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

Foumami

You know it was bound to happen right?

It's an ingenious concept that was just waiting for someone to pick up.

First, start with the Chinese shao bing, a flaky, savory pastry that the Chinese have been eating for centuries as a outer "shell" to wrap you tiao (Chinese fried crullers) or beef and scallions.

Next, fill it with all sorts of different creative, non traditional but tasty Asian meats and vegetables.

Finally, open up a trendy sandwich shop where people can pick and choose what they want.

It's like a creative Bao Haus, but applied to shao bing sandwiches. Imagine a shao bing sandwich with Korean bulgolgi inside, or maybe filled with a Japanese pork cutlet (tonkatsu)?   The possibilities are endless.

If executed right, it's a clear winner, no doubt.

Guess what? Michael Wang, a son of restaurant owners in China and an MBA from Harvard, has done just that in Foumami.

Foumami is just a single shop right now, though Michael Wang has grand plans. He hopes it will become the next Chipotle or the next Pinkberry, a high quality, popular concept that takes the nation by the storm.

After graduating from Harvard, Wang decided to open his first Foumami in downtown Boston.

Foumami is a combination of two words. The word "Fo" sounds like Buddha in Mandarin Chinese, and "umami" is a Japanese derived word that refers to the fifth sense of savory goodness.

At Foumami, the interior decor is modern, clean, and colorful. You enter and you feel relaxed and cheerful. The menu is witten on a chalkboard behind the counter, with various specials hanging below on random sheets of paper.

If you're an Asian snack junkie (like I am!), you'll be tempted by the random assortment of snacks up front, everything from standards like Koala Yummies or Pocky to unusual offerings like Sriracha Peas.

The place definitely caters to the business lunch crowd, and is packed between 12 and 1pm. You can easily order various shao bing sandwiches to go, or get a variety of salads.

I was so intrigued by the menu, it was hard to choose just one. The chicken katsu sandwich ($7.35) uses the same breading and sauce as a tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet) sandwich.  Of course, it differs from a Japanese sandwich because it uses Chinese shao bing as the bread.

I thought the sandwich was very flavorful. All the ingredients were freshly prepared, and the overall flavors were quite addictive.

The Spicy Pork Sandwich ($7.95) was equally tasty but quite messy to eat. Seriously, unless if you have the whole thing wrapped up and you're eating it on the go, the sauces will spill out as you bite into these sandwiches!

The flavors reminded me of kalbi, although Michael told me he was more inspired by a Vietnamese Banh mi when designing this sandwich. It's true, it's filled with pickled vegetables like a traditional Banh mi. I guess that's what Asian fusion is all about, borrowing flavor profiles from various cuisines and putting them all together into one big sandwich.

All sandwiches come with the house scallion pancake, which was a bit crispier, less oily, but also less flaky than a traditional scallion pancake.
They had a wide variety of salads as well, such as this glass noodle salad ($7.55). The glass noodles (undoubtedly inspired by the Korean glass noodles chap chae), were addictively spicy with tons of umami. I thought the salad part underneath was only average and seemed more like a vehicle in which to serve the glass noodles than something worth eating on its own.

Michael Wang and me

I really think Foumami is onto a neat concept. I have always loved Asian flavors, whether it be Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Taiwanese. The Chinese shao bing is an excellent vehicle on which to enjoy any of these flavors.

I personally hope it takes off. I've already tried convincing him to open his next one in Cambridge. He was totally mum about any details, but he seemed to imply that it was definitely a possibility.

Foumami
225 Franklin
 Boston, MA 02110


Disclaimer: I did not pay for my meal at Foumami. It was provided by Foumami.

All Star Sandwich Bar Global Street Foods

Bryan and I are polar opposites when it comes to the way we eat.

Bryan never snacks; eats three square meals a day right on time (ahem, that is, if you count a cup of espresso as breakfast); and demands a proper, "real" meal for dinner. No sandwiches for dinner, please.

I'm the complete opposite. I love snacking throughout the day. In fact, my ideal day would consist of little bites every two hours or so. I don't have any such "no sandwiches" rule. In fact, I'm a sucker for casual street foods and love exploring them when I travel.

Imagine my delight when I found out about All Star Sandwich Bar's month long special on street foods.  Each week features a new specials menu full of sandwiches inspired by global street foods. Some menu items are obvious "sandwich-like" options, like banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), whereas other items are more esoteric interpretations, like the tofu pad thai sandwich.

Chicken Schawarma
The owners are Greek brothers, so it's no surprise that they would have a classic Greek sandwich, the chicken schawarma (known as gyros in Greece), on their menu. This particular version has grilled chicken breast, lettuce, mint, feta cheese, citrus yogurt, charred tomato-cucumber relish, and mango tahini sauce.

The pita is nice and thick, very reminiscent of the fresh kind I saw in Greece. Frankly, I think many of the flavors (such as the mango or the citrus), are pretty subtle. This sandwich was reasonably tasty enough, but I couldn't stop thinking about the amazing gyros I had in Greece. These are still a far cry from the best ones I had in Greece, but they are definitely better than a typical Greek gyro you'd find at many local grinders here in Boston.

