VivreManger

The minimum at each place will probably be one sandwich and one smoked meat plate so everyone can get a taste on which to form a judgment, if so inclined. I don't expect anyone to survive 6 sandwiches. I trust that no one would commit the sacrilege of ordering lean. Medium to fat should be the range, with a preference for fat.

Smoked Meat Marathon is one week away, 20 March. Now it's time to plan the details. So far 7 people wish to join: Rabbit Angstrom Jersey 13 pss999 Kenk gus_tatory poutine ?? VM I have the direct email contacts for the first four, but not for the last two. I would prefer to email directly each of you so I would be grateful if gus... and poutine would be in touch via email and not pm so we can coordinate this more efficiently. Phone numbers for all are also essential. Cell phones would be helpful as well. Rabbit... Jersey... and perhaps pss... have cars and I should be driving too, but we should establish how many vehicles are available and who the designate drivers will be. The target list is six. Schwartz's The Main Snowdon Del Smoked Meat Pete Abie's Georges We should discuss exactly how many of us can manage all six in between about 10:30 in the morning and whenever in the afternoon. If at each deli we share a sandwich or two plus a smoked meat plate, I think we can pace ourselves, but chacun a son estomac, so the actual quantity is open for debate. pss has offered to bring video equipment so we can post the visual results. There also might be some local radio coverage, but that is developing. Since I might pick up a few more fressers from the Richler conference that ends the night before. it probably would be good to have extra cars available. At the moment two should be enough, but the more the merrier. Directly via email and phone I will communicate the remaining details. I plan to stay in the Plateau, arriving from the States a few days before the event. I am not certain how easy my internet access will be from Tuesday, 16 March, onward so we will need to depend on phone contact to work out details and last minute questions. The sooner I obtain all your coordinates the better. At the moment I am travelling and won't be able to check my messages easily until this evening.

Thank you for your diligent field-work. It is always useful to have operatives well-placed in all the major food centres of the world. The date is exceedingly well-timed. I assume the maple taffy ice cream will be available as of the 12th or can it take a few days to arrive? As it long as it is within a week or so I will not complain. As I recall they also sell hand-(?) packed ice cream so I could get a litre or two to bring back to the States. I travel with an ice chest for such purposes.

What's grape harvesting got to do with it? The expression you want is probably la saison des sucres [sugaring-off season] or la coulée de sève [sap run].

What about Bilboquet's coupe à la tire d'érable, maple syrup to the nth? Does anybody consider it overkill? I think we should end the smoked meat marathon on Bernard St. I have never had it, which is why I particularly hope that the vendange occurs when I am in Montreal. Do post spies in the neighborhood so we get advanced word.

Speaking of which, has maple sugar ice cream arrived at Bilboquet? Do they add walnuts -- a travesty -- or do they leave it plain?

I am intrigued by the confit sweet breads. Has anybody every tried them?

Is Pushap's a restaurant, bakery, or some combination of the two? What is the cross street on Pare?

In preparation, I have shed about 8 pounds during the last two weeks and hope to lose another few. One eGulleteer who turned down the invitation suggested that we bring “a cardiologist and defibrillator along just in case”. Up to this moment, Kenk gus_tatory, and Riboflavinjoe and perhaps one or two others have expressed interest. My car can accommodate four beyond me. Though if the girth expands it may be a bit tight in the back. If any more want to join – and more are most welcome -- we will need another car and driver. The idea was inspired in part by a conference honoring Mordecai Richler in which I will participate at the Institute for the Study of Canada at McGill. I may gather a few other Rabelasian types from that meeting so the more cars the better. At this point I must pose a question of eGullet etiquette. Hitherto I have described this in general terms w/o reference to specific dates, times, and places – these have been confined to PMs. How specific may one be in announcing this event? I have no claim to making this an official eGullet event, but I would like some guidelines.

Actually I have thought of that problem. If there are enough of us, we can divide up the sandwiches so the wusses need only take a 1/4 or less. I myself have wondered what would happen to me after the second or third target so I need all the help and tums we can muster (mustard). Four or five destinations are probably the max: Schwartz's, The Main, Snowdon Del, Pete's (in the West island, I believe) and Georges in Laval (I believe). Those last two will take long enough to get to, that by then we would be ready for supper anyway.

