Smoked Beef

 

When I was writing my newspaper column, I got an email from a reader who said he didn’t like French food.  It seems he’d been to Montreal and gotten a bad meal.  I told him French Canadians are French the way I’m English.  I have English ancestors, and I speak the English language, although not the same way the English do.  The food ways of my culture have strayed from those traditional in England. I don’t eat bangers and mash or spotted dick.

Having been in the business, I know writers are oppressed by deadlines and under pressure to find something to say.  When I read that driving to Montreal is like visiting Paris without the airfare, I roll my eyes.  They speak French in Montreal, but Paris it ain’t. 

In Canada French cooking is an imported cuisine the same way it is in Boston or Dallas.  Like my reader, I’ve had some disappointments.  On my latest visit, I hit the jackpot because I chose a local delicacy for which the city has become known – smoked beef. 

I had some time waiting for a train and made my way to Reuben’s Delicatessen at 1116 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest. Behind the counter a man was hand cutting pink slices of succulent beef which are stacked on bread and served with fries.  You can get the regular, which is mountainous, or you can get the large.  

The meat is tender, juicy and flavorful, and I found I could eat more than I thought at f first.  In fact I recommend Reuben’s for a Montreal lunch, and would go there again for the same meal.  The flavor of the beef is slightly spicy and lightly smoked.  As a native Canadian delicacy, I give it top rating. 

For dessert get the cheesecake. It is lighter than the New York style and easy to eat after stuffing yourself on a sandwich.