Montreal 2019 - Part 3: Chez Tousignant / The Coldroom / Snowdon Deli

We spent the rest of our visit to Montreal exploring the city - we enjoyed a self-guided walking tour, visited some historical sites, and strolled through Mount Royal Park. Despite our enormous meal (complete with substantial leftovers) at PDC Sugar Shack, we felt ready to eat again, and visited several other great food and drink destinations before the trip was over.

Chez Tousignant
6956 Rue Drolet, Montreal, QC
cheztousignant.com

The Coldroom
Corner of Rue St. Amable and Rue St. Vincent, Montreal, QC
thecoldroommtl.com

Snowdon Deli
snowdondeli.com
5265 Boulevard Decarie, Montreal, QC

Montreal Part 1: Arthurs Nosh Bar / Bar le Lab / Au Pied de Cochon
Montreal Part 2: Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack

Chez Tousignant

I was introduced to Chez Tousignant during Eater's series on Montreal a few years ago. This ode to classic Quebec snack bars serves up burgers, hot dogs, poutine, and more - all homemade.

Funny thing about poutine - I think it's kinda overrated. I grew up in New Jersey, where diners reign supreme and disco fries (fries, gravy, and melted cheese) are king. Poutine is basically the same thing, only with cheese curds instead of melted cheese, which I argue is not as good. I will be the first to admit though that the overall quality of Montreal poutine is almost always better than the average plate of NJ disco fries. Don't get me wrong - I like poutine a lot. It's just not as good as disco fries ;)

Anyway - we knew we wanted to have at least some poutine on our trip and Chez Tousignant seemed like a great option.

The place was packed, but luckily a couple seats opened up while we waited for our order.

Classique Hot Dog - Mustard, Coleslaw

Poutine

Cheeseburger - Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Onions, Tousignant Sauce

The food was outstanding. The homemade quality of each item was really noticeable, especially in the buns and hot dog. I thought the meat-to-"other stuff" ratio on the burger was a little thin, and regretted not making it a double. But otherwise this was a delicious, satisfying lunch - exactly what we were hoping for!

While out on our walk, we stopped at this cute little "Sugar Shack" in the middle of the square for some hot apple cider. It was perfect on the beautiful but chilly afternoon.

The Coldroom

Leah and I love cocktail bars, so we had researched a number of them to check out while in the city. One that kept coming up was The Coldroom, a speakeasy hidden away in a nondescript alley in the Old Port neighborhood. To enter, guests must ring the bell and wait for the staff to open the door.

I'll say up front that I was really turned off by the "House Rules" section placed front-and-center on their website, which seems to assume that men are rude, sexist, and homophobic by default (and therefore need to be taught how to act), while women are incapable of vice. We both found this really insulting, and a turnoff as customers. Still, we didn't want to let something as silly as that (and which is secondary to the point of the bar after all) spoil what could be a great time, so after our day's activities were finished, we headed over for an early drink.

We were led down a labyrinthine set of stairs and passages into the bar, deep underground, where we saw that we were among the first to arrive. Once seated, our bartender explained the entry process - along the back wall there's a line of little bulbs which light up when customers buzz the button outside. Each time, one of the bartenders has to make the long trip back up through the winding passages to let them in - poor guys!

A well-stocked bar - truly a beautiful sight. 

Once again, I unfortunately can't tell you what we drank, as it's been too long to remember and the bar has long-since rotated their menu. The drink on the right was whimsically called "Banana Del Rey" and included an edible printed disc featuring the musician-turned-banana, though I don't recall what was in it.

I love a good beer cocktail, and particularly enjoyed this offering served in an empty can of Bud.

More mystery cocktails! They sure were good though. I think maybe my drink here (left) was a Sazerac?

We had a great time chatting with our bartender, who, as it turned out, originally hailed from Australia and had just experienced his first Montreal winter! Any time I've established a good rapport with a bartender I like to ask them to make me something that they like to drink. Our new friend obliged, mixing a delicious drink that his friend created and which won honorable mention in a major cocktail competition. It consisted of Plantation Dark Rum, Disaronno, Maple Syrup, Pecan Bitters, and a dash of salt. I've since made it a few times at home and it's absolutely wonderful!

Snowdon Deli

Our final morning in Montreal! On the way to the airport we stopped for an early lunch at the famous Snowdon Deli, considered one of (if not) the best Jewish delis in the city.

The classic diner setup reminded me of home in NJ!

