forgot abt meat border restrictions lol hmm

1. purchase sombrero
2. placed smoked meat on head
3. wear sombrero over meat

OH MAN I HOPE THE SMOKED MEAT MAKES IT.

you better hope. it'll be worth it.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Okay, smoked meat.
First round: A+ delicious after just over an hour and a half of steaming.

My mistake, though, was to put it back in the steamer basket without checking the water level. While we were eating the first round of sandwiches, the water all boiled off and the fatty drippings burned, filling the kitchen and steaming apparatus with smoke, making the remaining 1/3 brisket unbelievably foul. The sad part is that I can't just go get another one to try again, I have to wait until Rrrrrobyn visits, or we go to Mtl! Also, she brought the Montreal bagels, and they were quite good, but I don't know if they're categorically BETTER than the NYC style bagel.

haha well hey at least the first 2/3 was good! i'd say the sandwiches direct at the tables at schwartz's that you will have when you visit will blow all socks off. same with the direct from oven bagels.
i did not even get to eat an nyc bagel this wkend.
i did not get to do several things i wld've liked. and missed seeing a few people too :( the thing abt nyc wkends is that i guess you end up not doing 80% of what you intended but then also doing awesome things you did not intend in the first place. which is kind of how i like things to be anyway i guess. it was great, if exhausting on a few dif levels.
i really really love ny esp brooklyn, so i might yet be won over on the bagel issue due to that love alone

Wasted brisket makes the baby Jesus cry!

awesome that the smoked meat made it over! did you do the sombrero trick rrrobyn?

as for the bagels, remember that they really are best consumed within 30 mins of baking. so think about how much better those shits would be fresh.

haha sombrero trick - my trick was to almost forget abt it and then remember it and then forget abt it again until after border crossing. and be in a car full of cute cdn girls.

ohman i am sooo tired right now, on all levels. and so too away from bagels. and the work espresso machine is broken. why.

and be in a car full of cute cdn girls.

This is basically how a woman I know got draft dodgers over the border, so I guess it would work for brisket, too.

cute côte-des-neiges girls?

Why?

Because you have left NY, rrob, and so the price must be paid. Don't worry, though, MTL will reward you with something unexpected and great soon and will take you back into its arms.

the smoked meat was soo delicious.

I have to say it was so awesome to walk into Ian's living room and be greeted by a Rrrrobyn launching herself off the couch at me. Oh happy days!!

ahaha i totally did that! lol
price for leaving NY is always paid, that's true. i really didn't want to have to leave! but yknow, me n' mtl are still tight. what a great wkend, srsly, whoa on many levels :)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

FUCK YOU NYC.

oh god i never saw rthe winner of this. why ilx gotta be so wrong? sad.

i recently did a FOR REAL MAKE A DECISION taste test on fairmount vs. st viateur the other day... which is why i am resurrecting bad boy... and man, i'm sorry fairmount lovers, but i just like SVB more. less crunchy on the outside. chewier overall. less of a carbony aftertaste.

of course i may need to do this a few more times, at different times of day, jsut to be sure... but yeah. the only reason i can imagine hitting fairmount ever again would be if i wanted some weird non-sesame bagel shit like... i duno, what do they put on their fancy ones? chocolate chips and jalapenos or whatever?

Is it true there are only TWO kinds of bagels in MTL?
-- Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃

no
-- Will M.

no
but only two worth eating imo
-- s1ocki

Wait, by this did he mean, like PLACES? or did he mean FLAVORS? in retrospect my answer ot either probably shoulda been "yes"

i think flavors, which is true

seriously?

hippie & yuppie

dude & dudette

cats & dogs

francais et anglais

sesame & poppyseed

it seems like everything in this city is really like ONE VS THE OTHER! especially food! i was thinking about how when it comes to cheap poutine/hot dog chains, it's belle province vs. lafleurs; smoked meat it's schwarz's vs. main (although imo there is no contest here), st. viateur vs. fairmount, sesame vs. poppy (i am such a child, I almost wrote "poopy" then I laughed out loud at the word poopy)... is this the same everywhere or jsut here? i'm originally from ottawa where instead of 2 of everything good there was 0.

