Fairmount Bagel

Continuing our frenetic quest to bring stuff home from our last day in Montreal, it brought us to Fairmount Bagel.  I've already had St. Viateur the last time I was in town, so I really wanted to see the other popular spot.  Naturally, there was a lineup to get in and of course, we proceeded to queue up.  If you are wondering about the parallel line next to it, that was for the gnocchi at Drogheria Fine (yes, we got some of that too).

But before we got the gnocchi, we were here for the bagels and instead of doing a plain as a baseline, I went for the Sesame.  Once toasted, it was pretty apparent that the bagels at Fairmount Bagel are completely different than those from St-Viateur.  The bagel from Fairmount was dense, but less dense and less chewy than St-Viateur.  They were a bit sweeter too.  I can't say which one I prefer more because they are both good in their own way.  

Their All-Dressed Bagel (or Everything) had a combination of sesame, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, onion and garlic.  Hence the name and also lives up to it too.  Beyond the texture from the seeds and aromatics, we had the slight saltiness of the bagel.  The onion and garlic provide pops of sweetness.  I did notice that the bagel was not as salty as St-Viateur though and could be eaten cold with less chew.

We got a couple of fruity bagels in the Blueberry as well as the Cinnamon & Raisin.  Since the bagels at Fairmount are sweeter compared to St-Viateur, the fruit portion of the bagel helped make it taste almost dessert-like, even without the cream cheese.  I didn't mind it as it was tasty while the less chewy texture made it less dense.  As said before, these didn't need to be toasted to eat.

Our last 2 bagels were colourful in the Raspberry Chocolate and the Rainbow Bozo.  For the raspberry, the bagel itself was only a bit sweeter than the rest while still sporting a fluffy chew.  For the huge rainbow, it was actually less dense due to its larger size.  It didn't taste remarkably different than the sesame bagel but was super filling.  Overall, we enjoyed the bagels at Fairmount.  They are different than St-Viateur, but I like them both.  One it sweeter and softer, while the other is saltier and chewier.

The Good:

- Not as dense and chewy as St-Viateur for those who like it that way

- Sweeter than St-Viateur for those who prefer it

- More unique options

The Bad:

- The reverse is true for the good if you prefer St-Viateur

Casse-Croûte MangeDansMonHood

After our morning visit to Automne Boulangerie, we walked down the block to our 2nd eating destination in Casse-Croûte MangeDansMonHood.  This place is well-known for their smash burgers that were once only available during pop-ups.  Their menu is supremely simple and focused.  Only 2 burgers, fries and poutine are available.  Hey, I've always said, do one thing and do it right!

Since we were already a bit full from some pastries at Automne, we decided to only get a few items.  As mentioned, the menu is pretty small and we didn't have much to choose from either.  Hence, we got both available burgers including the Happy Double Cheeseburger.  This was a simple concoction with ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles.  Something doesn't have to be complex to be tasty and this was the case here.  From the well-toasted bun to the smash patties with crispy edges combined with 2 slices of American cheese, this was delicious.

Now as much as we enjoyed the Happy, the Cali Double Cheeseburger was even better in my opinion.  Just by looking at the name, I'm thinking this is a nod to In-N-Out with lettuce, double cheese, onions, tomatoes and pickles with MDMH sauce.  Now this was the best thing we ate since it was messy, saucy and salty (in a good way).  Combined with the thin smashed patties and toasted buns, this had some real In-N-Out vibes. 

We ended up with the Poutine for our side dish and it was pretty good.  The house-cut fries that were underneath the gravy were still somewhat crispy and had a nice aroma.  Plenty of potato texture as well.  The gravy was thick and mildly-seasoned, yet still flavourful.  Lots of legit cheese curds that were mostly not melted (which is how it should be).  Overall, the stuff at MDMH really hit the spot.  Legit smashburgers with crispy edges on the patties.  There was enough fat for flavour and to keep things from being dry.  Would come back!

The Good:
- Do one thing and do it well
- Crispy edges on the smash patties
- Good poutine

The Bad:
- Not a lot of seating, so get there early or be lucky