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This week Sam and I are in Montreal. This is a city where I was born, so it is always
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really fun to come and revisit. We are going to be showing you some of the main attractions
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around town.
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For our summer getaway we decided to visit Montreal. Located in the province of Quebec,
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this city offers world class festivals, arts, entertainment and dining. We wanted to highlight
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what makes this city so special, so here are 30 things to do in Montreal.
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Our first stop was the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for a look at some of the current
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exhibitions. One of the nice things about this museums is that admission to the permanent
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collection is free at all times.
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Well, it is time to burn off all of that Poutine. We're here at Park Mount Royal and we're going
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to walk around and explore to see what is going on. This is one of the biggest parks
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in the city.
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We just spotted a woodpecker up in the tree.
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This is where locals come to escape the bustle of the city. You'll find many people picnic-ing
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here on a weekend.
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We've been walking around Mount Royal for a while now and we've finally reached one
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of the many lookout points of the city and there are some amazing views.
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On a clear day you can see the whole city.
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During our visit to Montreal we chose to stay in the neighborhood of Le Plateau-Mont Royal.
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The area is quite lively with lots of bars and restaurants, and the residential streets
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are lined with spiral staircases. There were also lots of friendly cats who came out to
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greet us in the morning.
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Summers in Montreal are a lot of fun. On Sunday afternoons you'll find a huge drumming circle
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on the east end of Mount Royal.
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We're now here at McGill University, one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious universities.
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It is a gorgeous day outside so we're just going to wander around campus and show you
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around.
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McGill University is one of the most prestigious universities in all of Canada. Even if you're
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not a student, the campus is worth a little stroll.
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There is one dish that you absolutely have to try when you come to Montreal and that
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is poutine. This is a French Canadian dish and for those who aren't very familiar with
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it. It is basically french fries with gravy and cheese curds on top. Now it sounds a little
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bit gross and it doesn't look that appetizing at first sight but trust me it is delicious.
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It is time for the big reveal. Look down here. This is the standard one. Look at all of the
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cheese curd. It is melting. And the gravy. These fries are swimming in a pool of gravy.
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That is amazing.
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Time for the first bite of the classic poutine here. Let's get lots of gravy on it. Woah,
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stringy cheese. Oh, I got it on my mouth. Wow! That is so good. I just wish this was
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healthy so that I could eat it more often.
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For a taste of French charm, wander down the cobbled streets of Old Montreal. It'll feel
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like you've traveled back to France several centuries. There are lots of great restaurants
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to try in this area.
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For fine dining and shopping in trendy boutiques, you can pop into the Bonsecours Market.
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Habitat 67 is a unique housing complex and one of the most interesting architectural
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landmarks in the city.
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Whether you visit Montreal in the summer or winter, there are always festivals going on.
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Be sure to check them out!
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Tonight we're at the Cirque du Soleil here in Montreal and we're going to be watching
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their latest show Curious.
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While we can't bring you inside the tent, we can tell you that it is a fascinating performance
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that takes you into a different world.
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This roman catholic basilica is located on the Westmount Summit and you'll have to climb
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283 steps to reach the top.
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The biodome is a popular attraction for families with children. It allows you to walk through
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replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas.
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We're here now at Olympic Stadium. This used to be the former stadium of the Montreal Expos,
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a baseball team that has since moved to Washington. I was fortunate enough in the 90's to come
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and watch them play when they had such great players such as Larry Walker who is considered
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to be by many the best Canadian baseball player ever.
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Originally though this stadium was built for the Olympics in the 70's and this is still
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the largest stadium in Canada in terms of seating capacity.
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Because there was some landscaping work being done, we didn't get to walk the extent of
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the gardens, however, there is plenty to see here. The botanical gardens are home to Japanese
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Gardens, Chinese Gardens and even Alpine Gardens.
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Right now I'm here at the Bell Center, home to the Montreal Canadiens, one of the most
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historic and celebrated franchises in all of sports - not just in the NHL but all of
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sports.
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They have such a storied history but as a Blackhawks fan my team has been doing better
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lately so I've got bragging rights right now.
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You have to eat smoked meat if you come all the way to Montreal and there's not better
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place to do so that at Schwartz. This restaurant is an institution and it's worth lining up
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for.
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The Notre Dame Basilica is located in the historic district of Old Montreal. Step inside
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to be wowed by the blue ceilings and gold-adorned altar.
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If you enjoy checking out graffiti and street art I would highly recommend the area around
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Saint Catherine's in the East end of the city. It is just so colorful. You can wander down
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the lanes. So many artists have taken over the area, so check it out.
