Joe Beef

This is the fourth post in the Oh Canada series, summarizing some of the great eats I had when visiting various Canadian cities this past year. Other posts in this series include St. Viateur Bagels, Le Bremner, and Schartz's Smoked Meats.

I hate dining alone.

Some people love it. Bryan travels a lot for work and is perfectly content relaxing at a restaurant, reading his iPad, and enjoying a nice meal.

I hate it. When I'm at home in Boston, I would rather scour the fridge and eat scraps of random stuff that I can dig up than go out alone. I get so bored sitting there, staring into space. Sometimes I'll whip out my phone and read emails. But at the end of the day, I would much rather relax at home.

So just a couple weeks ago, I had to go to Montreal for business. Thankfully, the first night some colleagues took me out and I had a lovely dinner at Le Bremner. The second night, however, I was on my own.

I soon decided that the uber famous French restaurant, Toque, felt too formal for a gal dining by herself.

The other famous place, Pied au Cochon, seemed like it had great food, but such huge portions that I (again) really wouldn't be able to enjoy anything if I went there by myself.

So instead, I reserved a table for one at Joe Beef, which turned out to be perfect.

View from Jen's seat at the bar

Joe Beef has a really nice bar where solo diners like me can enjoy a lovely dinner while watching oysters being shuck.  It was great - I sat between other solo diners. We ended up chatting quite a bit and  I learned a bit more about Montreal (from the local guy on my right) as well as about lots of other food related stuff (from the food industry woman on my left).

It turned out to be a really, really fun evening.

But back to the restaurant, who is Joe Beef?
"Joe Beef" was the nickname for Charles McKiernan, a 19th century tavern owner and philanthropist from Montreal whose tavern, "Joe Beef Tavern" refused service to no one. His tavern welcomed people are all races, all classes, etc. and became a social hub for the working class in Montreal.

This man's name was the inspiration behind the newish restaurant in Petit-Bourgogne (Little Burgundy) neighborhood of Montreal called "Joe Beef," which opened in 2006.

Joe Beef has become known in the U.S. largely because Anthony Bourdain visited it on his show. The Joe Beef guys just published a cookbook this year, and they're hot right now. The place is super busy, lines go out the door, and it's quite difficult to get a reservation.

It's hard to describe the food at Joe Beef (it's definitely not just beef!). The menu changes constantly and is written on blackboard throughout the restaurant. The emphasis is on fresh, local ingredients. There's quite a bit of interesting game as well as lots of foie gras.

Most of the vegetables served at the restaurant come from their own garden (at least in August this was true). I had a lovely, simple mixed greens salad that included their own baby kale, bibb lettuce, and a bunch of other greens I can't even name. It was tossed in a lovely smoked vinaigrette and topped with smoked cheddar, pumpkin seeds, and some beauiful red, edible flowers.

One of their signature dishes is a "double-down foie gras," a breaded and deep fried piece of foie gras (not unlike KFC coating) in a sandwich with homemade bacon, smoked cheddar, and mayonnaise. It's crazy decadent, but, according to the girl sitting next to me, "very delicious, though I feel like I might fall sleep right now after eating that."

Don't come here if you're trying to watch your cholesterol. There's plenty of foie gras all over the menu. They serve this particular version which is mixed with marrow and other good stuff, and then stuffed back into the bone. It's sort of a "bone-in" foie gras. There are various liver terrines. They have a lobster foie gras pasta and a seafood stew that are staple menu items.

I tried spicy and flavorful Stuffed Squid. I could not identify all the components, but there was definitely corn in the stuffing, as well as something that was bready which held it all together. The sauce was bright, bold, and piquant. It definitely had some Spanish or Latin American influences. The squid was tender, and the accompanying shrimp was very juicy and flavorful.

Filet Mignon de Cheval (horse)

It's not unusual to see various types of game on the menu. The day I was there, the chalkboafd menu included quail, rabbit, and even horse (which is illegal to slaughter in the US). The guy next to me ordered a "cheval" (horse) filet mignon (which came with a poached egg on top) and was surprised at how juicy and tender it was.
Desserts were fun. I tried something more unusual - a Corn Financier. The financier (which tasted like a dense, sweet cornbread), was served on a smoked husk and topped with real corn. It sat in a flavorful creamy sauce surrounded by fresh and intensely flavorful raspberries and blueberries. The combination worked surprisingly well.