lolttawa

if only laughing were legal there, maybe it'd be less "the worst"

dude, do the test again... fairmount better. and i say this as a VETERAN. nuttier, crispier on the outside.

some canadians friends used to call ottowa "the twa" for short

s1ocki we're definitely in agreement then-- i prefer the slightly softer, less nutty st. v! those are the exact things that tipped me in the saint's direction in the first place!

i thought of another 1 vs 2-- CHEZ BONG VS HWANG KUM!

vs bulgogi!

chez bong is the charming young upstart, hwang kum the venerable institution. both are amazing but since I'm closer to Chinatown I tend to take a hit from le bong.

is bulgogi the one that is near the AMC? imo it doesn't quite compare. but waht do i know?! i like st-v bagels! i can't even remember now if i have actually been to chez bong...

we should do a "FAM" at some point (like FAP but meal instead of pint) because this city is so full of meals!

totes. we are FAM-ily.

dudes. foood.

going to new ramen place on st-l tonight... will report back

we should just have a BBQ at mine

also because i need to meet ilx people because i am SO BAD AT DOING THIS APPARENTLY (went to robyn's show and bounced quick, went to s1ocki's opening but he was busy, didn't get antexit's invitation to bun b in time)! seriously it is ridiculous.

bbq's are good! i miss having them since my place has no bbq, there's a hibachi that's been sitting there since we moved here 2y ago, but it looks GROSS.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2133/2495453197_ba4af04076.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2101/2496277636_2e93d3f1c1.jpg

^^^ from my brunch-b-q

are those poatoes with eggs in them?!?!

yes, they were my very successful attempt at making BBQ eggs.

that is insanely awesome. i picked a good day to come back to ile.

is there an "after" picture?

yes, they were my very successful attempt at making BBQ eggs.

very innovative, dude. much props

(also just because something is cooked on a grill doesn't mean it's BBQ thx)

(/BBQ police)

oh cmon we live in canada, it's winter here for like ever, let us have our bbq ways

the after picture is of my belly.

what i did was bake potatoes teh night before, opened them and emptied them out, then poached the eggs, with a little butter, inside their shells. the potato interiors were transferred to a foil package including much butter, cheese, ground pepper and fresh rosemary.

then i grilled a pound of bacon.

and YES JORDAN I KNOW ITS NOT REAL BBQ BUT WHAT RRROBYN SAID>

can't quite dig a pit on my deck.

im not sure how i feel abt this egg in the potato on the grill thing - on the one hand i admire the whimsy - on the other im not sure you actually did anything

i poached an egg.

DEAL.

also i finished them with thin slices of old cheddar and some piri-piri.

thats all fine and good but: on the grill?

i would eat those bbq grilled potato eggs and cheese etc FOR SURE

jhose how can you hate on those eggs?

yah i mean id eat them sure

im suspicious that slocki is just being cute here - im the cute police ok

i am going to go get a new york bagel right now

cute or not cute i don't even know how to poach an egg on a stupid STOVE so my hats off to him for doing it IN SOMETHING I CAN EAT on a BBQ with CHEESE!

seriously every time i try to poach an egg it ends up looking like white spaghetti and tasting like garbage. iv'e triedsalt, i've tried vinegar, I've tried "coddling" it instead of poaching it... fail fail fail fail fail

look dude i was havinga BRUNCH-B-Q and grilling bacon, sausages, all sorts of veggies and stuff and i thought it would be a fun experiment! i guess i could do the same thing in the stove but it would be far less fun for me and my guests, plus i'd have to be running back and forth from the kitchen and the deck and all for what? to satisfy YOU!?!?!?

