Montreal Food post ( meme post to come)

Hi all,
So I know I have a blog homework assignment from fellow blogger Sal, but the other post is slow coming and my astounding gastronomic experiences cannot be left undescribed. Last night I ate food so good that I have started looking into the feasibility of starting a Quebecois gastro-pub in NYC.



Yesterday for lunch I ate a Montreal style smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz's deli on Saint-Laurent. To put the greatness of this sandwich into perspective I'd like to add that on Thursday I ate lunch at katz's in the lower east side of Manhattan, and this sandwich was better. The bread was as good, the mustard the same, but the price ( quantity considered ) was half, and the quality was equal if not better. The juicy greasy meat on two small pieces of rye with mustard was a little slice of happiness, and the reasonable quantity ( about half that of Katz's pastrami sandwich for a quarter the price) made this a perfect lunch choice.



The Montreal trip would not have been complete without a trip for some poutine ( traditional Quebecois dish of fries with cheese curds and gravy). Being men of both audacity and daring, instead of going for the standard, we decided to go big. At "Au Pied du Cochon" we reveled in gluttony and ate a tomato tartlet, marinated deer tongue, a fois gras pate, and the incomparable poutine finale... poutine de fois gras. At this restaurant they raised the dish to a higher level, the seared fois gras over the poutine was absurdly good ( and rich enough to bury any average predator). Of course the fries, cheese curds and gravy themselves were significantly better than the average, the addition of fois gras was a master stroke. Granted it has probably made my heart slow as glacial movement and my arteries hard as steel, but I can safely say that it was worth loosing those few years off my life.



Because of these two meals and other miscellaneous Montreal snacking, Tommy "Sh'Oaks"(my partner in crime) and I have decided that the only thing to do is to open a themed bar in NYC's west village with snooty French speaking waiters, Montreal style smoked meat sandwiches, a variety of poutines, and of course: an vast selection of Canadian beers( esp those imitating Belgian beers). That's right folks if we get this off the ground you too will be able to enjoy these delectable treats from the safety of the good ole' U S of A, completely free of all the Canadian cooties.