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| - My friend lives nearby and said that the food at Main is just as good as Schwartz , but without the line of tourists going down the street. So, we tried it. It was my two kids (ages 6 and 8), my wife, and me. We ordered a bunch of stuff to share. First came the poutine with smoked meat, a side of fries, and two bowls of matzo ball soup. The poutine was the best we ever had, and let's not offend any grandmothers and say "the soup was the best we ever had in a restaurant." The fries were pretty good. Coming off a diet for the trip, we half-heartedly agreed that we could have ordered just that and been satisfied. But no, this was vacation, so we also ordered the famous smoked meat sandwich and a side of babyback ribs, which came with a sausage (really, a hot dog). It ordinarily also comes with liver, but this was for the kids, so we ordered it with two hot dogs instead.
My wife said she'd just have a dainty bite to taste the sandwich, just in the name of science. While we waited for this to come, I took the kids to the restroom (somewhat grody, hence four stars). When we returned, my food had arrived, but I found just half the sandwich left, and I received the sheepish but surprisingly unapologetic report that it was "really, really good..."
The kids thought the ribs were the best they'd ever tasted, including Red Bones in Somerville MA (I think not...) and a little barbecue joint we sent to in Mississippi (no way...). They were a little sweet for my taste, but it was for them, so I call them a success.
The smoked meat sandwich is one of the most delicious sandwiches I've ever had. And I'm a New Yorker. If you haven't had it, Montreal smoked meat is very much like pastrami. We had no choice but to polish off a second. (This time, she just had a dainty bite.) They gave us a world-class pickle and side of coleslaw too. All in, this excellent pig-out lunch cost $60--about right.
Schwartz doesn't need to be any better.
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