Chef Fowke

Yes, just like the old days at the Forum in Montreal! WOW! I am off to Orange Julius...

I could not find out who the parent company is...Way to much inventory to be a stand-alone company. I purchased The Handi, for curry service, this morning. I will post when it is delivered. Nice find, Mogelgaard!

What a ramble, what a thread. With ties to Quebec I could not let this thread evolve without some input from people in the know... NY Deli Digresses to Montreal Smoked Meat Maybe some input from our Eastern Friends can help clarify the matter. Three questions: 1) What is the difference between authentic Montreal Deli vs. a NY Deli? 2) Who is serving the best Montreal Smoked Meat, right now? 3) Who is the king of the Montreal Deli Scene?

To make myself very clear...Kaplan's is the best NY Deli in Vancouver. Sidebar: HKDAVE, fighting words! Their are those who believe in the Main. Some would even say Shwartz's is living off its reputation...

...in hind site , maybe it is inside round?

OH MY GOD! I just went to this site, it is a shrine of all things pork...(off topic, why is the pig laughing while sitting amongst its dead, cured relatives?

Sitting at the counter, memories of Chick Chamberlain (circa 1926)... I have always assumed with the long history of the Tomahawk that the bacon was a throw-back to a cultural delicacy of the Chamberlain family. I suspect they have some Gaelic roots, with Yukon Style Bacon looking suspiciously like Irish Bacon. Léigh Cogain Comhrá

Exactly! Now on to a new thread: What makes a good New York Deli vs a Montreal Style Deli...I will start in General Foods. In summary: Kaplan's = good NY Deli + Meat is good. PHATS = great Deli food experience but is Montreal style. Definition of Meats needs some work and a lot more research!

Its late so I will be brief... PHATS is serving authentic Montreal Smoked Meat, some of the best I have ever had. It ranks with both Shwartz's and The Main. 10 out of 10. I recommend everyone try it, period! You walk in, scream out Bennies name and tell him to hand cut you a PHAT on light rye with spicy Deli mustard. You must order it just like this. Kaplan's serves a NY Style Corned Beef and Pastrami. Great stuff, make a sandwich of it, put it on a bagel, serve it with whole wheat, toasted. Kaplan's is a 10/10 deli, one of the best in the city, but it serves a product that is 7/10. I made Pastrami (Chef Fowke's Pastrami Dreams), very different from Montreal Smoked Meat. If we need more discussion on the differences between cured beef products I would be happy to start a thread in General Food Topics. So, in Summary: you want to eat the best Deli meat in Vancouver...pay the $12 and go to PHATS. Want some Pastrami, dish out $8 and go to Kaplan's (and sit inhouse and enjoy the scene).

The meat is Montreal style smoked meat, not NY smoked meat...very big difference.

Finally it is Thursday: Two Words Challa Clubhouse ...will post review!

Important Note: When you walk in, at the door....you must scream: "Benny! I want a Phat on rye....hand cut it!' Everything is now all good. Best Montreal Smoked Meat in Vancouver, hands down...it is the real deal (maybe their is better pastrami, but that is different...do not confuse the two!)

and the big night has come and gone..... Daddy-A invited me over to view the show.... And here I sit, working, working...need to finish my new project! ROB WON! Great for Vancouver.... KFC just called, they do not deliver to my neighbourhood, slides and all. The highs, the lows.

maybe people will bring me free Montreal Smoked Meat!

AS much as I would like to share, why?...WHY! Everytime I find a new place that I like I post...THEN IT BECOMES: 1) To Busy, the lines grow and grow and I have to wait hours to get my Montreal Smoked Meat. 2) They start running out of product, I miss out on my daily fill of Montreal Smoked Meat. 3) I am no longer important...with all the increase customers I become just another Smoked Meat Addict. And then I have to start posting endless threads about who really has the best Montreal Smoked Meat...right now I know it is the best and I do not need to justify it to anyone!! OKAY, OKAY...it is on Mainland in Yaletown right beside GlowBal. EAT & ENJOY...

← Trying to stay on topic.... Keen's and Bagels! Maybe for deli cold cuts, BUT! Montreal Smoked Meat plus Light Rye plus Deli Mustard is the only true vehicle and condiment for this rare delicacy. Otherwise it is just cold cuts warmed up on a doughy donut, maybe good...but not true to the genre! Now...wood-fired bagels, I would do anything for a wood-fired bagel!

Hey, do not beleive me, take a look!! This is the NEW old Montreal Style and it is good to see it in Vancouver!

People still eat FAJITAS? I haven't heard/thought of those in 15 years...I need to get out my Miami Vice suit, lose the socks and get me some Fajitas! With that said, I find Mexican and more specifically, Tex-Mex poorly represented in Vancouver. I have taken to driving down to the Cantina in New Haven (Bellingham).

I was a huge fan of the Kolachy... I have kept my mouth shut about this place long enough, I feel so selfish…but you eGulleters always cause such big lines whenever I find a new great place that I love ~ I cannot even get near to the Kolachy Shop because of the eGullet Hoards! Three times a week I am at Phats for a REAL Montreal Smoked Meat, served on light rye with spicy deli mustard! Nothing touches it. Though the room feels like a 'franchise boilerplate' it seems to be run by a Jewish family, I suspect from Montreal. ...and they know their DELI FOODS! I am just starting to work my way through the other items on the menu; other Montréal transplants and wanna-bes will appreciate the Matzo Soup, Challa Bread French Toast, Challa Club Sandwich just to name a few. And the espresso drinks! WOW! Finally a deli that understands what an Americano is about. I can not say enough about this place, I guarantee I will be standing in line a couple times this week....drool running down my chin! I will grab a menu, takes some photos and post more as I get it.

But did you have John Blakely recommend a Pastis...what an encylopedia of knowledge, I spent an evening with friends learning and learning and learning about absinthe!

Safe and sound... (was that rain outside?!?!) Thank you for all the email, cards, phone calls and personal visits! They really helped. Now, back to the RANT!

It's a fact! Kolachies are a great disaster food...When I (actually as of the writing of this post I still am) was evacuated from my house Kolachy Keith showed up with a big bag of Kolachies to help tie me over! Finally I got to eat a pot roast Kolachy. Now my favourite. I just cannot believe that I had to have 15000 tons of mud and hillside slide down into my backyard to finally get one! The Kolachy is become a rare item...try getting one after 3pm, they are usually sold out! Anyone going for Kolachies this week should PM me, I have some spare time; unemployed and of 'no fixed address'!

...um, was that a big fat BBQ beef Kolachy I saw you STUFFING in your face today? I thought we were my friends....

When I become 'Employeed' again I will buy you one million Kolachies and personally deliver them to you!!!

Again... I see nothing wrong with hospital food...LUCKY GIRL!