BON APPÉTIT
Montreal’s culinary spectrum offers gourmet delights for every budget and taste,
MONTREAL— Back in 2006, the nowdefunct Gourmet magazine published an issue devoted to the culinary prowess of Montreal. Moved by a desire to devour every delicious suggestion, I ate my way through the city, guided by my Post-It flags.
From Toqué! to Joe Beef and Au Pied de Cochon, my first foray into Montreal’s unique and enviable dining scene was an introduction to its luminaries: Normand Laprise, Martin Picard, David McMillan and Fred Morin. Built on Québecois recipes, traditional haute cuisine and locally grown ingredients, these chef-restaurateurs are responsible for the exciting experiences that continue to define Canadian cuisine.
Ask anyone for Montreal recommendations, and I guarantee most will be food related.
The must-tries are endless: smoked meat, raw-milk cheeses, brewpub (Dieu du Ciel!) or Montreal-style bagel (I pledge allegiance to St.-Viateur Bagel).
It’s not a surprise. The country’s most bilingual city also has the highest number of restaurants per capita, a 2015 study by the Québec Association of Restaurateurs suggests.
Looking beyond deliciousness, I recently discovered the link between those flavours and the 120 cultural communities that settled along Boulevard St.-Laurent (stretching from the tip of Chinatown up to Little Italy) on Fitz & Follwell’s Flavours of The Main walking tour.
A trove of knowledge, enthusiastic guide Louis Trudel deciphers everything encountered on the Destination Canada-recognized Signature Experience.
We focus on the north end, navigating through historical and significant landmarks, and taste examples of Montreal’s rich immigrant heritage.
In Little Portugal, I learn the boulevard served as a physical divider between language, ethnicity and class as I bite through the flaky crust of Boulangerie Séraphin’s pasteis de natas (Portuguese custard tarts).
“English-speakers populated the west; French-speakers stayed in the east,” Trudel notes, “and immigrant communities, like the Chinese, Eastern European, Italian and Portuguese, was the bridge between them.”
In old-world Mile End, standing under the gaze of Montreal-born novelist Mordecai Richler, depicted on a mural, I hear about the notable artists who call the area home. We stop at Fairmount Bagel (fairmountbagel.com) for a sesame bagel, and watch the staff churn out the iconic honey-water-boiled then wood-oven-baked numbers.
Before the next stop, I get a hushed warning: “There’s always mustard and it’s never cut. The only option you get is if you want cheese.”
Gotcha. Intimidation quickly melts away as we belly up to the linoleum counter at Wilensky’s Light Lunch (wilenskys.com). It’s like we’ve stepped into 1932, save for the updated prices. I take a cue from the regulars and order the Special: an allbeef bologna and salami sandwich. I add Swiss cheese to mine.
It’s incredible. An umami bomb tucked within griddle-pressed cornmeal-dusted crusty golden layers of happiness. The humble sandwich draws my attention from the homemade cher- ry cola, surrounding tchotchke, and pictures from the filming of Richler’s The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (which features the luncheonette).
Here’s my confession: in my many trips to Montreal, I’d never made a pilgrimage to Wilensky’s. It’ll be on heavy rotation.
We take a short bus ride to Little Italy for a shot of espresso at neighbourhood institution Caffè Italia, and hit up Dante, an unusual hardware store that’s known more for its premium cookware. And guns.
Across from Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense — and its original Guido Nincheri fresco depicting biblical characters and historical figures in the apse, including a notorious image of Mussolini — I’m introduced to Pasticceria Alati-Caserta (alaticaserta.com) and the circa1968 Italian bakery’s cannoli: a crisp pastry filled with creamy ricotta and chocolate chips.
At nearby Jean-Talon Market, we toast the end of this delicious history lesson with a splash of fortified fire cider and cheeses at le Marché des Saveurs du Québec (lemarchedessaveurs.com).
On the other end of the budget and culinary spectrum, juxtaposing this backdrop of culture and history, there’s Casino de Montreal’s controversial new L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.
Over time I’ve learned Montrealers are passionate about their city, especially the food, and have great pride in local talent and products.
While critics credit the world’s most decorated chef for his merit, Robuchon’s residency has many Montreal-based restaurateurs wagging their fingers of discontent specifically at the rumoured $11 million spent on the project and the perception that government assistance was given to building a French import, and not in nurturing the local scene that many tastemakers have elevated to renowned status.
A short drive over the Concordia Bridge in early March I find myself in L’Atelier’s signature red and black lacquered room to see what the city’s newest culinary attraction is all about.
Despite Robuchon’s instantly recognizable name brand, governmentowned Loto-Québec confirms 86 per cent of the investment was injected into the local economy. Unlike other outposts, the master’s mark has been put through a Québécois filter: in addition to a completely Québécois staff, executive chef Éric Gonzalez estimates 85 per cent of the ingredients come from the province.
An attractive alternative for nongamblers who may not normally visit Île Notre-Dame, L’Atelier’s menu reads Robuchon but the stars are deliciously Québécois.
The opening volley of house-made breads uses Québec-sourced wheat and cheeses. Buttery fist-sized sea scallops from the Magdalen Islands are simply seared and topped with ginger and chives. Free-range Cerf de Boileau (cerfdeboileau.com) venison is a marvel of supple rare flesh snuggled close to seared Marieville foie gras, and punctuated by tart Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes cranberries.
Save room for La Pomme, a tat-instyle dessert featuring a tight spiral of edible gold-dusted butter-caramelized Rougemont apples, crumbly shortbread fingers, sweet clover ice cream and jewel-like dollops of maple syrup caramel.
Montreal isn’t simply bagels and smoked meats, it boasts a sophisticated food scene. Here, an international headliner won’t distract hungry diners from delicious local gems — Toqué!, Joe Beef or Wilensky’s. Nor does it aspire to.
Instead, L’Atelier’s ability to fit in confirms that Montreal’s established scene can welcome a highly respected culinary brand, and hold its own.
The world takes notice. Renée S. Suen was hosted by Tourisme Montreal, Loto-Québec and the Casino de Montreal, which did not review or approve this story.