St. Viateur

263 St. Viateur, Montreal, XX - (514) 276-8044

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Posted By Michael Stern on May 9, 2006 7:56 AM

Montrealers are mad for the bagels of the Mile End neighborhood. No one would ever mistake them for bagels from anywhere else, although local food maven Adam Gollner suggested they may accurately reflect the way bagels used to be made in the Ukraine. Sold hot from neighboring 24-hour bakeries, Fairmount and St. Viateur, they are modest-size hoops that are boiled and then baked in a wood-fired oven that adds a smoky note to the flavor of dough that is nearly as sweet as challah bread.

At first bite, we didn't like them. We thought they were too sweet and too small. But we came back for more and soon we were addicted, toting four dozen back to the U.S. with us and hoarding them. (They freeze well if you plan to toast them.)

The differences between Fairmount's and St. Viateur's bagels are subtle indeed, although each has devotees; we thought Fairmount's tended to be chewier, and while we'd recommend plain bagels for a first taste, we grew especially to like the sesames and the onion bagels, the latter having a tawny skin spangled with charred bits of onion that add welcome pizzazz. Neither bakery has a place to sit down and eat, although the kindly counterman at St. Viateur offered us a plastic knife to go with our half-dozen and pint of cream cheese, allowing us to stand in the street, schmear and eat.

Overall Rating

Bagel

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