Montreal smoked meat sandwich

While Montreal is home to a great and diversified food scene, one of our favorite is more 'pedestrian': the smoked meat sandwich. This sandwich is basically dry-cured and smoked-cooked tough cuts of beef (and therefore affordable), such as briskets, then thinly sliced and served between slices of rye bread, with a dash of mustard for flavor. To the surprise of many, the sandwich's origin is not born out of a Canadian legend (no, it's not a French explorer or even an American Native that decided to prepare this sandwich out of elk or deer meat) - but it does have a long culinary history. I suggest the following article for people that want to know more.

There are basically 3 locations that come on top of our favorites for this local fare:

• Reuben's on Ste-Catherine street, street level
• Reuben's on Ste-Catherine street, basement
• Schwart's, on St-Laurent street

Reuben's is a staple in Montreal. While the business is a full-fledge steakhouse, we're constantly back for the copious portion of smoked meat sandwich which comes with a side of french fries, cole slaw and a pickle wedge. If you're on a budget and are looking for the taste without the fancy location (and people watching, we must admit!) then head for the basement Ste-Catherine location. On top of being more affordable than the street address (their sandwich plate is usually $1 or $2 cheaper than the street-level address), that location often has specials for the main staple - which brought down the plate to $10, last time we were there. If you're on a budget, this is definitely some way to stretch your budget.

Schwart's is a revamped address on St-Laurent street. The rumor has it it's a property of the Dion-Angelil couple (yes, Céline and René) - and no, I can't really comment on this address as I have yet to try it.

A particular note on Ben's (which appears in the article mentioned earlier) - this was the place I used to go to before they closed. The diner was a throwback to the 50's - probably the last time they did and upgrade! - with pictures of the glamorous customers of the time (and recent!), pastel colors on the wall, stainless-steel clad diner counter, tables and stools. The place was anchoring a building, similar to one of these wall art with Bogart, Monroe and Presley. A place that lives in memory.