text: Sometimes there is no substitute for the real thing nnLesters with its iconic bright yellow awning has been a mainstay in the Outremont neighborhood for years now My grandma lives just around the corner from this institution and though I often walked by during visits to Montreal I never found the time to go in for a bite WhynnBecause my grandma and her clan are diehard Schwartzs folks nnYes the sole incarnation of smoked meat they have come to know has been from the famous deli downtown Even my mother who finds little to embrace in Western cuisine has a hankering for the restaurants famed brisket every now and then nnCut to a recent visit to Montreal with mum when we were both hit with smoked meat cravings My mother wanted Schwartzs of course but we were due back at Grandmas for lunch so we were playing hooky and could not ask the rest of the clan for directions Furthermore I was without my bearings ie smart phone so I proposed we hit up Lesters instead Okay she muttered begrudgingly nnTheres sidewalk seating during the warm months so deli goers can enjoy the comings and goings of the neighborhood while they nosh Very European Inside there is a different feel Oldschool diner There is booths rows of tables and a deli counter where the slicers stand handslicing the brisket Tchotchkes from bygone decades in Quebec fill the walls nnWere seated quickly inside and place our order with our server a curt but sassy type with a thick Quebecois accent Two smoked meat sammies an order of fries and a ginger ale in a frosty mug to share Mum does not want to share a sandwich despite the obvious fact that we will be eating more at Grandmas later nnOur meal arrives The fries are not very crispy on the outside but feature very soft fluffy and sweet innards They are addictive but they lack crunch I take a bite out of my sandwich and I already know what the verdict will be But I wait for mum to deliver her pronouncement She takes a bite squirts a little more mustard onto her sandwich and begins pawing at the meat at bit with her fork If there ever was a time to tell someone to stop playing with their foodnnBut then the kvetching starts up NO Not the same she weighs in Adding to that Soft meat no flavor Other place better And of course How come other table get more pickles than usnnOkay nnThis is her I told you so moment in food form It is true though The meat although velvety soft from the steaming lacks the beautiful array of spices or much smoke It may be hand sliced expertly into paper thin slices but it does not make up for the blandness or the slimy texture A extra squirt or two of mustard fails to perk up the DOA meat There is no oomph here sad to say The sandwich reminds me faintly of my experience at Bens years ago though even that version had more flavour I suspect that they use industrial processed briskets which are jacked up with chemicals and preservatives I do not have a problem with that so long as the flavour remains intact The whole sandwich is rather underwhelming We continue on with our fries gobbling them up nnSo this is not the best smoked meat that Montreal has to offer It may alright fine for diner fare or what not but skip the brisket Next time no shortcuts