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Next up we're heading to St. Catherine street which is the place to go shopping. The street
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is lined with different stores and boutiques and I know Sam is going to love this.
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This is the main commercial artery of the city.
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Montreal has long, brutal winters and this is when the underground city plays an important
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role. Most of the downtown area is interconnected by underground paths and underground shopping
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areas so you don't have to be out in the cold.
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Parc Lafontaine is located in the borough of Le Plateau Mont-Royal and it's a popular
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hangout spot on weekends. Friends come to play sports and enjoy a picnic by the pond.
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Le Village is a vibrant neighbourhood which is home to many bars, clubs, and theatres.
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In the summertime the street is lined with 200,000 pink balls over the pedestrian only
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street.
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So now for a little afternoon pick-me-up we have St. Viateur bagels, which are really
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famous here in Montreal. I got myself the cinnamon raisin one. That smells really nice.
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What makes these bagels unique is that they are hand rolled and they are made in a wood
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burning oven. This store is so popular that they actually produce twelve thousand bagels
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a day.
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Alright, time for the first bite. I don't know if you can see it well with the camera
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but there are huge chunks of apples. Look at that. Wow! Are you in your happy place?
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I am. This is like ultimate dessert for me.
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A
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great way to get around the city is by bike. Bixi stations let you hire out bikes for a
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few hours or for the full day, and you can return them at any bike station in the city.
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This is another popular cathedral in the city. It is the third largest church in the province
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of Quebec.
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Montreal's Old Port is worth a wander. You can enjoy a quiet stroll along the waterfront
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or stop for a mid-afternoon nap and one of the many little parks found in the area.
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The best way to get around Montreal is by hopping on the metro. If you're going to be
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in the city for a few days we suggest you get a pass so that you can zip around from
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one neighborhood to the next.
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This Canal is popular with cyclists. It runs 14.5 kilometers starting from the Old Port
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of Montreal.
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So there you have it - a quick little glimpse at this beautiful French city. From festivals
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to live entertainment, and dining to shopping, Montreal has plenty to offer for travellers.
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Hey guys, as part of my plan to embrace winter while being back in Canada, I'm in Montreal
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for the weekend. And this is the view from the guesthouse I'm staying at in the Latin
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Quarter area. I'm stoked about going outside. I'm going to be doing all kinds of crazy stuff
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today. Hopefully some dog sledding, snowshoeing and maybe some skating. I'm also going to
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be devouring poutine and I can't wait to show you what a cool city Montreal is in the wintertime.
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It is seriously cold out today guys. I'm all bundled up but apparently with windchill it
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is almost minus thirty. Woo hoo!
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Check out those icicles. I'm starting to get some on my beard. I don't know if you can
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see it or not?
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I'm at Parc Lafontaine and there is just this incredible skating rink. Outdoors skating
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rink. And nobody is out here using it. If only I had my skates. What a fool for me not
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to bring them. I can't believe I didn't bring them.
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Oh, this is the best. There is a guy out there with his dog just gliding along the ice with
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his boots. He doesn't actually have skates on. Look at him sliding out there. That's
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awesome.
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I'm in serious need of some comfort food to warm up. It's time to head over for my morning
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poutine brunch. Oh, my precious - La Banquise - open twenty four seven for all your poutine
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needs.
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Now comes the hard part. There is such an extensive menu here that I don't know even
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know which one to choose.
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It is just seriously so nice to be warming up right now. My toes were starting to freeze,
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my beard as all frosty. This comfort food is going to do wonders for me. I think it
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is going to allow me to go outside and play around in the snow all day long.
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Oh my, the moment I've been waiting for. Everything I expected and more. La Banquise has the best
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poutine in Montreal.
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Woah, that seriously did not last long - pure gluttony over here.
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So this is one of the more unique entrances I've ever seen towards a subway station.
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Mickey Mouse is in the house.
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Hey guys, my life would not be complete without a Montreal bagel.
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Okay, now the million dollar question is should I go for a bagel sandwich or just go with
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spread on a bagel? Decisions, decisions.
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Alright, it's a raisin cinnamon bagel and apple cinnamon cream cheese for the win.
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Alright guys, time for the first bite. Mmmm. Amazing.
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So it appears we've got some snow cricket going on over hear. It doesn't get too much
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more Canadian than this.
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Oh. Yes, yes!
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Alright, it is time to complete the trifecta of must have foods when you're in Montreal.
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I'm going for - of course - a smoked meat sandwich.
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And when you want the best you come to Schwartz's. Seriously it pays to come here in the winter.