Karnatzel

Basically a homemade Slim Jim (I mean that as a compliment!). The sausage was spicy and flavorful, with a nice snappy texture.

Smoked Meat Sandwich

Montreal Smoked Meat is a kosher beef brisket cured and then hot-smoked. The results are outstanding, and serve as a worthy competitor to the great corned beef or pastrami sandwiches of NYC!

Potato Knish

These looked amazing, but were unfortunately a little dry and soggy. The sour cream and apple sauce helped though.

Cheese Blintzes

Incredibly, these plump little blintzes were our favorite part of the meal! Sweet, savory, and crispy on the outside, they were an outstanding last bite before we headed to the airport and back home.


This was an amazing food-lover's trip. I wish these businesses, their families, and all our neighbors to the north the very best as they deal with the COVID-19 situation, and hope they're able to weather the storm. Here's hoping we'll be able to see them all again next year.

Montreal 2019 - Part 2: Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack

After our afternoon activities in Montreal on the second day of our trip, we picked up our Car2Go (similar to ZipCar) and headed for the main destination of the whole vacation: the legendary, the hallowed, the infamous Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon (aka PDC Sugar Shack)!

The Sugar Shack is open for two periods per year - spring sugar season (maple syrup themed) and fall harvest season (apple themed). Reservations open up several months in advance and are booked on a lottery basis. The entire meal, which is a set multi-course menu, was only around $65 CAD per person (excluding drinks, tax, and tip), which is absolutely insane given the quantity of food served. This same meal served in New York City would be at least three times this amount. Again, PDC seems to be a labor of love, and is intended to be reasonably affordable for everyone.

We were told by multiple sources to pace ourselves and not expect to come even close to finishing the whole meal. The PDC staff provides compostable take home containers so diners can try everything and take the rest with them - a good game plan!

Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon
11382 Rang de la Fresnière, Mirabel, QC, Canada
aupieddecochon.ca

Montreal Part 1: Arthurs Nosh Bar / Bar le Lab / Au Pied de Cochon
Montreal Part 3: Chez Tousignant / The Coldroom / Snowdon Deli

Our day started with some lovely pastries from the cute little pâtisserie near our rental apartment. But enough of that - on to Sugar Shack!

Located about an hour west of Montreal, the main Sugar Shack building serves as the kitchen and dining room for Martin Picard's overall maple harvesting operation. It's an amazing little barn space with a patio out front where guests can hang around while they're waiting for their seats to open up.

The weather was cold and the scenery was beautiful - we arrived hungry and incredibly excited!

PDC's massive custom smoker, which doubled as a nice heater for guests hanging out nearby.

A small side shack serves as an outdoor bar, pouring cocktails, beer, and wine. We enjoyed a gin with maple syrup and a hot apple cocktail. Both were great on their own, though the gin drink was a little sweet. Halfway through drinking, we combined the two and made a delicious new creation!

Views of the interior with bar counter and communal seating. Since we were only two guests, Leah and I specifically requested seats at the bar when making our reservation. We love sitting at bars rather than tables anyway, so it all worked in our favor!

Some of PDC's delightfully unique art.

A well-stocked bar! There were several of these pockets of bottles spanning the length of the entire shack.

On each table and bar area sat a bottle of PDC's own maple syrup for use as a delicious condiment. Leah used it for her coffee later in the evening!

And so it begins...a view of the first course being prepared.

Smoked Trout Carpaccio & Bison Tartare

Egg Yolk, Trout Skin Chips, Seaweed Salad

Served on a large wooden slab, the first course was this beautiful spread of surf and turf. We spread the egg yolk over the trout and used the fish skin chips to scoop up the bison. Everything here was fantastic, including the seaweed salad, which added a nice textural and acidic component. 

Foie Gras Maki

Maple-Poached Foie Gras, Yuba, Cranberry, Maple Soy Sauce

This sticky sweet maki reminded us of the fun the PDC team had with the foie gras nigiri the night before at the restaurant in the city. It was a delicious dish, though if I'm being honest the taste of the foie gras itself was a little lost. 

Onion Soup

Cream, Maple Syrup, Maple Bacon

Our third dish was this unfathomably rich onion soup. It was outstandingly delicious, a perfect mix of savory and sweet. Though we knew we had to pace ourselves, I ended up finishing almost the entire bowl since I knew the takeout containers wouldn't accommodate liquids very well. 

