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Bagels, burgers, and bistros
Eating your way through Montreal
BY DAVID VALDES GREENWOOD

There are three ways to make the most of a visit to Montreal. One is to go with someone who speaks French, which will earn you a warmer welcome in certain quarters of this city famous for its Anglo-French linguistic and cultural divide. You certainly don’t have to speak French here — I am ashamed to admit that I don’t — because all the signs are dually translated, and because Canadians are not American, which is to say they typically speak more than one language, and will compensate for our woeful incompetence (though not necessarily with delight).

For those whose French vocabulary is limited to Brie and chardonnay, your next best bet is to see Montreal with an alumnus of McGill University. The vaunted "Harvard of Canada" is a hub of activity in the middle of the city, but the alumni I know (including the one I am married to) do not go back to campus on return visits to Montreal; understandably, they prefer to revel in the city itself, with its nightlife, arts, and fondly remembered dining scene. Having spent years here, they know the little hole-in-the-wall places and the true local favorites, not just the guidebook picks.

Still feeling unprepared? For visitors possessed neither of French-language prowess nor a post-McGill tour guide, let me humbly offer a third option: trust me.

On my trips to Montreal over the last decade, I’ve been fortunate enough to tag along with those who know their bistros from their brasseries, as well as McGill grads with serious appetites. And, over time, I’ve become fiercely loyal to some Montreal institutions that always feed me right. So don’t waste your time sorting through guidebooks on your next trip — I’ve got breakfast, lunch, and dinner covered for you.

Start your day with a Fairmount Bagel

If you’re a bagel snob, you suffer physical pain when you see the soft, even mushy, offerings of many bagel chains, or the wan, dry rounds that grace the conference tables at work. A non-Manhattan bagel that has a substantial crust and a chewy interior — is that really so much to ask for?

Not if you live in Montreal. The excellent bagels, which are now a storied part of the local food culture, may surprise you. Montreal-style bagel dough is salt-free and, after boiling, is baked in a wood-fired oven. The result is a slightly denser-looking bagel with a bite that is chewy, almost a little sticky (pleasantly so), bearing an undertone of honey.

You can start a fight between locals over their favorite bagel spots, but old McGillies have led me often to Fairmount Bagels, the very mention of which makes me salivate. Eighty-five years ago, Isadore Shlafman opened a small bagel-making operation, the first in the city, and established the wood-fired standard. In 1949, with his son Jack, he finally purchased a building on Fairmount Street and named the business Fairmount Bagel Bakery Inc.

Isadore’s grandchildren now run the place, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The original offerings of plain and sesame bagels have been complemented by additions like whole wheat, flax, blueberry, and cinnamon, all of which are still rolled by hand and baked in a wood-fired oven. The owners maintain that newer flavors are developed only when the resulting dough can replicate the original texture and consistency. While that may be true, the bagel snob in me still finds the plain and sesame versions the most toothsome when fresh and the crispest when toasted a day or two later.

As a bonus — as if killer bagels aren’t enough — the Shlafmans sell their addictive matzo. Crispy, unleavened slabs of white or wheat matzo are adorned with a coating of savory toppings (onion, sesame, garlic, or poppy). They make for a singular snack on a day’s meander up Mont Royal or through the Latin Quarter. I always buy a bag for the ride back to Boston, but somehow the matzo never makes it home.

Fairmount Bagels, 74 Fairmount Street, (514) 272-0667.

The art of the burger: Lunch at La Paryse

Yes, I know mad-cow disease has entered the North American food chain. And I do look askance at the caliber of ground beef your average diner is flipping these days. But if you love a good burger, as I do, you know in your heart that you won’t be able to hold out forever. And if you’re going to risk a brain-boring virus for a carnivorous fix, then you damn well want to enjoy yourself as you do it.

For my money, that means getting yourself over to La Paryse in Montreal’s Latin Quarter. When you walk in, you’re not likely to be wowed by the décor, which has varied little in the decade I’ve been a fan: dropped ceilings, poppy murals that feel inexplicably ’80s, and worn tables topped with paper mats and crayons, as if you’ve wandered into a children’s-hospital cafeteria. But you won’t care once you catch your first glimpse of a burger — huge, steaming, and glistening with condiments.

