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This sandwich hasn't changed since 1928. And today we're eating through 100 years of Montreal's most legendary food. A bagel debate that has divided the city since 1919. Oh. A sandwich with rules you're not allowed to break. Whoa! Smoked meat cured for 10 days, carved by hand. And we're ending with the dish Canada is most famous for. Real old-school Quebec poutine. Oh, wow. Some people call Montreal the best food city in Canada. Some say the best in the world.
Today, our mission is to find out why. But we have a lot of food to eat today, and I'm going to be hanging out with a friend who loves to eat just as much as I do. Luke! Welcome, welcome. Thank you. What's up? So good to be here. Yeah. First time in Canada, Mark. I'm super pumped to show you around. I think you're going to love it. We've got some delicious food lined up for you. This is my friend Luke Martin, the food creator behind Chopsticks Travel.
He grew up in New Brunswick, but he spent years eating his way through Montreal. And today we're eating the undisputed legends. Super pumped to eat. We're going to be eating all kinds of delicious Montreal foods. And we have a lot to eat today, starting with one of the biggest, probably food rivalries. in all of Montreal, or maybe Canada? Safe to say. Definitely. Let's go, man. Welcome to St-Viateur. And you just smell the aroma. They're still cooking using a wood-fire burning oven.
One of the ultimate icons of bagels in Montreal. Montreal-style bagels. And we're going to learn all about them right now. Very nice to meet you. Thank you for having us. Can you tell us just a little bit about the history about St-Viateur? Yes. Hi. So this place. has been here. since 1957. So it's what, 65 years? So Myer Lewkowicz was the founder of this place. He was from Poland, and he was a Holocaust survivor. Wow. He came to Canada. and then learned the trade here and then opened up a bagel shop.
This is the original place, so if you want to come visit the original. Okay. We have the wall of fame. We have the bag still there. Oh, okay. Yeah. I love it. We haven't changed the recipe. That's one of the things. We haven't changed the recipe. We make about a thousand dozen a day. A thousand dozen a day?! Every bagel is handmade. And they're all rolled out. All by hand too, right? All by hand. That's amazing. And then five minutes in boiling water, we put a bit of honey in the water. That's what makes the bagel. the best.
Awesome. So after the bagels have been boiling for about five minutes in the honey water mixture, we're going to see what happens next. They're coming out right now! Oh, they go into the trough. Scooped out of the water, and then go directly into the. the seasoning. This one's sesame seeds. Yeah, we're gonna make some poppy seeds also. Okay, great. The two original flavors. All right. And then they go directly onto the wooden planks.
This, when you eat one bagel like this, you go for a blood test. It's not good. Oh, yeah. Poppy seeds. So they're gonna think you're on drugs. Yep. Ready to go into the oven. Look at how long that. It's like a 2x4 of. bagels goes slotted right into the oven. These are the extra seeds. Oh, okay. These are like the charred seeds. Yeah, look, it's gonna help. Oh. So the extra seeds, they pop and also give it aroma and smoke to those bagels.
Oh, what a move! Another batch. Another batch is ready. Oh! Sprayed with sesame seeds. So that's the entire process from start to finish, making. these legendary bagels. And that end move, where they're just tossed into the trough, it will make your mouth water. You hear the crispiness, as they land onto the pile of bagels. They smell so good from that fire, that toasty, roasted aroma. Oh, I cannot wait to try them. So then how it works is, this place is only takeout. You come and you have these fridges here along this wall.
They have all the different condiments. They have all your cream cheeses. You grab a tub of cream cheese, and then you walk to the front, and then you make your bagel order. And they're just literally directly out of the oven. Some of those bagels came out of the oven five seconds ago, and they bag them up, and they're on your way to your stomach. This is your table. Thank you. Oh, amazing. That is chef's table right there. So I think we got the best table, the best place to sit in the entire place on the bags of flour. Actually, this looks like sesame seeds and salt.
We've got flour over here, but we are surrounded by the elements. that make the bagel possible. The best way to enjoy it. This place. is incredible. Yeah, really cool. What. a place. We've got a bunch of different kinds, too. Hot, fresh. Yeah, exactly. Here we go. Let's open this up. I think this one's going to be the. sesame. Or this is a mix of everything. Oh, man! Dude, I just opened that bag, and the aroma has just been, like. it's been, it's been uh, like, pressurized inside this little bag.