You are right.

My wife who went to McGill in the 70s has fond memories of a Central European cafe-restaurant nearby called Pan-Pan. She adored their flourless cakes.

One other item not seen south of the border is coffee-flavored gum. My adolescent daughter used to stock up ever time we hit Montreal.

If for some reason you can't get to Thorndike St., Whole Wallet Foods, (aha Bread & Circus that was, Whole Foods that is, multiple branches in town) stocks Iggy's Breads (baked in Watertown) and Pain d' Avignon (double check name) from Cape Cod. I particularly like the seed covered ficelle that Iggy's makes, a mino-baguette covered with sesame and other seeds. Pain d'Avignon makes a large and crusty country loaf as well as an excellent whole wheat bread. Hi-Rise in Cambridge on Concord Ave (& Huron) has excellent breads as well. If you really want to do the dog, at about $20 bucks a shot -- they sell it by the pound -- you can get Paris-baked Pain Poilane, the huge loafs that will feed an army, at Formaggio's, branches in Cambridge and the South End. It gets airshipped once a week I think, arriving on Thursday. It sells out very quickly so try to reserve your bread in advance.

Does not seem appealing!! Saltiness in the flesh and crispiness on the skin is the delight of a good confit. Salty honey stewed duck sounds like a bad Chinese sweet. Did you notice whether or not the original was dry and stringy?

Porkpa's memories of maple cone candies raise my perennial question: the names of the various mass market Canadian candies not available or no longer available in the States. The O'Henry bar is in the latter category. In the former are Smarties. And then there are two or three others which confuse me. There is a chocolate covered treacle bar -- rather like aerated solid Lyle's Golden Syrup. Is that Aero Crisp? There is also something similar to that but coffee flavored and not -- I believe -- chocolate covered. Of course then are the famous Mae West minicakes. I am curious how they got their name. Please enlighten me.

This is to confirm the Smoked Meat marathon described in my message. Please PM if you are interested in participating. Once I have a critical mass I will post more information so others can join us. At the moment SteveW and Kenk have expressed interest. I don't know if DaveKemp wants in as well. I have in mind Saturday, 20 March.

In addition to what I posted recently, you should know that there are a lot of cheap Indian restaurants in the immediate Berklee neighborhood. Their lunch buffets are nothing fantastic, but the food is edible and the price is low.

The kosher butcher in the Shmall, aka Cavendish Mall, corner of Kildare & Cavendish in Cote St Luc, has some of the best merguez I have had in North America, much better than the Dartagnan commonly available in the US. They are frozen, but still very tasty -- a good spicy bite and quite a bit cheaper than the NY product. Unfortunately the last few times I have crossed into the States (most recently in November) the customs officals were meat witch hunting crazy so unless the SF-Montreal crew has some new info -- post Washington State mad cow disease -- it may not be worth trying to bringing in meat. When I flew into Boston from London they confiscated my cryovaced English smoked venison.

On Boulevard des Sources between Blvd. Pierrefonds (I think) and Roger-Pilon out in Dollard, there used to be a cluster of several Indian and East Asian food stores. One of them made very good dim sum. It was located on the eastern side of Sources very close to Roger-Pilon. There were two or three Indian places on various sides of Sources. I haven't been there in two or three years so I don't know if they are still in business now.

Since I am not in Montreal, I have not read this. Please clarify.

Look's like Deli Cieux, now closed, is off the list, and Georges gets added to the March Smoked Meat Marathon. Closer to the date we will have to confer on the list and logistics. By the way did your brisket buying friends bring their meat to the States or keep it within Canada? After the Canadian mad cow concern, US customs started cracking down on imported meat. Previously they seemed indifferent to the matter. Since the US developed its own mad cow problem -- allegedly with Canadian help -- I have not crossed the border so I don't know what is now on US customs hit list.

The last time I tried Les Halles was about two or three years ago and for what it was. it was fine. The service was excellent and the modest demands imposed on the kitchen well-met. Sorry to learn of the recent disappointments, but Montreal does not lack alternatives.

aPdC also has a good range of fish & sea food, in various forms and for different courses. For instance last summer I had a dish of various fish prepared as if it was all pig meat -- smoked, salted, peppered, terrined, etc.

Is it any good? Anything special there?