Jamaican Jerk Fried Chicken
The Jamaican Jerk fried chicken sandwich consists of hot sauce-buttermilk fried chicken drizzled with spicy habanero mango pineapple jam, applewood smoked bacon, jack cheese, watercress, red onions, and coconut ranch dressing on grilled sourdough bread. It was quite flavorful, although a bit too sweet and salty for me. I'm not sure how much I cared for the creamy dressing on the watercress, though it probably helped cut the strong flavors (e.g., spicy, salty, and sweet!) of the sandwich.

Kentucky Hot Brown
What is a Kentucky Hot Brown?
The Hot Brown Sandwich was invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky in 1926 by Fred K. Schmidt. The original Hot Brown was an open-faced sandwich consisting of oven roasted turkey, bacon, and Parmesan cheese baked with white bread and topped with Mornay sauce (a béchamel sauce with shredded cheese such as Gruyere and/or Parmesan).  At the time, sliced roasted turkey was usually reserved for Thanksgiving, so the idea of using it in a sandwich was quite novel and unique. The Hot Brown became insanely popular and quickly became the top choice for most diners at the hotel (95% of orders!).

Although I've never had a real Hot Brown, I must say that the version at All Star is excellent. It was by far both of our favorites out of the three sandwiches that we tried. We loved the use of French toast for the bread. All Star's version also has thick-cut oven roasted turkey breast, along with arugula, vine-ripen tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon (also thick cut!), sharp cheddar cheese, and herbed Mornay sauce. It's fantastic and we both loved it.

Bryan said, "I would totally order that one again."

From Mr. "No Sandwiches for Dinner" guy? That's quite a compliment!

Like I mentioned before, the Global Street Foods specials change every week. On the one hand, it's fun to keep trying new ones. On the other hand, it's rough to see your favorites go.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Corn
We tried a couple classic sides, such as the grilled cilantro lime corn, which was fine, though the unevenly scattered cheese on top meant that some bites were much more flavorful than others.

Hush Puppies
I loved the hush puppies, which are jalapeno filled fried corn fritters served with a tabasco remoulade. They were crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and definitely had a kick from the jalapenos! I'm pretty sure we polished off that entire plate.

7 layer bar
We were offered a 7-layer bar for dessert. I believe the bottom layer is a graham cracker crust (1), which is then topped with condensed milk (2), chocolate chips (3), peanuts (4), white chocolate chips (5), coconut flakes (6), and maybe butterscotch chips?? (7)

It was crazy sweet. I guess I can see why the server kept trying to offer us milk (are you sure you don't want some milk?). If only I had listened. It was OK, but I personally wasn't a huge fan, mostly because of the crazy amounts of sugar!

Epilogue
All in all, we had a fun time trying out the Global Street Food specials. I'm curious to see what sandwiches they come up with next. Supposedly they did a banh mi last week, and will be doing a Big Mac next. I'm sure they've got lots of other globally inspired sandwiches up their sleeve!

Now if only I could convince Bryan to come out with me and have sandwiches again for dinner.

Disclaimer: this meal was paid for by All Star Sandwich Bar

All Star Sandwich Bar
1245 cambridge st
Cambridge, MA

Canteen

Green Goddess: $10.50 Basil Walnut Pesto, fresh baby spinach & asparagus, zucchini & broccoli, avocado & fresh chopped herbs tossed in a creamy cilantro lime vinaigrette! Warmed on ciabatta.

Could it be? Finally, a reversal in the depressing trend of every other restaurant and store closing in the building across the street from me? First it was Roka, then it was Il Panino. A furniture store here and there, and then The Friendly Eating Place. This would not have been so bad had it not been for the fact that none of them were replaced.  In the past ten years!

So slowly, the building across from me has become a sad, office-ghost town of sorts. It's one of several empty-ish buildings on this side of Mass Ave. The few lone remainders, Golden Touch Cleaners, University Wine Shop, and my beloved Garden At the Cellar, are among the few businesses left in that building. The trend is so sad, an entire blog has been dedicated to it.

So the other day, when I noticed that a new place had actually opened up in the old Friendly Eating Place location, I had to go check it out.

Their philosophy?

"Local, seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients are intrinsically better for you"

This is quoted directly from Jimmy Murray, co-founder of Canteen. Jimmy Murray, who previously founded Arrow Street Crepes, has teamed up with business partner Aaron Siegal to start this new venture. Canteen appears to be an environmentally-conscious restaurant that seeks to serve delicious, healthy food that is sustainable, seasonal and local. Furthermore, it aims to achieve green certification, and has a lot of other environmentally-focused goals.

And the food? It's fantastic! I loved my Green Goddess sandwich (pictured above), which was stuffed full of crazy fresh vegetables. For once I actually like the vegetable to meat ratio. Not that the meat isn't great. In my sandwich I enjoyed high quality roasted turkey (no salty processed cold cuts here!)

Special of the Day" $7.50 Roast pork with basil walnut pesto, broccoli rabe, and white bean puree

The special of the day was also fantastic, filled with juicy roast pork, flavorful pesto, and that lovely slightly bitter broccoli rabe (one of my favorite vegetables). Out of the two sandwiches, I slightly preferred this one, but they were both really good.