the cute police will never be satisfied

they are deceptively hardcore

lol im just fucking w/u i luv yr eggs bro

it's ironic cuz there's nothing cute about them.

ha xp

tho theres no way that can be described as poaching

so here's another thing to do. get some thick-ass bacon from the butcher, put it on the grill, then serve it with maple syrup for dippenin'.

tho theres no way that can be described as poaching

-- jhøshea, Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:07 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i agree. the correct term is BBQ EGGS.

i want to try the potato egg thing just to see what happens. sort of a mythbusters thing.

you mean grilled eggs.

i would marry those fucking eggs

my controversial, marriageable eggs

my big, plus-sized, controversial, "bbq" eggs wedding

MTL CREW YOU GOT MY HEART

<3<3<3

guys did i mention i finally have a bike and i'm soooooo happy

ME TOO! i traded my tiny one with some tiny girl on craigslist for her larger one. it was awesome.

so the best.

it seems like everything in this city is really like ONE VS THE OTHER! especially food! i was thinking about how when it comes to cheap poutine/hot dog chains, it's belle province vs. lafleurs; smoked meat it's schwarz's vs. main

I'd say it's more one AND the other. Even when you think you're safely pursuing a duality-free luncheon at a random sandwich place you are instantly confronted with DEUX CHOIX de salades. Carrot salad vs. chickpea salad vs. the other ones. You see, those salads need their rivalries to make the whole lunch more delicious. You must choose, but you must choose TWICE!

guys did i mention i finally have a bike and i'm soooooo happy

how did i know this? you said it somewhere anyway and i was like whoa! i just never thought of you as a bike rider, for some reason. i think this bike scene of yrs is a v great thing. what kind of bike is it? road, mtn, oldie style?

another good & related thing abt biking everywhere is that it makes you super hungry and so you can eat more food. just don't be like me and eat the same thing over and over again. trying to break the rut. but it's hard. am reading 'the omnivore's dilemma' tho not sure wehther that's helping uhh

it's an old mtn bike i bought from a friend for $25 including lock!

and ya i need the exercise, all this bbqing is making me fat

that is a rad deal
i wonder if you will become all into bikes. bikes & bbqing really go together
i have this dream/idea of having 4 dif bikes for dif and completely reasonable purposes. but obv that is totally excessive and bourgeois. i've had teh same bike since 1994!

bagels

i <3 biking to bbqs.

(biking from bbqs is not quite as much fun.)

i'm gonna make a bbq bagel burger.

it will be GIANT!

i am a pro at the post-bbq bike riding danger course return trip

GUYS

i just bought bagels

and biked home

with the bagels!

:D

wait wait guys, could you grill french toast?? i think that it might actually be possible

oh TOTALLY
also you can grill skewers with bananas & strawberries on them, which have been marinated in like sugar & cinnamon & etc, and then put those on top of the grilled french toast and then put more syrup on top of that!

omg this is gonna be a THING

breakfast kabobs

ppl should own up if they haven't tried both, 'cause I wouldn't have believe the MTL bagels either but we went to that one late-night MTL bakery after a show at La Zona Rosa and holy shit, that is a fucking delicious bagel

also aren't most of the NYC bagel places now owned by Bruegger's

elmo, i thank you, because grilled french toast is gonna be next on my list. that's awes.

lol la zona rosa... you mean la sala rosa?

i srsly think i'm going to try putting some french toast on the grill tomorrow morning, thx canada.

i think the only thing that maybe the smokiness of char or wood grilling would not be suitable to sweet confectionary breakfast foods? or maybe that flavor complexity would be precisely the point!?? i don't know!

don't thank canada, thank rhode island

but still thank canada for having mtl and therefore this thread

due props to canada, of course of course

haha
i need an apartment that has a balcony and therefore a place for a bbq to be

that's illegal here (grilling out on a balcony).

you know what, you could maybe even prepare the grilled french toast by soaking mtl bagels in the egg mixture

split, natch

french toasted bagels, interesting...