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The is the first time I've ever been here where there hasn't been a massive lineup.
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Now that really hit the spot. One thing to keep in mind when eating at these popular
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restaurants in Montréal is that some of them are cash only. You can only pay with
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cash. Some allow debit card but very few take credit card.
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Now it is time to burn some calories guys. It is kind of embarrassing thing for me to
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admit is that I consumed most of those calories within a two hour period.
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I'm at Mount Royal Park right now and there are all kinds of people doing totally different
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types of exercises from snowshoeing to cross country skiing to skating.
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So this is the reward for the long climb up Mount Royal. I'm near the top of the peak
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here and there is going to be some spectacular views. I just know it.
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And the last stop of the day is at Fête des neiges de Montréal.
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There is one dish you absolutely have to try when you come to Montreal and that is Poutine.
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This is a French Canadian dish and for those who aren't very familiar with it, it is basically
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french fries with gravy and cheese curds on top. Now it sounds a little bit gross and
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it doesn't look that appetizing at first sight but trust me it is delicious.
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There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this meal from a nutritional standpoint. It
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is pure grease and no better way for us to sample it than in this park right here.
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We went to one of the most famous restaurants in Montreal for Poutine - La Banquise – and
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in this bag here I've got two different kinds.
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One is the regular poutine and one is the premium kind. We're going to show you what
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is inside.
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It is time for the big reveal. Look down here. This is the standard one. Oh, look at all
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of the cheese curd. It is melting. And the gravy. It is like these fries are swimming
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in a pool of gravy. That is amazing.
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You've got a premium kind. What did you get? I went for something a little bit fancier
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and mine has bacon and goat cheese instead of the regular cheese curds. Alright, let's
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open this. Oh, wow! Look at that goat cheese. This is going to be amazing.
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This is the kind of meal we're going to have to walk off for hours and hours and hours
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upon end.
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Look at that cheese. My goodness.
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First bite of the fancy poutine. That is just as good as imagined it would be. The goat
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cheese is warm, it is gooey, it is soft and the bacon is amazing. It is greasy, salty.
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It is amazing! How about the gravy? Mmmmm.
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Time for the first bite of the classic poutine here. Let's get lots of gravy on it. Woah,
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stringy cheese! I got it all over my mouth. Wow!
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That is so good. I just wish this was healthy so I could eat it more often.
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It is like a heart attack on a plate. We've been having this every day since we've been
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to Montreal and I don't see us stopping until we leave.
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Out of the two poutines that we had, my favorite of course was the one with goat cheese and
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bacon because those ingredients are just stellar.
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Even if you don't like bacon there is a whole variety of toppings that you can choose over
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at La Banquise. There are mushrooms, green peppers, hot chilly and anything that you
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can think of.
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So how much does a poutine cost? The regular one was just under seven dollars and the premium
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one was about nine bucks, so it is quite an affordable meal.
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I'm really excited right now. Montreal smoked meat along with things such as Poutine, is
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something you absolutely have to try when you're in Montreal. I'm going to go sample
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a sandwich right now.
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Montreal smoked meat is made from brisket and the meat is allowed to cure for one week
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with peppercorn and lots of other spices. It is really flavorful by the end of that
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week. I'm going to take a bite over here. Let's see what this tastes like. Wow, look
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at all of that meat. Oh my, this is falling apart and it smells great. You can see the
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mustard as well. Look at that. Oh my, oh my gosh. Keep that sandwich together there.
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Okay, I'm going to need a huge napkin after this. Wow. Oh my gosh. That is so tasty. The
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meat is really juicy and tender. It is served on rye bread with mustard and I just love
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that combination. Really simple flavors, the meat is smokey and it is great.
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Look at that massive piece of meat. The thing is a bohemoth. I can barely keep it together
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in my hands. It is time for my first bite. It is so tender and delicious. That is one
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of the best sandwiches I've had in a long time.
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There is one establishment in Montreal that is really well known for its smoked meat.
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That is a little deli placed Schwartz's and it has been around since the 1920's. However,
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that is not the only place where you can get smoked meat. There is actually restaurants
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and little shops across town that serve almost the exact same recipe, so it is not difficult
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to track it down.
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In a place that specializes for Montreal smoked meat, such as Schwartz's, you can order it
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lean cut, medium or fatty. We've tried a few different ones and medium is our favorite
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so far.
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Some of the popular side orders that you can also get with your smoked meat sandwich include
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poutine, french fries or pickles.
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For a typical smoked meat sandwich in Montreal you are looking at roughly six to eight dollars
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and it is well worth the price to try.