All the steam from those hot bagels. Oh, yeah. Before the cream cheese, let's go for the. Just the straight bite. Oh, and I just love how it's just like they literally just shower it with sesame seeds. Dunk it, completely submerged. Luke. Cheers, man. So fluffy. Yum. You know what happened when I took that bite? You bite down, it squeezes and compresses, and then it. comes back.
It's like memory foam. It is. It's like memory foam. Oh, it's incredible! And it's so smoky and toasty. The crispiness of the sesame seeds. Yup. It taste a little sweetness in there. They, they do add a little bit of sugar, and then they boil it with a little bit of the honey as well. But it's not, like, overly sweet. It has this gentle sweetness that just complements the smokiness, Yeah. I think. No. Really good. Sesame. That is phenomenal! Yeah.
Oh, man. I love it! And you know, you gotta have these when they're fresh. Like, if these sit overnight, they're still good, but it's nothing like this. Uh-huh. Yeah. You cannot beat the freshness. No. Look at that texture, though. Yeah. It is like memory foam. Yeah. Springs right back. Yeah. Okay. Should we go for the cream cheese? Let's go for a dip. Oh, yeah. Oh. Get a good blob of cream cheese. Here we go.
Oh, I love it! Oh. Mm-hm. There's a reason cream cheese is. a marriage with bagels. It's just a perfect combo. That creamy, richness, the cheesiness, the coolness to pair with the crispiness of the bagel. So many sesame seeds. My first time trying a Montreal-style bagel, and it is exceeding my expectations. It is phenomenal. And just the fact that they still roll out into ring shape. Every bagel is personalized. Yep. Every bagel is unique. All 1,000 dozen. per day. Really? Yes. You're getting a unique bagel.
12,000? Wow. Wow! All wood fire, too. Yep. Twelve thousand. And on that note, let's try our next. Let's try our next bagel. Let's do everything. Yeah, I think everything. Everything? That's the. that's probably their most famous after the sesame seeds. Okay. So poppy. sesame. I think a little bit of onion on there. you can see, look at the two bagels. So that, man! They're. like, completely, slightly different.
Yeah. Which is great. I mean, they're similar in size, but every bagel has its own. identity. Yeah, exactly. It's got, like, some resistance. Yep. Once you go cream cheese, you can't stop. Exactly. It's just a perfect combination. Oh, it is. Oh. I can already smell the onions. Those charred onions, that fire embedded into it.
That honey bath. Yeah, the onions really come through. It adds a lot. And this one, I think, basically it has sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and onions. The sort of characteristic of a Montreal bagel. They tend to have a little bit bigger of a hole in the middle. Yeah. Probably because also they're handmade. Exactly. Yea. And rolls them into a ring. So it's like your whole fist is within that. ring. Right. That's why they're all unique. So good.
An absolute institution. If you miss St-Viateur when you are in Montreal. You can't say you've been to Montreal. You would regret it. But that's only half the story. Three blocks away, the family that started it all. rolling bagels since 1919. And theirs have actually been to space. And I believe it's four generations still family run. So this is Fairmount Bagel Bakery. It was started by my grandparents. They came over from Kiev in 1919. Wow. This house. was my granddad's house. It was built in 1897, and he actually built the bagel factory in the living room of the house. So he lived upstairs.
And every morning they would come down and open the front door and start business. Amazing. Yeah. What was the story of the. the bagels going into space? So we have a cousin, his name is Gregory Chamitoff. He's an astronaut, and he was given the. privilege of bringing a couple of foods into space that he loved to eat. So one of them was our bagels. So he brought them. That's awesome! We have confirmation. Fairmount bagels have been to space! And now we're about to try them. An amazing. All made by hand. And now a fresh batch is coming out of the. the honey water. Scoop them out.
Oh. And then that goes over here to the seasoning station. They go into a full dunking of sesame seed coating. Generous with the sesame seeds. Roll them all around. Then they go onto the. the wooden paddle. That roll move. Look at how long that wooden paddle is. It's huge. Okay, and here's a fresh batch ready to go. Oh! The bagel toss. Whoa! That's amazing. So originally, we had the oven on the other side of the bakery where we have a long.
