| Main Deli Steak House | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1974 |
| Closed | 2023 |
| Food type | Kosher style delicatessen and Steakhouse |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Street address | 3864 Saint Laurent Boulevard |
| City | Montreal |
| State | Quebec |
| Postal/ZIP Code | H2W 1Y2 |
| Country | Canada |
| Website | (archived: May 2018) |
The Main Deli Steak House, also known simply as Main Deli or The Main, was a delicatessen and steakhouse located on Saint Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [1]
Main Deli was established in 1974 by Peter Varvaro Sr. Varvaro was Italian in background, but grew up immersed in the Jewish language and culture. [2] The deli remained a family business, and two of Varvaro's children have opened their own deli restaurants in the suburbs of Montreal using their father's secret recipe for smoked meat, with Philip operating Delibee's, and Peter Jr. running Smoke Meat Pete which won the Montreal Gazette ’s annual ‘Best Montreal Sandwich Award’ in 2001. [3]
Main Deli was right across the street from their main business rival, the famed Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen. The two restaurants were often compared against each other in their patronage and the flavours of their Montreal-style smoked meat. [4] While both establishments continued to be rated highly in recent years, Main Deli never won the ‘Best Montreal Sandwich Award’ which usually went to Schwartz's. Furthermore, Schwartz's was always much more popular among tourists who lined up there for hours while ignoring the Main Deli, attributed to Schwartz's "worldwide fame that makes it a must-enjoy attraction for tourists after 95 years in existence". [3] Perhaps because of this, a frequent customer of Main Deli said “From what I heard, many Montrealers preferred it to Schwartz’s. It felt like it had more of the real traditional feel, while Schwartz’s can feel kind of touristy.” [5]
Some of the regular clients of the Main Deli in the past included Stanley Lewis [2] and Leonard Cohen, [6] as well as Céline Dion, who had gone on to become their competition as one of the owners of Schwartz's. [7]
The Varvaro family sold the restaurant in 2013 after Peter Sr. died. However under new ownership, the quality of the food began to decline while prices rose, as the meat wasn't smoked in-house anymore while the coleslaw was taken off the menu. [8]
The Main Deli closed in May 2023, with its demise attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal, unrelenting city construction on Saint Laurent Boulevard, and rising costs from recent food inflation. [5] [9] [3]
The Main Deli's primary offering was Montreal smoked meat, which they cured and smoked in the back of their restaurant. Whole beef briskets were cured with brine and their own spice mix consisting of black pepper, garlic, coriander, mustard seed, and other ingredients found in Montreal steak seasonings. The meat was then smoked in a smoking oven and steamed to completion. [10] Peter Varvaro Sr. indicated that while the spice mixture was important, it was the method of smoking and cooking the meat that contributed to its flavours and textures. [2]
The restaurant was also well known for its smoked meat poutine, smoked meat burger, and coleslaw. [10] Peter Sr. reportedly made everything by hand. [8]
The Reuben sandwich is a North American grilled sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread. It is associated with kosher-style delicatessens but is not kosher, as it combines meat and cheese.
Pastrami is a type of cured meat originating from Romania usually made from beef brisket. Later recipes use lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. The raw meat is brined, partially dried, seasoned with herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed. Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before the invention of refrigeration. One of the iconic meats of Eastern European cuisine as well as American Jewish cuisine and New York City cuisine, hot pastrami is typically served at delicatessen restaurants on sandwiches such as the pastrami on rye.
Schwartz's, also known as the Schwartz's Deli and the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, is a Jewish delicatessen restaurant and take-out, located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was established in 1928, by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania. Its long popularity and reputation has led to it being considered a cultural institution and landmark in Montreal.
The Montreal hot dog, also known as a steamie, is one of several variations of hot dogs served as a fast food staple at restaurants and diners in Montreal and other parts of Quebec.
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Kosher style refers to foods commonly associated with Jewish cuisine but which may or may not actually be kosher. It is a stylistic designation rather than one based on the laws of kashrut. In some U.S. states, the use of this term in advertising is illegal as a misleading term under consumer protection laws.
Bens De Luxe Delicatessen and Restaurant was a renowned Jewish delicatessen in Montreal, Canada. The restaurant was famed for its Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich. During its heyday it was a popular late-night dining fixture in the downtown core and a favourite eatery of many celebrities. It was open for nearly a century, from 1908 to 2006. At 98 years it was the oldest deli in the city.
Dunn's Famous Deli and Steakhouse is a chain of Jewish delis serving Montreal-style smoked meat, pastrami and cheesecake founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Myer Dunn. The chain currently has locations in Montreal, and one in Ottawa.
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Montreal-style smoked meat, Montreal smoked meat or simply smoked meat in Quebec is a type of kosher-style deli meat product made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices. The brisket is allowed to absorb the flavours over a week. It is then hot smoked to cook through, and finally is steamed to completion. This is a variation on corned beef and is similar to pastrami.
Montreal steak seasoning, also known as Montreal steak spice, is a spice mix used to flavour steak and grilled meats. It is based on the dry-rub mix used in preparing Montreal smoked meat, which comes from the Romanian pastramă, introduced to Montreal by Romanian Jewish immigrants.
Lester's Foods Ltd. is a Canadian meat processor based in Laval, QC. Founded in 1931 by Eastern European immigrant Max Lester who sold meat products out of his deli in Montreal, Quebec. The business continued under his sons Moe Lester and Joe Lester who opened a plant in 1964 to keep up with demand.
Mile End Delicatessen, is a Jewish deli in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn which opened in 2010 and is named after the neighborhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The deli has been highly rated and is currently run by Joel Tietolman.
Pastrami on rye is a sandwich comprising sliced pastrami on rye bread, often served with mustard and Kosher dill pickles. It was popularized in the Jewish delicatessens of New York City and has been described as New York's "signature sandwich". It was created in 1888 by the Lithuanian immigrant Sussman Volk, who served it at his deli on Delancey Street in Manhattan.
Chenoy's is a Jewish delicatessen and restaurant that first opened in Montreal, Quebec, in 1936. Its original claim to fame was offering the Montreal-style smoked meat sandwich. Chenoy's first opened in the old Jewish neighbourhood on the Main, close to Rue Marie-Anne. The oldest remaining Chenoy's deli is in Dollard-des-Ormeaux opened in 1974 by Morty Chenoy and brothers Nick and Costa Sigounis.
A Jewish deli, also known as a Jewish delicatessen, is a restaurant that serves various traditional dishes of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Best known for their robust sandwiches, such as pastrami on rye, they also specialize in traditional Jewish diaspora soups, such as matzo ball, and other ethnically-rooted dishes. Betraying their roots as retail delicatessens, most also sell a selection of their products, such as sliced meats by the pound, prepared salads, and pickles, and do a thriving take-out trade.
Kornblatt's Delicatessen was a Jewish deli in Portland, Oregon. The business operated from 1991 to March 2023.