then you need to make a bacon/egg/cheese sandwich obv.

flavor possibilities == endless

just thinking the bagels might hold up better on the grill than sliced bread, unless it was a really hearty rustic bread

you guys are blowing my mind

i have been so boring with the food thing for tooo long; it is time for change

srsly tho grilled french toast bagels!

yeah, this is definitely gonna be a thing

french toast bagels, not for me. sorry, that just doesn't work.

it's gotta be thick hand-cut challah or nothin'!

it's true that challah does make the best french toast. i mean, it's almost french toast already.

best french toast in mtl, and probably in a fairly wide radius, is the pain perdu dessert at leméac. insanely thick piece of french toast (seriously, at least 4 ins) topped with ice cream and maple caramel sauce. fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

omgwant

fuuuuuuck pain perdu. yes seriously fuuuuuuuuuuck. jesus. wow.

also: ZONA ROSA. I LOVE DER MOUNTAIN GOATS.

dude... casa... last night... so bad

Overall food quality in MTL is low-average though. You have to admit.

uh no. overall food quality of low-budget food is low-average (but plentiful). quality of more expensive food is amazing. it's one of the foodiest cities in north america.

i just biked to a craft fair in a church basement, ate some amazing polish food, bought a bike bell, biked to the butcher, bought ribs and pork chops, drank down an espresso & grappa the butcher made for me and came home. about to grind a spice mix i got at the market and marinate the chops for bbq tonight. i got no complaints.

oh and the bike bell says LUNCH PATROL on it

where did you buy the bell? and i need a hookup for one of those cheap bike LED lights. or two.

i am going to a BBQ tonight and must figure out what & where to buy. i am not feeling very ambitious and thus am waiting for something delicious to spring to mind.

i actually SAW YOU s1ocki but of course i was inside olimpico and you and M were headed to the OTHER PLACE i think so i wasn't going to hiss. i forewent pierogies this morning in favour of BAGELS with lox and cream cheese, as is a custom in many lands.

ok this is turning into the livejournal i don't have.

i really need to get a bike so i can bike everywhere and eat everything.

i ate two bagels with creams cheeses this morning!

actually i probly wasnt going to the other place, but getting my bike, to go down to vito.

sean you have 10 minutes to get there before they close!! just go and tell them you want something good for the grill, vito'll hook you up!

ok in keeping with my new and urgent philosophy of JUST DOING IT SEAN, i got off my novel-editing butt and went to Vito's, where i have never been, and though i do not know who vito is i bought this veal spiral sausage thing. the butcher said "you'll like it". i intend to. but um what do i DO with it? it is an enormous spiral! i am thinking i cut it up a little and eat it with a baguette aka buche bio. so many question marks.

I think I had that Montreal club confused with a neighborhood in Mexico City, my bad

ok sean that is a great sausage!

and great move!

here's what you do. don't cut it, pinch it or poke it (that's what vito told me). just put it on a medium grill in a coil. now according to the man, 2.5 minutes on each side is fine for that sausage but i'm a BIT wary of undercooked meat so i think you could do 4-5. then take it off, cut it up, eat it with baguette and dijon mustard!

i just had my first piano lesson!

montreal is being good this spring so far - seems to be all abt piano/music lessons, bikes, language learnin', and foood with a lot of people i know incl myself. tho i have been such an uninspired cook for too long... i shld visit vito

i think of the cheap-level food that things like vietnamese baguette sandwiches are one of the most awesome in the categorie. ate a grilled chicken one earlier today and daammn just what i needed (evryone's got their fav place i guess - this was from hoang oanh. i only know b/c i have a sandwich card.) discovered pretty good sushi place in st henri yesterday too!

was thinking abt bagels tonight but then i bought hint-of-lime chips

i just had my insides hollowed out and replaced with bass by kode 9 + space ape!

i chickened out of making crazy breakfast foods or even buying bagels. :( instead i ate a cornmeal crepe w/eggs, pepperjack, black beans, sour cream, and salsa (from a food cart), made chicken tacos for dinner, and bought a durian fruit.

uh no. overall food quality of low-budget food is low-average (but plentiful). quality of more expensive food is amazing. it's one of the foodiest cities in north america.