Like a chute, like a channel. Then my father decided to build this second oven, but he didn't have enough space to put another bagel shoot to toss the bagels out. So he had to figure out. how he was going to remove the bagels and toss them from the oven. The only option was to put the basket in front of the oven and throw them into there. That's awesome. Yeah. It's like a whole stream of bagels. Fresh, ready to go. So we got the Fairmount bagels. This time we decided to go for some smoked salmon? Or is it. salted?
Salt salmon. Yeah. No, it's smoked in Quebec. Yeah. Local smoked salmon. We've got the cream cheese. uh, and yeah, this is the original. Since 1919. Four. generation. bagels that have been to space. Well, not the bagels we got, but. it is cool. fest. Yes! We're having a Happy to eat them on flat ground. Yeah. Oh, take a, take a whiff. Oh. Oh, wow! Let's try the everything first. Yeah. I mean, this everything is. even more loaded than the other one.
It is really everything. Yeah. Completely plastered in onions, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds. And look at how even the distribution is. I know. It's packed though. Perfect. It's perfect. In French they say tout garni. Like everything. Alright. Try as is. Plain first. Yeah. It' a little bit saltier on the outside. The bounce back again. Yep. The foaminess. From the caraway seeds is like a little bit licoricey almost or something, right?
Yeah. That's really distinct to the caraway seeds. I do like that salty. crunch. It has like rock salt on it to give it that salty crunch. Yeah. So fragrant with all those seeds. Look at the inside. Really good. It feels a little bit more. dense maybe than the. than St-Viateur. Really good. Okay, I'll try it with the cream cheese. Yeah. And then we'll try it with a salmon. Gonna dip in. Just scoop in with the cream cheese.
Can't go wrong. So dense. So. pillowy. So bounce backy against smoky from that wood fire oven. Should we try cream cheese and salmon? Yes. Dip in the cream cheese. Grab a piece of salmon. Here we go. I'm just gonna drape it on. Yeah. Yep. Oh, look at that bite. That's perfect.
Oh, wow. That combination. Cream cheese, smoked salmon, bagel. Phenomenal. Smoky. I think it's a friendly. competition. It's a friendly rivalry. It, I mean, I think rivalries are great for the promotion of a food as well, because. everybody has their favorite. I think locals, from what I was reading, they're quite divided. Yeah. Which one they like better. But in the end, they're both absolute. bagel institutions. And for you and me that just love to eat, I don't think you can miss either one of them. You have to try them both. Yeah, you gotta try them both. Yeah. But anyway, let us know. in the comments. Leave a comment. Which bagel you think you would want to try, what you think about Montreal bagels, if you've had them or if you want to try them.
And while you're at it, give this video a thumbs up and we're on our way to the next spot. We have a lot more to eat. Bagels made Montreal famous, but they're not what actually built it. Before any of this existed, Quebec ran on one dish. Beans, lard, and maple. And one place has served it unchanged since 1938. So, Mark, I brought you to La Binerie. This is like a Quebecois, just home style cooking. It's kind of hard to find that here in Montreal. Place is heritage. Another institution. Yeah, that's correct. Some Quebecois food, classic stuff.
Very cool spot. Quebec style diner, greasy spoon. We're in for a, a hearty breakfast. Second breakfast. Yep. Oh, the crepe goes on. Oh, and that's the black pudding. Oh, smells amazing already. We've got some. ham. We've got the crepe, and the eggs are going on the other side. So we're in the kitchen now. Just gonna see the breakfast being assembled, but man, it looks. hearty. Guaranteed to be filling, to be tasty. And we'll showcase the local Quebecois breakfast of champions.
Okay, it's time. Assembly time. That looks amazing. Perfect. Breakfast. ready to go. Okay. And one of the reasons you have to come here, and they have this amazing, like, heating oven. over here at the front to cook your breakfast in the back, and then they scoop you the beans in a trough, which are cooked in pure lard, floating in pure lard. They smell amazing! Oh, and these are the famous beans with maple syrup.