The place was the packed the whole time I was there. By the time I tried to leave, I saw a line that literally went out the door. There must have been at least 10 people waiting in line.

The food is quite good here. I really wished Bryan could have been there because I could have given you such a better sense of the food here. Bryan loves foie gras, bone marrow, and all the sorts of things that Joe Beef does really really well. Alas, I just couldn't eat all that by myself. I will confirm that their lighter options are still excellent. I an also attest that the woman who sat left of me at the bar loved her foie gras double down, and the guy sitting right of me could not stop raving about how good the horse filet mignon was.

Though I wouldn't come here on a regular basis (my arteries would cry uncle), I definitely think it's a destination-worthy restaurant if you're visiting Montreal. They make a lot of unique dishes here. Even if you're not into the unusual foie gras, game meat, or bone-marrow related dishes, you can still try all sorts of other really well-executed dishes.

Seriously, it seems like everything here is really, really good.

Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre Dame Ouest
Montréal, QC H3J1N5

Schwartz's Smoked Meats

This is the third post in the Oh Canada series, summarizing some of the great eats I had when visiting various Canadian cities this past year. Other posts in this series include St. Viateur Bagels and Le Bremner.

Who would have thought that one of the most famous places in Montreal - a "must-visit" that was recommended to me by numerous people - would be a Jewish deli?

Although the French influence is definitely the first thing you notice when you enter this city (they do speak French after all, and the place is filled with boulangeries, boucheries, and cafes), you soon begin to realize that there's quite a strong Jewish presence here as well.

Montreal is very well known for its freshly made bagels, which resemble New York bagels but are smaller and sweeter (check out the full post here). I soon learned, Montreal is also very well known for smoked meats, especially at this one historic Jewish deli which has been here since 1928, serving up some of the best smoked meat I've ever had.

Schwartz's is no secret to tourists. Just during our visit alone we heard several different languages being spoken in the dining hall. In fact, I ended up sitting next to some Americans from Florida.

Definitely show up early if you don't want to wait in a long line. Above is what the front of the restaurant looked like when I arrived at 11:45AM.

By the time I left (only about 45 minutes later), it looked like this.

Yep - arrive early. It's worth it!

Although the menu offers all sorts of different meats and sandwiches, you should just order their one signature item - basically anything made with their homemade smoked meat. Everything else that they sell (e.g., the sausage, chicken, etc.) is made by others - in other words, outsourced.

The classic thing to get (and what most people ordered), is the simple smoked meat sandwich ($5.95). White bread simply slathered with mustard and piled high with the gorgeously flavorful smoked meat, you really can't go wrong.

You have only one choice to make: lean, medium, or fatty?

We asked the server which one was the best. He said if it was our first time, he would recommend the medium. However, the "fat" one was definitely more juicy. For fun, we ordered one of each: one "medium" and one "fat".

Above is a cross section of the two types: on top is the medium; on the bottom is the fat. You can definitely see a few chunks of fat in the "fat" one on the bottom.

We definitely both liked the "fat" one more. It's definitely more juicy and still very, very flavorful. Of course, the medium one is delicious as well. It definitely tastes like a pastrami sandwich, though I find their meat to be less salty (which I like) and still deeply flavorful.

We ordered a simple pickle as a side, whose crisp acidity worked great to cut the fat of the sandwich.

The guys next to us ordered fries. I can't imagine wanting to eat fries to complement the rich sandwich (which is why I ordered the pickle), but I guess it's nice that they offer it.

You can order various sizes of the meat as "take-away" at the store next door. They sell everything from an entire side of meat ($70-100, sold by weight), to just a few slices sufficient for a sandwich.  I wasn't sure what the policy was for bringing meat across the border, so I did not buy any meat to take home  (sad!).

If you don't feel like waiting in such a long line for a sit-down meal, you can also order takeout sandwiches at their shop next door (which may still have a line, but it moves faster).

I had a great time sitting in this old school Jewish deli. The service is friendly but fast paced. The decor is simple and the prices are cheap. The smoked meat is incredible and probably amongst the best I've ever had (though some say it's equivalent to the sandwiches in New York). I can't say because I've never been to Katz or Carnegie Deli.

If you have time, I'd recommend trying to eat in. However, even if you don't, definitely at least try to take-out one of the sandwiches. They are really, really good.

Schwartz's
3895 Boulevard
St-Laurent Montreal
QC H2W1L2

Le Bremner

This is the second post in the Oh Canada series, summarizing some of the great eats I had when visiting various Canadian cities this past year. Other posts in this series include St. Viateur Bagels.