But it's the enormous price gap between the two cuisines that I find unsettling. You're either eating tiny hot dogs that look like they've been through the dishwasher or you're staring in the window of some candlelit restaurant at the serene and well-dressed foursomes enjoying their cervelle de veau confit ($47) or whatever it is. Complete lack of middle ground.

Also every restaurant here still serves those disgusting 80s-style "egg rolls" as well as other mall-Chinese not eaten anyplace other than shopping malls since the 1980s. Thai food usually isn't, and I've developed an aversion to poultry. Also in this week's Bonne Bouffe! circular, a Chinese restaurant makes the following claim: «Notre chef YAN KAN KOOK vous prépare les mets chinoises authentiques». I thought, okay, you're going to claim that your chef shares his suspiciously made-up-sounding name with one of the most famous Chinese cooking programs ever. Fine. So I continued reading and was confronted with page after page depicting a depressing mash-up of pizza, greek salad, sad-looking shwarma, french fries, and things doused in some kind of sauce. I tell you, if there was a way to put meat sauce on salad it would happen here first.

Mushrooms are also, disappointingly, not on the menu. Why do people not eat mushrooms in MTL? Practically absent from the markets, impossible to find a mushroom burger anywhere.

The sushi, though, has been quite good!

important lists to be aware of (disregard the date - they're updated as of may08)
http://endlessbanquet.blogspot.com/2005/05/list-pt-1-m.html
&
http://endlessbanquet.blogspot.com/2005/05/list-pt-2-n-z.html

fields of salmon i have NO idea what you're talking about. for one, sushi is so not the thing to eat here--heartbreakingly, mtl is one of the worst sushi cities i have ever been to.

second i have NEVER seen egg rolls or token chinese food ANYWHERE but the most greasiest of diners. i have no idea what that yan kan kook thing is all about but it makes me think you are not going to the right restaurants.

third, high-end restos are for the most part really affordable compared to counterparts in toronto, vancouver, new york, pretty much anywhere else. especially if you know WHEN to go: lemeac after 22h00, most other places at lunch.

there are many, many, many restaurants occupying that middle ground; just look at the links robyn posted. and in the future, i would just avoid any non-chinese restaurant with chinese dishes on the menu.

otherwise:

oh man the WORST THING ever happened. my fridge was left a crack open all night and i'm worried all my food is fux0red :(

ohno! i guess you could eat/cook it all today! was going to say it's prob all fine except maybe seafood but obv also depends on how long stuff has been in yr fridge in first place?

yeah me posting those links was sorta also me waiting for you to say what you just said and also another way to say o_O what bizarro mtl world r u bein in fieldsofsalmon? maybe this is an issue of semiotic-confusion, looking in the wrong places for the right things or vice-versa + just not quite getting the signs re: what/where the good food is. but i also think this is not an uncommon thing when one goes to or moves to another city/province/country

i think the rack of baby back ribs is doomed :(

important lists to be aware of (disregard the date - they're updated as of may08)
http://endlessbanquet.blogspot.com/2005/05/list-pt-1-m.html
&
http://endlessbanquet.blogspot.com/2005/05/list-pt-2-n-z.html

-- rrrobyn, Sunday, June 1, 2008 4:58 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Link

I've never been to NYC, but I'll vote for it on all future NYC v MTL polls because food in MTL is disgusting. I'd argue that the Endless Banquet is the culinary equivalent of a long-term care facility (it aims for the palliative, not the palatable).