Uh, no sugar added whatsoever. Oh, okay. So it's. That cooked to nine hours in pork fat. So it's just pure beans and lard. Exactly. And that's the final part of your breakfast. Let's eat. Man, these are, like pretty, pretty breakfasts. Yeah. Heavy too. Those eggs are just. perfect. Definitely will give you energy for the rest of the day. That's without a doubt. And we've got some Quebec maple syrup as well. That's the real. Oh, man. the real deal.
Yeah. Like 80% of the world's maple syrup, I think comes from Quebec. Maybe more. Comes from Quebec. That's incredible. Yeah, the real deal. Should we dig in for the. the blood pudding first? Yeah, it's kind of calling my name there. All right. Okay. Yes. Very excited. Man. Blood pudding. Look how soft. Oh, yeah! Barely picked up. And this looks like pure. For. Very bloody looking. Yeah, yeah, it is. It's like crumbly.
Oh. It melts. That is amazing. Oh, wow! It's so rich. It's got, like, that distinct. sort of iron-y taste, but it's not actually overpowering. Nice and greasy and good. Yeah. And I think it tastes pretty pure, too. Like, it's not. It's so meaty. It's not like. Like, carbs in there.
It's just like pure blood. Yeah. You can barely pick it up here with fork. I know. So soft. That deserves another bite immediately. Oh, it's phenomenal. And then we'll move on. Actually, I'm desperate to try that egg. Yeah. Look at that. Look at that yolk. So delicate. Do a. a yolk spill. Oh. Just melts in your mouth with the richness of the yolk. So, Luke, what would people in Quebec, what would they use the maple syrup for?
Everything. It doesn't matter. It doesn't need to be sweet. That's awesome. You can just pour it on anything you want. Absolutely, in the eggs if you want. Blood pudding. On the meat. Sweet, savory, everything. Yeah, it's a perfect combo for. everything. I'm gonna go in for some of the ham, mandatory. I'm gonna take some sausage here. Choose your protein. Yeah. With the sausage, the maple syrup, it's perfect. Maple syrup. Oh, wow! With that smoky. protein, the ham and that hit of maple syrup with the sugary sweetness, but, like, the, the natural sweetness.
Yeah. Balances it. That is so good. Let's try the crepe. Go for it. Jump in, Luke. I think when you start to mix everything and start, like, yolk starts getting on everything. Yeah. Syrup. Maple syrup starts getting on everything. That's when things get better and better. Then you're really eating it like a Quebecer! Yeah. Uh-huh. There's a little vanilla in there or something. Yum. Nice consistency. Nice, and silky as well. Yeah, it's at the bottom of the plate, so it kind of just soaks up with everything from on top.
All the juices accumulate. Exactly. But now I think it is finally time. Yes! It's time for the beans. Oh, you just have to admire these beans. They're actually glistening even before you take a bite. They're melting in your spoon. Yeah. Amazing. Oh, wow! It's, those are some of the creamiest beans. you might ever eat in your life. Seriously. They're so rich. Oh. Wow! Thank you. Incoming. Some people like to put ketchup on it, but you don't have to. All right. Very good. Enjoy.
Thank you. Wow! How about those beans? You know what's amazing is that they're so rich. They're so much lard. But they don't feel. like porky. No. Yeah. It's like, clean tasting. Oh, it's a beautiful flavor. It's quite savory. A little salty, but it's just a burst of. flavor. I mean, who doesn't love lard soaked beans? Oh, my goodness. You could, that could be a spread. You could just spread those on your toast because they're so soft.
Yeah. It's almost the same consistency. Yeah. Oh, wow. Okay. This is Quebec Tourtière. It's like a meat pie, pastry pie. It's, you can only find it, really here in Quebec. Okay, first time to taste this. There's so many, so many first dishes here for me. Look at that steam. Oh. Oh, wow! Hot and fresh. So flaky and crispy. Buttery, and that meat mixture, that's like the definition of. meatiness. And I think this is an absolute must.
You're gonna. absolutely love the. mega breakfasts. And trust me, those beans. they are, they're one of a kind. They are something that you will. remember for the rest of your life. This is bean heaven. Poutine, Quebec's national dish is still coming up. But first, a sandwich you're not allowed to change. No cuts, no substitutions, no exceptions.
Since 1932. Man, I love the green theme. You walk in here, it's on the corner of the road. This place is not even retro. It's original. Looks like nothing has changed in almost 100 years. There's gumball machines. There's, like, snippets of history all around. It's incredible. And I can smell the bologna. Yes! Yep. in the air. Yeah. Okay, here it is. The Wilensky Special. This place is so cool, so original!
