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Two years in and it’s still a surprise to find myself living in Canada.
Back in 2019, I followed my Houston-born wife from Brooklyn to Toronto for her job.
From left: Cream cheese, smoked salmon, tomato, and onion on a bagel at Beautys Luncheonette; the menu board at Lester’s Deli, a study in old-school Montreal.Dominique Lafond
My Toronto neighbors shook their heads.
This sort of gastronomic pilgrimage called for a spiritual guide.
Louis and I started out early on a Saturday in the old Jewish neighborhood of Mile End.
From left: St.-Viateur bagels, fresh from the wood-fired oven; the breakfast melt at Beautys: bacon, eggs, cheese, and tomato on grilled challah.Dominique Lafond
St.-Laurent Boulevard, which cuts through it, was a kind of immigrant thoroughfare a century back.
I was in love.
And second, Melissa’s Jewish Montreal tour came so highly recommended that we couldn’t resist.
From left: Slicing into the famous smoked meat at Lester’s; the finished sandwich, in all its nitrate-steeped glory.Dominique Lafond
I’m glad we didn’t.
Every minute was pure pleasure.
No need to fear the weekend-morning bagel line in Montreal.
From left: The exterior of Wilensky’s Light Lunch; the Wilensky’s counter.Dominique Lafond
It just moves and moves.
There’s no scooped-out-oat-with-a-light-shmear-double-toasted-with-onion-tomato-and-a-black-coffee-hey at this location.
You just get your bagels and go.
Breakfast is served at Beautys.Dominique Lafond
My first hot-out-of-the-oven St.-Viateur sesame was a truly transcendent, fully religious experience.
I was in love!
Despite my sesame-bagel success, I was still nervous about trying the deli.
Alex Cohen (left) and Raegan Steinberg of Arthurs Nosh Bar.Dominique Lafond
We were staying in aFour Seasonsthat lives on top of the Holt Renfrew Ogilvy department store.
I needn’t have worried.
The deli itself has a 50s-era, sepia-toned interior, with tchotchkes and bric-a-brac on every non-table surface.
From left: Brothers Pablo (left) and Ari Schoor in the dining room of their Argentine-inspired restaurant, Beba; guinea fowl with chanterelle mushrooms and poached livers at Beba.Dominique Lafond
The half serving made sense, as we had many more places to go.
Also, it was still only 8:30 in the morning.
By afternoon, I felt like the deli version of a coal miner at the end of his shift.
From left: Rue de la Commune, a boulevard in the Old Montreal neighborhood; Gibeau Orange Julep, a roadside fast-food joint known as much for its spherical 1945 building as for its signature orange drink.Dominique Lafond
My hands were half-cured themselves, and I had mustard lining my nails.
This is what I had driven all this way forand the smoked meat was absolutely astounding.
It was moister and more melt-in-your-mouth than pastrami, its New York cousin.
Bill told me that they cure their beef with a wet brine before smoking and then steam-heat it.
They use the brisket cut, whereas pastrami comes from the navel.
The neighborhood library now bears his name, and an artsy mural of Richler graces a small building nearby.
The sandwich comes with mustardalways.
There was a stretch where you could order one without mustard for a nickel surcharge.
Those loosey-goosey days are long gone.
We walked in on a sweet scene, as three generations of Sckolnicks were working that day.
I’d eat everything there, including the pink neon sign hanging over the door.
We couldn’t resist ordering thesyrniki,their extraordinarily fluffy cottage cheese pancakes, for the table.
In the words of my people, they’re to die for!
And not only is Montreal an island.
It’s part of an archipelagowhich makes it sound like it should be more tropical than it is.
This structure is home toGibeau Orange Julep, the single place to which my wife requested I pay homage.
To her, skipping it would be like visiting Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower.
Louis handed me my cup with a bottoms-up look, and we both took a pull off our straws.
The drink that Orange Julep churns out is neither shake nor juice.
It’s a short drive from there to Louis’s childhood home.
After possibly frightening the current owners with our lurking, we walked to the one and only Snowdon Deli.
From the outsidewell, let’s say it has the facade of a well-maintained medium-security prison.
But inside, it’s allheimishecommunal warmth.
A waitress called me “sweetie,” and the hostess made sure we were cozy in our booth.
Without generosity or favoritism, I can tell you it was an extraordinary smoked-meat sandwich.
Better even than I dreamed.
Louis’s deli did not let him down.
The sandwich is that good.
By afternoon, I felt like the deli version of a coal miner at the end of his shift.
My hands were half-cured themselves, and I had mustard lining my nails.
Rumor has it that she sings and picks up everyone’s checks when she pops by.
We ate our sandwiches and then checked in to the renovatedLe Germain Hotel.
The bathrooms are wallpapered with images of former Habs hockey greats.
Even if you eat eight lunches, dinnertime comes regardless.
We pointed the car toward a restaurant calledBeba, out in the borough of Verdun.
When Louis was growing up, Verdun was a working-class, “dry” county.
It’s not where he’d expect to find a cutting-edge bistro.
We pulled up to Beba, a little gem on the corner.
Beba’s owners, Ari and Pablo Shor, are Argentine Jewish brothers who moved to Canada as boys.
Ari, the chef, is humble despite an impressive kitchen pedigree.
He describes himself as “cooking the food of immigrants.”
" Beyond being charming, his open-mindedness infuses the whole place with a collaborative feel.
All the while, Pablo worked the wine, offering up dizzyingly great choices.
We drank a Vermentino from Liguria called Meigamma, followed by a glass of a super-smooth volcanic red.
Louis thought the wine a perfect complement to our whole weekend.
“Some sulfites to go with our nitrates,” he said at first sip.
It was a dream final dinner that brought it all home.
Le Germain Hotel: A modern hotel steps from McGill University.Doubles from $244.
Where to Eat
Arthurs Nosh Bar: A super-stylish space.
Don’t miss the syrniki!Entrees $9$15.
Beautys Luncheonette: A cheerful atmosphere and homey food.Entrees $4$16.
Beba: An elegant Argentine bistro.Entrees $33$64.
Gibeau Orange Julep: A giant orange that serves hamburgers, hot dogs, and its signature drink.
Lester’s Deli:Spectacular smoked meat.Entrees $4$18.
Schwartz’s: The most famous smoked-meat deli.Entrees $6$19.
Snowdon Deli:A family-friendly spot off the tourist track.Entrees $6$18.
St.-Viateur Bagel: The classic Montreal bagel.
