Cool Bagels and Sandwiches
With Wellington Street in Verdun being named the coolest in the entire world, according to the popular Time Out website, I dropped by the new Wellington Bagel Sandwicherie. Chef Derek Curzi and his team offer the best gourmet sandwiches on the block, such as mouthwatering porchetta, Montreal smoked meat, the famous Wellington beef, crispy chicken cutlet, tender juicy chicken parmigiana, their iconic Chicago all beef hot dog, freshly baked in house pastries and always hot out of the oven bagels. Check out one of their bagelwiches, which I happily sampled. The place also sells homemade tomato and meat sauce, as well as tomato and meat lasagna, made by Chef Curzi, whose day job is at the St. Pius X Career Centre and Culinary Institute in Ahuntsic. Owner Jimmy Rennie, well-known for his development of Ville Émard Bagels, will be taking this new location to an entire new level; so stay tuned and check out 4400 Wellington.
Broskis
Resto Broskis (www.restobroskis.com), owned by Danny Stamiris and located on Jean Talon, just off Decarie in a small strip mall, was a pleasant surprise for me. The fun menu includes burgers, hot dogs, poutines, sub sandwiches, chicken wings, pizzas, wraps, salads, pita plates and either double chocolate or cheesecake for dessert. You can order from their website and get a 15 percent discount at the cash or via one of the delivery apps. This is a fantastic spot for lunch, with plenty of free parking. My friend and I ordered some of the steamy hot dogs and fries to start. I went for the medium barbeque chicken pizza, which was superb while my friend opted for the chicken pita, which he gave a big thumbs up to. We saved some room for pieces of the decadent chocolate cake. Resto-Broskis is located at 5000 (#145) Jean-Talon Ouest. Info: www.restobroskis.com, call (514) 738-2323.
Le Burger Week(s)
Le Burger Week(s), Canada’s favorite burger festival created by Montrealers Na’eem Adam and Thierry Rassam, launched on September 1 and has actually been extended to September 14. This year it has gone plant-based, to bring you all the vegan-burger deliciousness, launching Canada’s largest plant-based burger festival! The renowned food festival is now the largest burger event ever staged in Canada, with over 400 participating restaurants across the country. Before even looking at the roster, I thought of restaurateur Jonathan Dresner who is behind the concepts of Notre Boeuf de Grace, Pigeon Café and Hello 123. His latest creation is Burger Fiancé, with one location in Old Montreal and a new spot on Sources Blvd. in Dollard. I stopped by the latter recently and Jonathan was correct — had he not told me the burgers were vegan, I would have never known.
Yes, Burger Fiancé is entered in Le Burger Week and franchisee Steven Murray is excited to welcome many new customers to the West Island. My burger was outstanding, served with yummy waffle fries. There is also a choice of some quenching sodas: cream soda, black cherry, bubblegum, cotton candy and more to come soon. For dessert I savored a brownie à la mode — yep a vegan brownie served with ice cream, chocolate syrup and caramel. Find out more at www.burgerfiance.com and www.leburgerweek.com.