The sandwiches over here. Then you've got to get the. soda, which they make for you. They mix for you right here. as it's been done for decades. Love the colors. Wow! Okay, that's. pineapple and. strawberry. Thank you very much. Cool. Here you go. Thank you very much. Let's sit down here. So cool to be here, really. Everybody steps in here, grabs a Wilensky Special, and you have it in front of you within seconds. And they just ask with or without cheese, so.
It's like, really the only. option you have. is the cheese. Swiss cheese or cheddar or none. Yeah. Mustard is mandatory. That's one of the rules. But yeah, look at this. This is beautiful. It's simple. It's small. It's all you need. Yeah, it's cool. It's so cool. Look at that bread. It's unique as well. It's smashed down. Yeah.
I'm sorry. Oh, that is good. Simply delicious. Oh, that's like. everything you could want in a salami bologna sandwich. Oh, it's actually quite a lot of meat. Yep. Like three, three, four layers of salami. The bologna with that cheese, with that bun, which is really unique. It's like, it's like been pressed down so it's not fluffy, but it's like condensed. And then it also has that cornmeal that kind of gives it a crunch. Yeah, it's really like a unique bread. Like, they're, they're doing it just for Wilensky's here. And, like, this place is so popular, like,
partly because it's delicious, but also it's super cheap. It's like five bucks for a sandwich. So you can come in. Quick lunch. Light lunch. That's what they call it. Wilensky's Light Lunch. Yeah Wilensky's Light lunch. Yeah. Oh, it's a taste of 1932. It's wonderful. And then we also got the sodas, which they hand make. You can pick and choose all your different flavors. I'm trying to remember what we got left. I don't know. Green and orange.
We just got one of the brightest sodas you could get. Oh! That is sweet. Yep Flavorful, and nice and bubbly. You can tell it's less like than when you get it in a can like this, you taste more of the soda water. Like when you get in a can, it's like real syrupy, sugary, And it kind of burns your throat. Yeah, yeah. This one is, like nice and light going down your throat.
It's the perfect thing to wash down the bologna. Maybe get a pickle. All the crunch. The salinity. The acidity. That's the trio you want. Bite of the. the Wilensky Special. Bite of the chip of the pickle. Sip of the soda. You're looking like a real Montrealer now. Wow. That's a wonderful combination. Time proven. Never goes out of fashion. And. I think we did it without breaking any rules. We're going to make it out here. Safe and sound.
Don't worry. Yes! And now, this is big. The reason people cross the world to eat in Montreal. Cured for 10 days in a secret spice mix, smoked every single morning, carved by hand, exactly the way it was in 1928. Welcome to the most famous deli in Canada. Welcome to Schwartz's. Frank. thanks for having us. He's the manager. Yeah. Nice to meet you, Frank. Nice to meet you. What are you serving? Smoked meat sandwich, the best in town. Everybody comes to Montreal, or Quebec, or Canada, has to come Schwartz's.
Mandatory. Absolutely. Now Frank is going to take us, walk around, see some of the behind the scenes. What goes into the smoked, the Montreal smoked meat at Schwartz's before we try it. Absolutely. Thank you, Frank. My pleasure. Let's go. Let's do it. Thank you. Here's the kitchen. Here's one of our smokehouses. We got another one at the takeout counter. You notice that's Frank, two, because I'm Frank One. Okay. When I'm not here, he takes. he takes over.
Okay. Are you ready for it? Whoa! See, these are our briskets. Wow! These are some chickens in the bottom, too. So they've been in here since 9 o'clock. Amazing. So all the meat, the briskets, they've already had a dry rub on them for 10 days. You can see coriander seed in there, black pepper. And now they go into the smoker for over eight hours. The aroma, the size of these briskets. Look at that dry rub. It's caked up onto them. It already smells incredible. And we're going to move on to the next process.
Here's our steamers. Oh. And so the steaming does that kind of. Tenderizes, softens the meat. Tenderizes. Yes. In a smokehouse for eight hours. Okay, so after it's smoked, how long does it steam for again? Approximately four to five hours. We gotta check, make sure it's nice and soft. Then we take them out the kettles. We keep it in the. container to keep warm, and then we hand slice. Hand sliced. This uh, these are plates of meat. It's a finished process.