All sandwiches are made to order with Iggy's bread. During busy lunch times on a weekday, the service can be unpredictable.  Bryan has gone four times, with the waiting time varying anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. They take time & care in making their sandwiches, which inevitably leads to slower service at times. It's worth it, but if you're in a hurry, you might want to go elsewhere. I understand it's a relatively new place, so hopefully as time goes by they will get more efficient.

I tried these fruit drinks they were selling and I loved them! Finally, a fizzy fruit drink that's not too sweet! It's made with pure juice and sparkling water, and has just the perfect combination of juice and sparkling water that it suits my tastes perfectly. I want to say it tastes similar to a 1:1 mixture of the two, but don't quote me on that! A 20 oz bottle is only around 120 calories, which tells you that it doesn't have that much sugar.

The space is bright, clean, airy, and relaxing and I'm loving the food. The portion sizes are rather large, and I personally cannot finish an entire sandwich (although Bryan usually does). The prices are slightly on the higher side (expect to spend $7-$10 for a sandwich), but they do use high quality ingredients. Considering this place is less than a 2 minute walk from my home, I'm sure I'll be back.

Canteen
983 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139

Cafe Luna

I love neighborhood cafes with excellent sandwiches, great ambiance, and other cool surprises, like mini cupcakes, pretzel bread, or the most awesome vanilla loaf ever.  Cafe Luna is not too far from my work place, and I just can't believe it's taken me this long to finally try out this place.

The City of Cambridge finally recently renovated the sidewalk in front of Cafe Luna, which means now there's tons of outdoor seating, which is a relief, as the cafe is super tiny inside.

I came here on one of those strange April afternoons when the weather hit close to ninety degrees.  It was awesome - the entire city of Boston seemed to be outside, desperately trying to soak in as much sunshine as possible in between our crazy rainfalls that we have been getting.

Cafe Luna offers a great assortment of sandwiches.  You can make your own, or choose from a huge list of pre-designed sandwiches.  This place is very vegetarian friendly, and there are several tasty and unique vegetarian sandwich options.  Most items on the menu cost between $7.95 and $8.95, and include either a side salad or chips.

This is the sandwich I got - an artichoke, sundried tomato, pesto, and fresh mozarella. Vegetarian, healthy, and delicious!

They use fresh baked bread from Iggy's, and they also offer a variety of pastries.  Apparently, the brunch is amazing, so I'll have to try that next time!  For now, I'm super pleased that I have a place like this walking distance from my workplace!

Cafe Luna
403 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139

Dave's Fresh Pasta

We had a freak warm spell a couple weeks ago.  It was seventy degrees in Boston and it really felt like the entire city was outside soaking in the sun.  Especially after we had all been literally soaked by inches and inches of rain just a few days before.

On days like that I love love love sitting outside and enjoying a relaxing meal.

Two Saturdays ago, I was able to do just that.  I sat outside my favorite lunch spot in Davis Square, soaking up the sun, and enjoying great conversation.

So what exactly makes Dave's Fresh Pasta so cool?

First of all, they make good sandwiches. They have a lot of different fresh baked breads and a nice variety of ingredients.  I probably still like the sandwiches at Hi Rise Bakery better, but these are cheaper, bigger in size, and still very good.

Check out some of the pre-made sandwiches in their counter!

The sandwich menu is huge, and frankly, a bit overwhelming if it's your first time there.  I was surprised at the variety of vegetarian options.  I chose a portabella, mozarella, and arugula sandwich, which I asked them to grill for me.

My friend got this beautiful sandwich filled with spinach, grilled onions, and turkey.

My other friend got the muffuletta.  I had never heard of this type of sandwich, so I decided to do a bit of internet research.  Apparently, muffuletta is actually a type of Sicilian bread, characterized by its large, round shape.  A classic muffuletta sandwich is made with an entire muffuletta loaf sliced in half.  It's filled with olive salad, cheese (such as provolone and emmentaler), and a variety of cured meats such as capicola (cured pork shoulder or neck), salami (cured sausage), and mortadella (bologna with cubes of pork fat added).  Usually they are quite large and sandwich shops will sell slices of them.  This one was HUGE!

What's cool about Dave's Fresh Pasta is that it's not only a sandwich shop, it's also a little neighborhood market that carries a lot of fresh produce, wine, cheese, and, of course, fresh homemade pasta!

It was here that I found the delicious, local burrata made by Fiore di Nonno.  They have a bunch of other great cheeses as well.

They also sell a really unique assortment of local produce. Check out these lobster mushrooms from Maine!

Of course, I always getting fresh pasta when I come here.  If you've been reading this blog even for a short while, you'd know that Bryan loves fresh homemade pasta.  They have many different types here, and they are all very good.

Plus, they have a lot of cool community events, such as pasta making classes, cooking classes, and wine tastings.

If you're in Davis Square, you should definitely check this place out.  The sandwiches are good, and the shop is super fun to explore!

Dave's Fresh Pasta
81 Holland St
Somerville, MA 02144