Quebec – rachel leff

Schwartz’s, Montreal

July 1, 2016September 29, 2018Leave a comment

Smoked Meat Sandwich with Mustard and a Half-Sour Pickle

A Montreal icon, Schwartz’s has been serving up exceptional smoked meat (think pastrami, but with some subtle differences) in the same spot in the Mile End neighborhood since 1928. While the menu includes other deli classics, such as turkey, salami, and liver, people line up for the smoked meat, which is marinated for ten days and smoked fresh every day. Get a smoked meat on rye and a ½ sour and you’ll see why they have a passionate following after so many decades—sliced thin and piled high, the meat is tender and packed with flavor. You can get the meat normal or lean, with or without mustard. The fries are also tasty.

3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, Mile End

Open seven days

8:00 am to at least 12:30 am; hot meat (including the smoked meat) available after 10:30 am

Nouilles de Lan Zhou, Montreal

July 1, 2016October 21, 2018Leave a comment

Perched above a small grocery store with which it shares an entrance, Nouilles de Lan Zhou is an unassuming Chinatown restaurant that churns out spectacular hand-pulled noodles. Before you step inside, watch from the sidewalk as the noodle makers roll, stretch, and pull the long ribbons of noodles, thick and thin.

The house specialty is noodle soup in the Lan Zhou style: a mild broth with thin sliced beef, cilantro, green onion, and chili oil—the amount used corresponds to the level of spiciness you request. There’s also chili oil at the table, in case you want more heat. The soup comes in three sizes, and the large is enormous. You also choose the shape of the noodle—round or flat, each available in several sizes, from moxi, the thinnest round noodle, to da kuan, which is the widest flat noodle, upwards of an inch wide. Get the combo, which includes a side salad—choose from edamame, spicy cucumber salad, or pickled vegetables—as well as a delicious tea egg added into your soup.

Also spectacular is the noodles with pork sauce (zhajiang mian), a dry (broth-less) dish with flat noodles and pork in a heavenly fermented bean sauce along with edamame, cucumbers, carrots, bok choy, and cilantro, served with a side of clear broth. (I’ll admit it: I went back to Nouilles de Lan Zhou a second time to get another plate of this dish. It’s amazing.)

1006 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Chinatown

11 to 9 (9:30 on Friday and Saturday)

Open 7 days

Agrikol, Montreal

July 1, 2016November 7, 2018Leave a comment

One of the very hottest spots in Montreal right now, Haitian restaurant Agrikol is a festive space decorated with art from the island, exuding a warm, welcoming vibe. Opened in early 2016, it is the work of two very hip couples: Régine Chassagne and Win Butler, members of Montreal-based Arcade Fire; and Jen Agg, owner of Toronto’s Black Hoof and Rhum Corner, and Roland Jean, a Haitian-born Toronto-based artist.

The menu revels in Haitian classics, like griot and oxtail stew, as well as conch, accras (savory and starchy beignets), and whole fried fish. The griot is a real standout—pork packed with flavor and a little heat, slow cooked then fried for a crispy exterior—atop pickled onions and served alongside fried plantains and a vinegary cabbage slaw. Add a side of rice and peas and you’ve got a deeply satisfying meal.

Agg has a strong cocktail background, so it’s no surprise that Agrikol has an interesting drink menu, dominated by rum. Haitian Rhum Barbancourt has a strong presence, and is available by the glass, half bottle, and full bottle. The Ti punch pairs Barbancourt with fresh-pressed sugar cane juice and lime. The Dark and Stormy uses house-made ginger beer brewed with black peppercorns, for a strong and spicy companion to the rum.

1844 Rue Amherst, The Village, Montreal

Open everyday 6 pm to midnight

No reservations

http://agrikol.ca/