How many go through in a day? Well, at least 2,000 pounds a day. Two thousand pounds of brisket? Yeah. So a thousand kilos of brisket a day. How many briskets is that? Are they like 20 kilos each? No, no, they're around five, six kilos of briskets. Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. Oh, okay. Okay, okay. So after the smoked meat is. Then it goes into the steamer. It steams for four, four hours or so. Then it comes over to the carving station and they slice those briskets. You can order. lean, medium-fatty, and fatty. Three choices?
Yeah. Or medium. Okay. What fattiness level is this? That's medium. And this is rye? This is rye. A light rye. Cool. You choose your level, your fatness level. They hand slice everything. That's so impressive! Slice it like, a ninja. Slice that into thin slices. A pile. A mountain of smoked meat goes onto rye. All the rye is stacked up here. A mountain of rye. And then before it's served, a lathering of mustard onto one side of the rye, lid goes on sliced in half, directly to your plate, directly to the table.
This for the poutine. Chopping skills. Just mincing it. Oh, wow! Oh, oh. That goes on top. of the poutine! Your mouth is guaranteed. there's to be a waterfall. of mouth-watering. You are guaranteed when you see, smell the aroma of that smoked meat. Oh, man, I can't wait to try it. Okay, a little confession here. This was not on my list to eat, but then we saw it. I mean, look at it! Smoked meat, gravy, squeaky cheese. It earned its spot. But the original, the one we've been chasing all day, it's still coming. Luke.
Time has come. Dude, this is a pilgrimage destination. Literally. Oh! You can feel your fingers. sticking into the bread. It's fully loaded. Absolutely overflowing. There's like, ten layers of meat stuffed between two thin slices of rye with that mustard. Oh, yeah. Welcome to Montreal, Mark.
Oh! Wow! I need to contemplate. I just want to leave that in my mouth and let it marinate. It's taken 11 days to make this sandwich. Almost 100 years doing the same thing. They've absolutely mastered it. I didn't need to chew. No, this is just. Yeah. Complete disintegration in your mouth. It crumbles. The meat actually crumbles. Okay, another bite. Oh, wow! The fatty juiciness, the meat literally, like, you can feel the fibers and the muscle just, like, shredding into your mouth. Yep.
You taste the care in that brisket, from that dry rub, the coriander seed, the black pepper, and other spices that we'll never know what they are. Their secret recipe. At least we won't walk out here alive. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or you'll never see us again. If we knew the recipe. The smoke for 10 hours. And the way that dry rub sits on there for 10 days before it then smokes, steams, and is sliced and enters your body.
Luke, you want mustard? Yes, please. Okay. Yeah, load me up. Yes. Yeah. Can't, can't have enough mustard. That's good. Thank you. No. Oh! The meat drippage. Like that any other meat on this sandwich would be, like, too much to eat to finish, but this is no problem finishing one of these yourself. Just glides down your throat. Let's try the pickle? Yeah. Okay. Right. Go for it. Yeah. No, let's slice it. Let's do a pickle chunk.
Well, that's a full sour, right? But you've got that vinegary, like, brininess of. Yeah. The acidity cuts the richness of the smoked meat. It's a perfect pairing. My first half. of smoked meat Montreal sandwich. It went down so easily. And there's another thing along with the pickle to cleanse your palate that you have to try. So. to eat with your smoked meat sandwich, the classic pairing is a. black cherry soda. Okay.
So especially like in the Montreal delis, you got to go cherry soda. Okay. Yeah. Cherry soda. Let's try it out. Refreshing it. Oh, man, that does hit the spot. Okay, Montrealers know what's up, man. That combination. I'm not a big soda drinker, but wow, that after the saltiness of the meat, -and the fattiness, the richness of the meat, taking a sip of that cherry soda, like, it actually refreshes your palate perfectly. Okay. And then from here.
Yeah. Oh, man. We've got a little meal now. Okay. This was actually. completely unplanned. We did not expect to order this poutine. Spontaneous poutine. When we were filming up there, we saw them make one, and we couldn't resist. Poutine. Yeah. With the smoked meat. Should we just. scoop in? Yeah. I recommend, just make sure you get a cheese curd. So go all the way down. Yeah. Get deep on that.