Chuck Hughes is Canada's darling when it comes to food TV. He was one of only two Canadians ever to win Iron Chef America on TV, beating Bobby Flay. He currently has a show called "Chuck's Day Off".

Le Bremner is Chef Hughes' second restaurant. Located hidden almost beneath street level with the inconspicuous words "restaurant", we almost missed it. In fact, the cab driver had to recheck the address again before we confirmed that, yes, indeed this little red sign was our destination.

Although his first restaurant Garde-Manger is more popular and harder to secure, more than one food enthusiast has remarked that Le Bremner actually is better and it's where Chuck hangs out more, often working the line.

Le Bremner is dark inside, with almost a taverny feel. There's a definitely loud energy to the dining room, complete with a funky blend of "oldies" ranging from Cheap Trick to Bryan Adams (well, I guess he is Canadian).

All their sodas are made in house, such as their root beer, lemon soda, cola, and tonic water. The special drinks offered that day sounded fabulous, but I decided to go with the simple gin & tonic.
It was good, although a bit too sweet for my tastes. I still preferred Jaleo's versions of gin & tonic.

The menu definitely focuses on seafood (yay!) and is divided up into seven sections: Chilled Items, From the Outside, Bread & Cheese, From the Stovetop, From the Broiler, Vegetables, and Dessert.
Many of the dishes are designed to be shared, sort of like tapas. Because there were three of us, we were able to order a nice, wide variety of dishes to share, which made it really fun.
Scallops on the half shell ($6) were served with a pickled celery vinaigrette and lemon, though the server actually suggested skipping the mignonette and just eating it straight up with lemon. These were pretty good, though not the best I've ever had (not quite as good as the incredible raw scallops in the sushi world).  Still perfectly enjoyable, of course.

Raw Scallops Tartare (one of the specials of the day) was fresh, flavorful, and delicious.

Spicy Raw Salmon ($18) sounds simple enough, but it's actually salmon that has been cured in beet juice so it looks like tuna. It's topped with a dill mayonnaise, capers, and crispy tempura flakes. Lovely flavors, even though it was weird to eat something that tasted like salmon but looked like tuna.

Kimchee Snow Crab with Crispy Rice Cake ($22) definitely had the strong, bold flavors of kimchee. I personally felt that the kimchee overpowered the delicate sweetness of the snow crab. Nevertheless, the dish did have an interesting textural interplay between the crispy rice cake base, soft tender crab, and mushy, fibrous kimchee.

This creamy seafood dip (I can't for the life of me remember if it was raw fish or scallops!) was fresh and creamy with subtle flavors from various herbs and spices. The salty umami of the pork cracklings added just the right amount of zing and crunch to really completed the entire flavor and texture profile. I enjoyed this one a lot and definitely came back for second helpings.

Lobster Toast au Gratin was under their "foccacia" section, though I really had a hard time distinguishing this from a good old pizza. It was nice enough, with a buttery crust and flavorful, bold toppings.  However, it was a bit underwhelming for me since it really just seemed like a nice, fancy pizza. They did crack a poached (or sous vide?) egg on top, which was quite lovely.

Hake and Clams ($25) was beautifully flavorful - what a good idea to combine clams with any fish, really. The pieces of hake were cut up and almost stuffed inside the clams. Although the clams were a bit rubbery, the dish had a lovely, very flavorful seafood broth that was fantastic.  I loved the bits of Brussels sprouts on the side as well - one of my favorite dishes.

Cornbread With Broiled Garlic Shrimp ($20) was nice and savory, an inspired twist on shrimp and grits. The cornbread is pan seared in butter (oh my) and then topped with a fragrant sauce (made with seafood stock, herbs, celery) as well as microgreens. The flavor combinations definitely reminded me of shrimp & grits, but probably much healthier!

The Beignets came with three filling choices, of which I can only remember two: chocolate and raspberry. These were fine, but nothing particularly special.

The Blueberry Lemon Tart had wonderfully juicy blueberries (and generous amounts of it, might I add), which worked great with the tart.
My favorite? The Pancakes were incredible! - soft, fluffy, buttery, reasonably yeasty (or was it baking soda?) and nicely salty. It was addictive with the sucre and melted butter on top. Even though I was full, I took several helpings of this one. It was fabulous and most definitely my favorite dessert.

