The Shlafmans still operate Fairmount, but it was closed for two decades, from 1959 to 1979. The original oven is still there and in use, however. So it could be said that the best bagels in Montreal today are Italian. For convenience, only plain and sesame-seed bagels were included in the contest. Though bakers in each city use the same basic procedures, there are also substantial differences both in approach and in results.
Montreal bagels are lighter, sweeter and crustier.
They have a nice chewiness, but are not dense. The dough doesn't rise much before cooking. The wood sits on one side of the oven, the bagels on the other. The extreme, dry heat and some of the smoke from the wood travel across the arched top of the oven and cook the bagels to crusty, near-charred excellence. Vince Morena says this is the critical part of Montreal bagel-making.