Okay. Get a cheese curd. Might make a little bit of a mess. Yeah. Oh. Let's go deep. Oh, oh, oh, it's so hot down there. Oh, it's the spillage. Okay. Oops. I got cheese, I got gravy. I got smoked meat. Showered in smoked meat. Quebec poutine. Your first. First one. It is my first. Quebec poutine. That's an honor to have it with you. Thank you, Luke. I'm still connected. Oh, wow!
The key to a good poutine is the curds. You got to have a good quality cheese curds. They got to be squeaky, stringy. Dude. Man, it's so good. Yeah. Stretchy. Oh, it's nice and salty. That rich, like, depth of flavor from the gravy. The fries managed to still stay crispy. Somehow. Under all of those. juicy toppings. And then, yeah. I mean, you cannot go wrong with that smoked meat. It's phenomenal. Thank you, Frank.
Thank you, Schwartz's. Take care. It's a must. There's a line going out the door. The entire restaurant is completely full. And Frank said it would be pretty full all the way until 11 p.m. tonight, for 12 hours straight. They're just knocking out Montreal smoked meat. non-stop. Five legends down, one left. We've had the twist. Now for the original, old-school poutine, made the way it was invented at a tiny 1958 diner that still brews its own spruce beer. This is what we came for. Nice to meet you, man. Of course. Nice to meet you. What's your name? Alexi. Yep. Are you the. son of the.
I'm the son of the owner. Future owner. Okay. Incredible. Oh, yeah. Once he's ready for retirement. Very cool. Third generation? The third generation. We've been open since 1958. Tell us a little bit about this place. This place is a very traditional way to. everyone in this area knows here. Because we've been open since '58, you know, so now they got children, when they were young. It's now their children that come here. And it's like. It's crazy. It's a very. neighborhood spot. Exactly. Everyone knows the place. everyone.
Yeah. So what should we try? Everything. everything's good. This place is unbelievable. The menu is simple, it's comforting. It's pure Quebecois food. Comfort food, fast food. And we're here to try some of the absolute classics that you can't miss. So the fries go in. Yep. And they cook. These are fresh potatoes every day. We peel them, then we chop them, and then they're ready to be served.
Okay, now for the hot dogs. And they're called steamies, right? Steamies, yeah, 'cause they're steamed. Oh, the bun and the hot dog are steamed. Oh, yeah. It's very good that way. Oh, that's extra soft. Mustard goes in. We're getting fully dressed. Includes relish. You're not getting a ketchup and mayo, though. Okay. The best part! We're holding the tradition, man. And cabbage and onions.
Exactly. There we go. Those fries are extra crispy for the poutine. Wow! Okay. Directly onto your plate. Wow! Yeah. That's the real deal. Next up, cheese curds. Go on. Oh. Not one bag. Two bags. Can only get better. Oh! Look at the cheese curds. And then. Sauce. The gravy. Here we go. The gravy goes on! Oh, wow. Not slacking on the gravy. Oh, man. That's going to melt the cheese curds. Wow!
This is unbelievable. And I think, would this represent kind of the heart and soul of Montreal, Quebec. food culture? Absolutely. I mean, there's so much more, but this is like. comfort Well, yeah, even more broad than Quebec. Like, this is Canada on a plate right here. Canada on a plate. And there's so many. I mean, a poutine is almost like a canvas, right? You can do so many different things, so many different toppings, but this is about as classic, as old school as it gets.
Yep. Yeah. This is the OG. Just fries, gravy, and some real good quality Quebec cheese curds. But before we eat this, let's try the hot dog. Sure. We're going to just contemplate that poutine for a little bit longer. We got the Steamy. Another classic. Quebec, Montreal. Just. it's mandatory. Oh, and you feel the softness of that bun. right now. Everything is steamed from the hot dog to the bun, Go for it man. all the toppings. Yeah, Look at that dog. Oh, it's really light too.
Yeah. Cheers. Wow. Delicious. Yep. That bun is so soft and fluffy. Just completely collapses in your mouth. It has a bit of a chewiness as well. Yeah. And a little bit of crunch from the, the cabbage on there. The hot dog snaps. It has fantastic flavor. There's nothing not to like about a steamy. A Montreal steamy. This is like. the hockey game's on. You got one of these in your hand. Maybe a cold beer. Life's good.
