Another Foodie Ramble Through Montreal

Throughout this pandemic I have become quite the armchair gourmand, recalling past memorable locales and meals with the hope that I will be able to return to them in person for yet another culinary adventure.

A few weeks ago I posted “Following My Stomach Around Montréal” (March 13, 2021)

http://lookingtowardportugal.blogspot.com/2021/03/following-my-stomach-around-montreal.html

It was difficult to decide what to include; there is so much to choose from in this most unique of North American cities.  Since that posting, the late Anthony Bourdain’s World Travel: An Irrelevant Guide (with Nancy Woolever) has been published by Ecco Press.  Montréal held a special place in Bourdain’s heart and it was the focus of several episodes of his various television projects.  “The people who live there are tough, crazy bastards, and I admire them for it.”  And the best reason to visit the city?   The food!!  I can only say “amen” to that.

I have visited three of the four venues mentioned in Bourdain’s section on Montréal, and two of them - Schwartz’s Hebrew Deli and Marc Picard’s Au Pied du Couchon - are highlighted in my previous posting.  “I don’t really know what Montréal is like for normal people  What I can tell you is that, for chefs, it’s notoriously a very dangerous place.”  Bourdain was richly wined and dined during his visits and knew of what he speaks.  “Montréal is a chef town.  It’s a stay-up-late-and-have-a-good-time town . . . yet always with panache.”

So I have decided to take another vicarious day ramble through one my own favorite cities to sample some other favorite locales that did not make the first cut . . . simply for the fact that Montréal is a city of culinary riches.  And I may have to do this again at some future point in time.  It is a tribute to all Montréal has to offer to one in search of something tasty to eat and drink.  

This time I am limiting myself to my favorite part of the city . . . the borough of Le Plateau-Mont Royal and its Plateau and Mile End neighborhoods northeast of downtown.  What’s not to like about these bohemian neighborhoods with their brightly colored shops and residences; and the book shops, galleries, boutiques, music venues, and to top it off, a wide variety of eateries, sidewalk cafes, and watering holes to please everyone’s palate.  The streets are always crowded and one can sense the heartbeat of the city.  These are certainly among the hippest neighborhoods in North America in my humble opinion. 

So where to begin?  There are so many possibilities  I have never been much for a heavy breakfast and so I am happy to score some good coffee and a pastry or bagel.  I select Café Iso at 251, Avenue Duluth Est (at the corner of rue Laval).   After an early coffee upon rising for the day, I wander here for something a little more substantial.  I select a cappuccino and a bagel déjeuner – a fried egg, cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, with mayo épicé.  There are lots of windows and it is a perfect spot to watch the city come alive while thumbing through Le Journal de Montréal. 

After breakfast it is a short walk over to Boulevard Saint-Laurent - Le Main - for a slow ramble through Montréal’s historic Jewish quarter.  The Museum of Jewish Montréal is situated at the corner of Saint-Laurent and Duluth and it tells the rich story of the community.  This neighborhood was at one time the home of Mordecai Richler (1931-2001) whose novels are frequently set here, Leonard Cohen (1934-

2016), Saul Bellows (1915-2005) who later lived and wrote in my home neighborhood of Humboldt Park in Chicago, William Shatner, and many others.  Adam Gopnik, the American-born essayist and staff writer for The New Yorker, was raised here and attended McGill University.  On my route I pass by two iconic establishment - Schwartz’s Hebrew Deli and Main Deli across the street, both of them known far and wide for their smoked meats.  I featured Schwartz’s for lunch in my earlier Montréal ramble.

http://lookingtowardportugal.blogspot.com/2021/03/following-my-stomach-around-montreal.html

Parc des Ameriques at the corner of rue Rachel Est is a pleasant spot to sit and rest and gather one’s thoughts, or to read for awhile in the shade of its many trees.  A couple blocks further on is Parc du Portugal and Leonard Cohen’s former home just across the street at 28, Rue Vallières.   This is the heart

of the Greek and Portuguese communities.  Continuing north I pass into the Mile End neighborhood which was the main Jewish neighborhood until the mid 20th century.  There is still a Hasidic Jewish presence although this has undergone gentrification over the past 30 years and it has not remained as bohemian as Le Plateau. 

What better place to head for a light lunch than Wilensky’s at 34, Avenue Fairmount Ouest (at the corner of rue Clark).  A landmark in the Mile End neighborhood since 1932, it was originally located at the corner of rue Saint-Urbain and Avenue Fairmont.  It has been at its present location since 1952 and has changed very little in the intervening seven decades.  Still owned and operated by the Wilensky family, it was originally known as Wilensky’s Light Lunch, but it dropped the English in response to Québec’s Official Language Act of 1974 and the subsequent Charter of the French Language (also known as Bill 101) in 1977 which mandated French as the only language for advertising and education in the province.  But the food is still the same no matter what language you order it.   And there is only one thing to order . . . the Wilensky Special / Spécial Wilensky® . . . and you can’t go wrong.  It

consists of slices of grilled all beef salami and baloney on a Kaiser roll which is then heat pressed on the original 70 year old press.  It is served piping hot with a swipe of mustard (always!!), a pickle wedge, and a house prepared cherry soda.  They also serve hot dogs on an open face roll and fried egg sandwiches.   The famous and the infamous have been coming here for almost 89 years and it seems everyone come for the Special.  Mordecai Richler was a regular patron and Wilensky’s is mentioned in two of his novels – The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959 - it was also featured in the 1974 film based on the novel starring Richard Dreyfuss) and Solomon Gursky Was Here (1989).

It seems a shame if a foodie’s ramble through Montréal should not include a sampling of its rich ethnic offerings.  This time I return to Le Plateau and 73, Avenue Duluth Est and Au Coin Berbère, a restaurant specializing in North-African cuisine.  This street has long been known for its eclectic ethnic

foods and one can certainly not go wrong here.  Rarely have I enjoyed ethnic food in Au Coin Berbère’s opulent setting.  This restaurant does not serve alcohol but one is welcome to bring a beverage of choice.  I select a wonderful Cinsaut-Syrah blend from Tunisia and it turns out to be an excellent choice.  I have eaten rather lightly during the day in order to pull out the stops at dinner.  I begin with a bowl of chorba, a traditional soup with bulgur and spiced with coriander accompanied by a small bowl of kalamata olives drizzled with cumin-infused olive oil.  Everything smells just as good as it tastes.  I

make sure I leave plenty of room for the entree with is served with a light fine-grain couscous exuding a faint aroma of anise.  Entrees include lamb, beef, Merguez sausage, and mechoui (lamb roast) but this evening I choose the couscous au lapin du Québec (a savory portion of local rabbit).   This is certainly a place I will return to.   There is so much on the menu too tempting to ignore.  

After a full day wandering these two marvelous neighborhoods it is time to return to Mile End for a nightcap at Dieu du Ciel, a popular brewpub for the past 20+ years at 29, Avenue Laurier Ouest.   It has a generous selection of brews and I order a couple pints of the Kilomètre Zéro, a light IPA, to settle the day’s dust as I reflect on all that I had enjoyed while dreaming of where my next ramble might take me.  I will never tire of wandering Montréal in search of good places to eat and drink.