Wilensky's Light Lunch | |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | May 15, 1932 |
Food type | Lunch counter and soda fountain |
Dress code | Casual |
Street address | 34 Fairmount Avenue West |
City | Montreal |
State | Quebec |
Postal/ZIP Code | H2T 2M1 |
Country | Canada |
Coordinates | 45°31′24″N73°35′42″W / 45.523302°N 73.594932°W |
Website | wilenskys |
Wilensky's Light Lunch, also known as Wilensky's, is a kosher-style lunch counter located on Fairmount Avenue West in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened in 1932 by Moe Wilensky, the restaurant was immortalized in Mordecai Richler's novel, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz . Scenes in the film version of the book were shot in the restaurant. [1]
Wilensky's is most famous for its Special: a grilled salami-from-beef and bologna-from-beef sandwich with mustard on a kaiser roll, pressed flat from the grill — mustard is compulsory, as a sign in the restaurant announces. [2] Though recognized as part of Montreal's Jewish community, the restaurant is not kosher. Their soda pop drinks are still mixed by hand. [3]
Originally called Wilensky's Cigar Store, [4] the restaurant was located at the corner of St. Urbain Street and Fairmount Avenue in Montreal's Mile End district. It moved to its current location in 1952 [1] and was run by the founder's widow Ruth Wilensky (until 2012), his son Asher, daughter Sharon and granddaughter Alisa. [5] [6]
The famous Wilensky's special sandwich is a grilled bologna sandwich. It was included in Travel + Leisure magazine's May 2012 edition's article about the 'Best Sandwiches From Around the World', written by Jonathan Gold. [7] It was also featured in the second episode of David Chang and Anthony Bourdain's PBS series The Mind of a Chef , [8] with Bourdain visiting again for another Wilensky's special as part of the Quebec episode of Parts Unknown . [9] [10]
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.
Anthony Michael Bourdain was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition.
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Fairmount Bagel is a Montreal-style bagel bakery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the Mile End neighbourhood of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. The first location opened on September 7, 1919 on Saint-Laurent Boulevard by Isadore Shlafman. The current location, on 74 Fairmount Avenue West was opened in 1949. Fairmount Bagel remains a family-run business.
The roast beef sandwich is a sandwich that is made out of sliced roast beef or sometimes beef loaf. It is sold at many diners in the United States, as well as fast food chains, such as Arby's, Rax Roast Beef, and Roy Rogers Restaurants. It is sold in many pubs in the UK and at festivals. This style of sandwich often comes on a hamburger bun and may be topped with barbecue sauce and/or melted American cheese. The roast beef sandwich also commonly comprises bread, cold roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard, although it would not be uncommon to find cheese, horseradish, fresh/powdered chili pepper and even in some cases red onion. Roast beef sandwiches may be served hot or cold, and are sometimes served open faced.
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.
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