If I need to print out a blog and carry it around with me just to ensure that I won't poison myself, something is wrong.

you are insane

oh, i was having it out last night with some fools from Montreal trying to rep their shit. i wasn't having it!

s1ocki OTM

yeah srsly what the f
it's no new york, it's not vancouver, it's not etc etc but there are plenty of good inexpensive places to eat in this town and plenty of crappy places too. i have noticed that for a lot of people who move here, it takes a while to figure out the signs/symbols of what a good place to eat or hang out or whatever - it's kinda different than in the rest of canada or in the states - i mean obv this is a cultural issue ya gotta stay open to and just get used to and figure out. then it's all taaadaaa look at all these great things. which applies to a lot of stuff. in life.

i did go out to eat way more when i lived in vancouver but i had a decent income/no loans and also if i had my way i wld eat any form of 'asian food' every night of the week, which is basically what vancouver rules at

ya vancouver is great for asian but i wouldnt be all, oh montreal's no vancouver when it comes to other stuff.

yeah exactly, that's my point! no city is no other city, by definition, but even then really, montreal's got a lot of decent stuff to choose from. it's not like our only choices are like family chain restaurants and fast food or even casse croutes or falafel places. i mean even st henri and verdun have upped their food games lately.

and also there are a lot of good groceries too for making food at home! how quaint we are

thanks for clarifying, i definitely thought that montreal was vancouver!

you americans

fields of salmon are you still eating at places that serve egg rolls and burgers?

jean-talon market is cause for serious envy.

lol max
but like on some other thread where someone was saying they couldn't live without burritos and we're all like try something else b/c montreal is not a burrito town and they're like NO! i mean what can a person do but continue to clarify the obvious

tho btw i ate chicken quesidillas at taqueria mex on st laurent yesterday and they were really good. tho to the haters i wld like to point out that apparently montreal is not southern california either!

Dear MTL:

1. In future, please clean all seafood properly.
2. Poultry can be trimmed prior to cooking so as to remove any tendons, gristle, or other unpalatable elements. This can have the additional side-benefit of enhancing the appearance of a dish.
3. All ground meat is best served fully cooked.
4. Some customers may be offended if served lettuce that is significantly discoloured, particularly if it is apparent effort has been made to conceal discoloured lettuce by folding fresh lettuce over the top.

I found a place near me (in TO) that sells "Montreal-style bagels", and while I realize that it is not the same thing, I gave one a try. I guess I wasn't reading this thread carefully enough; I was surprised by the malty sweetness. It tasted a lot like a pretzel. So, hunh. I liked it well enough, even though it still went into the "not really a bagel" slot; when I finally make it up to MTL, I will look forward to eating the real thing.

dont trust any toronto bagels claiming to be mtl

A lifetime of "NY-style bagels" has taught me that lesson. Still, it seemed like it might offer a hint.

That experience is a placeholder, written in light pencil, until I taste the real thing.

i guess one of the great/frustrating things abt mtl also is that it has many secrets that perhaps shld not be secrets and are not nec secrets in other towns. like how to actually drive in this town in order to get anywhere in decent time w/o accidents or huge diversions. and where to get great clothes/jewellery/etc. and i guess it wld seem, where to eat. tho a little research goes a long way.

casuistry you will tell us when you visit, right??

No, it will be one of those MTL secrets!

Welllll, ok. I will.

I have this crazy notion of wanting to first go to MTL with someone. I have this notion that it would be romantic to explore the city.

Therefore I shall never go.

Dear MTL: All ground meat is best served fully cooked.

where are you getting poorly cooked ground meat, the sexy breakfasts or something?

but yeah the produce is a little shit, that's not the resto's fault so much as the suppliers.

field of salmon i really cant imagine where you are eating.

maybe fields of salmon lives montreal, wisconsin

imagine all this time he was hahaha

where has jhoshea been?

i know, eh
i wld feel a fool
xpost

hm, yeah

:(

http://www.montrealwisconsin.com/map.jpg

i live at The Inn
btw

lol montreal, wisconsin.

but yeah the produce is a little shit, that's not the resto's fault so much as the suppliers.