La Paryse is one of those businesses that lasts for years because it understands that doing something well is an art. In this case, it’s burgers, and that’s the restaurant’s primary emphasis. A few other sandwich and salad options grace the menu, but (with the exception of the club sandwich) these items come off as perfunctory, because juicy, mouthwatering burgers have remained the passion of the place and its loyal clientele since the joint opened in 1990.

The toppings — grilled onions, chopped pickles, tomato, mayo, and Dijon mustard — somehow manage to complement the beefiness of the burger, which holds its own because of its ample size, and because the meat is salted just enough to raise its flavor. And the La Paryse special goes a step forward with oozing cream cheese. Do be forewarned, though: the overall effect of a burger here can be a bit messy — not the most glamorous place for a first date, perhaps. (It is, however, the most affordable: a couple can gorge themselves for well under $20 US.)

On the side, skip the salad, which looks forlorn. Your arteries are doomed by the burger anyway, so pile on the fries. These are not thin, crispy frites, mind you, but a moist cousin, somewhat closer to American steak fries, but narrower and slightly browner. They’re excellent with malt vinegar or, in true Montreal tradition, dipped in mayonnaise. (Again, if you’re going the coronary route, I say go all the way.)

La Paryse, 302 Ontario Street East, (514) 842-2040.

Fast track to fine dining: Dinner at L’Express

In a city bustling with brasseries, bistros, and fine-dining establishments, picking an evening’s destination should be like shooting fish in a barrel, right? But heavy-hitters like the acclaimed Toque require reservations far in advance, and too many mid-scale restaurants suffer from middling aspirations and tourist-pleasing sameness.

For a bistro beloved by Montreal foodies and savvy out-of-towners alike, head to L’Express. Because of its generous breakfast-through-nightcap schedule, L’Express affords plenty of opportunities for diners to take advantage of its upscale spin on hearty bistro fare. But I like it for dinner, especially a late-night dinner, when the majority of companions are likely to be nightlife-loving Montrealers.

Marble tables, tile floors, and a zinc bar keep the long narrow room cool and loud, but the teeming mob softens the effect with humanity. The result is a constant hubbub, and the sense that you’re in a place of energetic conviviality. The delight in being out is palpable here, and the pleasure of shared company almost — but not quite — eclipses the estimable food.

Order steak frites and get just what you long for: the meat quickly seared and pinkly moist inside, the frites crisp, salty, and redolent. Nothing on the plate looks too showy or gimmicky; the enjoyment comes from its quality: a slab of decadent duck foie gras; a fine, chewy slice of baguette; steak tartare so fresh you can hear the last moo; and, afterward, a crème caramel as smooth as a lullaby.

Unfortunately for spur-of-the-moment diners, L’Express is hardly a hidden gem. If you’re in Montreal on the weekend, you should call a few days in advance to snag your seat. However, you’re much less likely to need dinner reservations if you go early in the week, or if you dine — très European! — at 10 p.m. or later.

L’Express, 3927 Saint-Denis, (514) 845-5333.

Bonus round: Vegetarians are foodies too at Les Chèvres

Having outlined a day that would pretty much leave a vegetarian noshing only on bagels, I feel compelled to add one more destination. Voted Montreal’s best new restaurant of 2003 in several annual round-ups, Les Chèvres proves vegetables can be the crowning glory, not the grace note, of a serious restaurant. I haven’t yet eaten here, so it’s at the top of my list for my next visit north.

Based on what I’ve read on the Chowhound message boards (www.chowhound.com) and from Montreal food critics, the seasonally driven menus at Les Chèvres are primarily vegetarian, with combinations you’ve likely never heard of: cocktails of yellow tomato juice and port, a black-plum-and-tomato salad. Entrées include crêpes filled with asparagus and caramelized onions, accompanied by a morel-and-truffled-salsify sauce, while the dessert menu features singular items like goat’s-milk tapioca with pineapple sorbet. Clearly, Les Chèvres is not for the faint of heart. Though the menu always contains options for those who can’t go a meal without meat, the reviews I’ve read suggest you should instead trust the chefs’ instincts and, if you’re up to it, try the eight-course vegetarian tasting menu.

Les Chèvres, 1201 Avenue Van Horne, (514) 270-1119.

David Valdes Greenwood can be reached at impersonalstuff@aol.com .


Issue Date: February 27 - March 4, 2004
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