Eating the City, Part 1

We’ve lived in Montreal for 3 weeks but until last weekend, we hadn’t ventured out to try the local grub. Oh, we’ve gone out to restaurants and had great meals but we had yet to try the Trifecta of Montreal foods: bagels, smoked meat, and poutine. Realizing that eating all three in one weekend would be overkill, we decided to try for 2 out of 3.

First up, bagels! Since I just got here, I’m not qualified to chime in on the Fairmount vs. St. Viateur debate. All I know is that both are supposed to be the real deal. Saturday morning, Husband went out in search of our first taste of Montreal bagels and came back with a dozen from St. Viateur. These are some excellent bagels, dense and sweet, and very different from the bagels we used to get at Brooklyn Bagel in LA.

Sunday found us wandering the Plateau looking for lunch. The line at Schwartz’s stretched down the block so we decided to skip smoked meat and find poutine instead.

I was a poutine virgin. I’ve had fries with gravy, but never with gravy and cheese curds. Picture hot, salty, oily (in a good way) fries napped in viscous gravy and topped with squeaky, melty cheese curds.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked poutine, but I think it makes more sense after a night of drinking. The next time I’m staggering out of a bar in need of drunk food, I’ll know where to go. Eating poutine in a park in broad daylight with an iced tea just felt wrong.

Coming soon in Eating the City, smoked meat. And stay tuned for my upcoming feature on maple syrup.

Things I learned while driving between Los Angeles and Montreal.

1. Allow extra time to pack the car the day you plan to leave. Also, don’t be surprised if the contractor shows up earlier than you’ve expected, sends your dogs into a howling fit, and pushes you out the door of what is still, technically, your house.

2. You don’t need to stop at the vet on your way out of town…that just happens to boy dogs sometimes.

3. It takes approximately 96 minutes for the dogs’ tranquilizers to kick in. Fortunately, yours are faster.

4. Sometimes a meteor crater is just a big hole in the ground.

5. Just because you fit it all in the car once, doesn't guarantee it'll all fit again. And do you really need those camp chairs?

6. The Painted Desert is spectacular.

7. Cadillac Ranch is worth seeing. It can also serve as a pit stop for your dog.

8. That “New Car” air freshener you got as a going away gift will come in handy around Day 5.

9. On a related note, you should wash the dogs before undertaking a week long car trip. 

10. Not all regional foods are created equal. And I’d like to apologize to Husband for making him try so many (especially the Coney). Here are some places that made the cut:

11. The bathrooms at the Blue Whale in Catoosa, OK are the cleanest public bathrooms along Route 66. We were so impressed that we left an extra dollar in the donation jar.

12. New Dog is afraid of wind but has no trouble walking into the mouth of a big, blue whale.

13. Luggage carts are your friend.

14. Just because the hotel offers free breakfast doesn't mean you should eat it.

15. After a week, your car will be a dog crate on wheels. This is as gross as it sounds and you'll want to find a Canadian car wash quickly.

We're here. Nous sommes ici.

We're here. After months of goodbyes and 7 days on the road, we crossed the bridge into Canada on May 2.

We're still feeling rootless, but we'll get there.