I actually find the fruit and veg quite nice (and cheap!) when purchased from a market and prepared at home. But when the same produce finds its way into a restaurant kitchen, bad things happen.

Also, général Tao, anyone? MTL should name a street after this asshole.

I should just give up the restaurants and eat at home all the time. I'd save a ton of money, but it wouldn't really solve the nagging feeling that there is edible food somewhere in this city.

they charge fucking 3 bucks for low fat veggie cream cheese at the deli. but i mean like ON THE BAGEL, not on the side. THREE DOLLARS. my bagel and coffee came to OVER FIVE BUCKS I LOVE NEW YORK THANKS

It's $2.60ish at my neighbourhood chain bagel place. And that is not even for NYC bagels.

I'm actually more alarmed that a deli coffee is over $2?

i don't know, i don't know. something was wrong. i called them when i got back to my desk. the deli. i called the deli and asked them wtf

Delis so rarely get such customer feedback. What did they say?

he was giving me some bullshit about the veggie bit. "oh yea, yea, is VEGGIE cream cheese. veggie, yea"

bitch please

A MTL update:

The results of our bagel poll were so close that I had to try both St-Viateur Bagel (which won 46% of the votes) and Fairmount Bagel Bakery (44%) while here in Montreal.

First, thanks to reader Squeezebottle for this suggestion: "Montreal bagels are best eaten fresh from the oven or warmed up a bit before eating. They go stale very quickly so time is of the essence." Without this advice, I might have waited until we got back to our apartment before trying them--in both cases, the bagels were best enjoyed right outside the store.I made sure to visit the original St Viateur location and Fairmount within minutes of each other, in each case sampling a sesame bagel both with and without cream cheese. While both Fairmount and St Viatuer have several varieties, like chocolate chip, multi-grain, cinnamon raisin, etc., I found it best to stick to the bagels that were coming down the long metal chute next to the oven (at both shops, these were sesame)

Photos and more at the link etc.

got a hookup. canadian bro is bringing me back some mtl bagels next month (although i guess they'll be stale ;_;).

he's right about the winner

and you're right about the staleness

they charge fucking 3 bucks for low fat veggie cream cheese at the deli. but i mean like ON THE BAGEL, not on the side. THREE DOLLARS. my bagel and coffee came to OVER FIVE BUCKS I LOVE NEW YORK THANKS

― Surmounter, Thursday, August 21, 2008 12:47 PM (10 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Have you lived here, like, five minutes or something?

nonono he is wrong. i stand by my post from last year:

1) st-viateur bagels are the best bagels if you are eating a (whole) plain hot bagel.

^ this i am certain of and has been scientifically proven by my belly.

2) fairmount bagels are the best bagels if you are eating them (vvvv fresh) with cream cheese. (also they do a good 'first bite'!)

3) st-viateur bagels are the best bagels if being eaten (hot/vvvv fresh) with peanut-butter.

also s1ocki i got an email from a friend who is travelling with the Atlantic dude to do the poutine uh survey. he invited me along! but i am not there. :(

god what i meant to say in that post was not "oh wow i am awesome" but s1ocki, hit me up if you are free in the next couple days so i can try to put you guys in touch.

was sure this revive was going to be about the soon to open Montreal Bagel and Poutine place in brooklyn...

http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/mile-end-brings-montreal-cuisine-to-brooklyn/8842

that's noah! i met him! he seems to have his heart in the right place and uh is loaded.

A new front:

http://www.themorningnews.org/article/bagels-toasted

(Overall history, obligatory NY/Montreal section towards the middle.)

Also I regret not weighing in on this thread when I visited MTL in 2010. Suffice to say that yes, I would eat all these Montreal bagels.

While the sentiments of the article cannot be faulted, it is heavily overwritten.