They could go down so easily. Yeah. Fantastic. And then to drink, we got their famous. spruce beer, which is actually non-alcoholic, but it's one of the few places. in Montreal that you can get it still. Yeah. So Alexi was explaining, like, it's really got a history back to like indigenous times when they would brew beer with the spruce needles. But nowadays, well, they're still doing it, but they're using like a concentrate. So, yeah, you can taste that.
That's going to taste like a Christmas tree in a. in a bottle. Yes! Just pop it. Oh, yeah! Okay. There you go. Surprisingly, it actually You think it's gonna have color to it, but it's actually clear. Yeah. Oh. Very. Yeah, because it's in a brown bottle. When you smell it, though, you'll, you'll just get that piney. Christmas tree aroma. With that carbonation. Oh, yeah. It has a little bit of a yeasty aroma. Fermented. to it. Yeah. A little bit of a sourness. Made with, yes, spruce needles. Oh.
This is a first for me. I'm excited for this. Me too, actually, I've never tried. Spruce beer. Yeah. Wow! Oh, that's wonderful. Refreshing. Yeah. It does have a little bit of a yeasty flavor, a little bit of a sourness from that fermentation. Beautiful carbonation. Lightly sweet. Yeah, you can, you can, you can tell that, like, it's got that pine flavor, but it's not, like, super strong. And it's not super sweet either, actually.
Yeah. You know, we're seeing here in Montreal a lot of these dishes just really go well with. the local pop. Yes. Like, when you eat salty, fried, rich food, We call pop, not soda pop. Oh, yeah. you need something bubbly and sweet to counteract that. Oh, this is a wonderful pairing. And yeah, from what I know and have read, it's very rare to now find one of the few places in Montreal you can still get it. Like, -- almost nowhere else. Yeah, yeah. Something you have to try. Oh, yeah. -- That will help with the digestion. Okay.
Poutine blend? It's time, man. All right. We have worked our way up. Yeah. We have summited the poutine mountain. This is peak Montreal dining. Yeah. Right here on a plate. And this is the best place to do it. Going in. Oh, you want to get a little bit of everything. Yeah, just load up on those cheese curds. Yeah. Cheese curds. Stack it on the fork. Gravy. Oh, look at that bite. I might get a few more cheese curds.
Want to make the most of my first bite? My first ever traditional Quebec poutine. Oh, wow. You know how they say the cheese curds are supposed to squeak within your teeth? That's a squeaker. Yeah. That's a squeaker, dude. Yeah, it's got, like. Not in a bad way, but it's got, like, a rubbery texture. But in a good way. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Really good stuff.
Those fries are cooked until they're, like, creamy on the inside, crispy on the outside. That gravy just coats and saturates everything. Soaks into the fries, absorbs into the cheese curds. The amalgamation of it all. And a little bit of the hint of, like, a barbecue, because they're using a barbecue-style gravy, here at Paul Patates. Yeah. So it has a little acidity to it. Yep. Yeah. How is it? That's good. Your first OG. poutine. Dude, it is. it is phenomenal. Yeah? It's everything you could want for. in a plate of poutine. and more.
It is. That will warm you from your inside out. And I can imagine when it's, like, frigid cold weather. Oh, yeah. Minus 30. And you get this into you. There's nothing else you'd want to be eating. No, exactly. But the cheese here, it's all about the cheese. So good. You can taste the quality. Yeah. Fresh potatoes. You taste the freshness of the potatoes. You taste the. just the quality of everything. Yeah. Spruce beer.
Lots of people tell me it tastes like forest. It does. Yeah. Yeah? Like a Christmas tree. Does have a forest flavor. Yeah. Oh! What a combo. Yeah. That's a game over combo right there. You can just call it a day. Stay right here. Yeah. Oh. cheese curds.
Luke, thank you. It's a pleasure to show you around Montreal, Mark. Thank you. What a day. Go check out Luke's channel. And now I know. why Montreal, is one of the world's greatest food cities. Day one in Montreal was incredible, but check out day two, where we're eating some of the greatest fast food in Montreal.