I had a fabulous time at this little restaurant. The food is excellent, though definitely a bit expensive for the portion size. We ordered the equivalent of 3-4 courses a person, and we essentially ate everything. Both appetizers and main entrees hover in the $20ish range, so it can add up pretty quickly,

The ambiance is dark, pretty casual, and very comfortable. The service was great. The server spoke fluent French and English (almost everyone in Montreal does), and she offered a lot of great advice about the food.

Though we did not take advantage of it, the restaurant has an amazing "terrace" where you can eat outside.

Afterwards, if your feet are up to it, walk down the cobbly roads through old Montreal back to downtown. It's a lovely walk (if the weather is cooperating), and you really get a great tour of old Montreal.

Of course, I paid for it with a horrible blister (yes, I was wearing heels), but I don't regret it one bit.

Le Bremner
Old Montreal
361 St. Paul
East Montreal,
QC H2Y1H2

St. Viateur Bagels

This is the first post in the Oh Canada series, summarizing some of the great eats I had when visiting various Canadian cities this past year

There's truly something irresistible about a fresh, piping hot bagel.

When my Canadian-Boston transplant friend found out I was going to Montreal, the first thing she requested was that I bring back some sesame bagels. For her, the memories from college (when she was at McGill) were priceless.

"It's super fun to go in the middle of the night and grab a fresh piping hot bagel as it rolls down the wooden chute."

"sooooo good."

Yes, exact words from her email. She really wanted these bagels.

What could I do? I had to make the special trip.

In Montreal, you typically hear about two bagel places: St. Viateur and Fairmont. The two are only a few blocks from each other (one on St. Viateur Street, the other on Fairmont Street), so you could really visit both if you wanted. I had a tight schedule (a flight to catch!), so I could only choose one.

I hailed a cab and told the driver my plans. I only had about 15 minutes to head to a bagel place before I had to rush over to Schwartz's to beat the lines.

The driver assured me that St. Viateur was the better place. He thought the bagels were different at the two places, and he much preferred St. Viateur.

"Everybody who is visiting Montreal always wants to go to St. Viateur. Trust me, that's where you want to go."

I guess I decided to trust him. He seemed to be telling the truth. In fact, he even stopped and picked up some bagels himself when he took me there.

St. Viateur is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. You can really stop by at any time and "grab a fresh piping hot bagel as it rolls down the wooden chute."

It was quite clear that sesame was the most popular flavor. They were making HUGE batches of sesame bagels compared to all the rest. It just so happens that sesame bagels are amongst my favorite as well, so I ended up ordering eighteen (!) sesame bagels, and 6 others (assorted flavors).

It's also fun to visit St. Viateur because you get to watch all the bagel making action.

Check out that huge slab of dough, ready to be cut into bagel sized strips.

Montreal bagels are a little smaller than American bagels. The hole is bigger and the overall bagel is "thinner."

It's really cool to see the rows of bagels going into the huge wood-fired oven.

Though there's no way you can eat them all, I would highly recommend eating one bagel fresh on the spot. They are definitely hot when you get them, and that's by far the best time to enjoy them. The exterior is crispy (I love how the sesame seeds toast a bit and become super fragrant), and the inside is just a hair sweet and chewy.

Soooo good.

Once you take them home, try to freeze them as soon as possible. According to my Canadian friend (who apparently has some experience doing this), if you freeze it the day you buy it, it tastes almost as good as fresh when you re-toast it.

If you have a vacuum sealer, you can vacuum seal them, which will keep them from drying out. Any remaining bagels that you don't finish within a day or two can be sliced up, toasted, and made into fantastic bagel chips.

I ended up liking all the other flavors I bought as well. The 9-grain and flaxseed were both nutty, fragrant, and sweet. I had really wanted the "All-dressed" (everything), but it was still baking in the oven when I arrived. Because I was short on time, I had to forego it this time around.

Are they as good as New York bagels?
Oooh, hard to say - they are different, and I think it's a matter of preference.  Any fresh bagel out of the oven beats a non-fresh one, so in that sense they are both fantastic. If I had to compare them, I would say that Montreal bagels are smaller, less dense, and are just a tad sweet (which I like). Both are delicious, especially if eaten fresh. Gosh, I really can't choose between them.

In any event, all I'm saying is that St. Viateur is most definitely worth a visit.

St. Viateur
158 St-Viateur
West Montreal, QC
H2T2L4