Pork Platter

Maple-Roasted Ham, Maple Baked Beans, Maple Mustard, Maple Sugar Butter, Coleslaw, Maple Pancakes, Blue Cheese Sauce

Our jaws dropped when this platter was dropped in front of us. It could have easily been the main entrée, but we still had numerous courses to go! 

The star of the dish was in fact the pair of maple "pancakes", which were deep-fried and then soaked in maple syrup, so they were crispy but oozed syrup when bitten into. We were instructed to take a pancake, spread it with maple butter (hidden behind the ham), top with coleslaw and ham, add some maple mustard, and (if we were feeling indulgent!) drizzle with blue cheese sauce (from the blue thermos). Absolutely unbelievable. 

The baked beans were quite incredible as well - Leah said they were the best she ever had. Though she doesn't normally like blue cheese, she fell in love with the sauce here and was pouring it out of the thermos straight onto her spoon. 

Puffed Omelette

Egg Sauce, Sauce Bourguignonne, Lardons, Onions, Mushrooms

By this point we were really starting to feel it. Then came this rich omelette with all the trappings of classic boeuf bourguignon. It was outrageously good. 

Maple Pisco Sour

Mercifully, there was a long break before the next course. I took the opportunity to "refresh" myself with what seemed to be their signature drink (based on how many they were pouring), a delicious maple pisco sour. 

Swordfish

Tiny Shrimp, Parsnips, Potatoes, Shallots, Herb Sauce

A beautifully cooked piece of swordfish with a nice bright herb sauce. It wasn't one of the standout dishes of the night, but very good nonetheless. The sauce on the plate was very rich, though I can't remember what it was - maybe something with maple? It was great sopped up by the potatoes and parsnips. 

Stuffed Half Chicken

Ground Chicken and Heart Stuffing, Peas, Carrots, Morels, Potatoes, Chicken Liver Gravy

Another major hit, this stuffed chicken was absolutely amazing. Since we were only two people, we were served a "mere" half chicken - bigger tables (which are served family-style) had entire birds. Everything here, from the chicken itself to the vegetables to the incredible liver sauce, was exploding with flavor.

Seafood Tortelloni

Cod Filling, Lobster Sauce, Scallops, Melted Leeks

The manager back at the PDC restaurant in Montreal had raved about these tortelloni, though honestly they were one of our least favorites. The shellfish flavor was a little overly intense, bordering on "fishy". The scallops were a bit rubbery and seemed like an afterthought. 

Interestingly enough, when we ate the leftovers the next day, we enjoyed this dish much more. Maybe it was just an odd flavor after all the other dishes that preceded it at the time. 

Salad

Hysterically, a salad was eventually served. It was actually really delicious, with a nice creamy dressing and crunchy little bits of...something on top.

Coffee

Our server asked if Leah wanted anything to put in her coffee. She requested cream and sugar - in response to the latter, they said, "Why don't you try it with a little maple syrup instead of sugar?" Leah happily obliged.

Pies

Maple Syrup Pie, Cranberry Pie with Whipped Cream

Our first (of three!) desserts was essentially half a pie. One quarter maple and one quarter cranberry. Both were great, though since I'm not a fan of cranberries (I don't enjoy very tart flavors), this didn't work for me as much. I will say that the tartness did help cleanse the palette after so much rich food.

Maple Toast

Maple-Soaked Bread, Maple Paste, Cranberries, Blueberries, Whipped Crème Fraîche, Almond Cracker

Another slight miss for me due to the prevalence of cranberries. Again, this was very good, it just wasn't up my alley personally.

Maple Sweetened Condensed Milk Ice Cream

Maple Brittle, Maple Taffy, Maple Dulce de Leche Churros

Now this was a dessert I could really get into. It starred the same maple sweetened condense milk gifted to us the previous night at the restaurant, topped with crunchy pieces of maple brittle and blobs of maple taffy. The churros, filled with maple dulce de leche, were great as well. 

After dinner we lounged around on the patio for a while, enjoying the cool night air and the warm fire from the smoker. The warm lights from the sugar shack against the cold blue of the encroaching darkness made for a magical feeling. 

On the way out we stopped to look in the window and found two of the staff apparently discussing the best way to butcher a big piece of meat.

One last shot before we headed back to Montreal, leftovers in tow. The Sugar Shack was everything we dreamed it would be. We had an absolutely incredible time - it was immensely fun, outrageously delicious, and totally unique. An experience worth the long trip and one that any true food-lover should take at least once!