The famous smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz's. La Belle Province - home of one of Ben's favourite kind of hot dogs. Ben waits at the counter in anticipation for his hot dogs. The famous 'steamé' hot dog from La Belle Province.

Ben Mulroney's Food Tour of Montreal

Updated Thu. Sep. 18 2008 11:58 AM ET

Sheri Block, CTV.ca

There are a lot of reasons why Ben Mulroney loves coming back to his former home of Montreal. But friends and family aside, what he really starts thinking about long before the Idol tour rolls into town is the food.

"It's a comfortable feeling knowing I'm eating exactly what I want to be eating," said Ben, who added it just isn't the same in Toronto. "There's no smoked meat in Toronto, none of these hotdogs, no Bar-B-Barn, which is better for my waistline, for sure I grant you that, but it doesn't make me happy. I was planning my menu weeks ago."

Ok, so Ben is joking, but he still served up plenty of recommendations when it came to Montreal cuisine.

Smoked Meat

Ben's Pick: Schwartz's

The oldest deli in Canada according to its website, Schwartz's has been serving up world-famous smoked meat since 1928 in your choice of 'Fatty,' 'Medium' or 'Lean.' It comes with homemade fries, a cherry cola and a pickle.

"Schwartz's really is the pinnacle and I love it. Some people enjoy the fatty meat; ironically I don't, given what we're talking about right now. I sort of like the lean but today I'm going to go with the medium."

Hot dogs

Ben's Picks: The Orange Julep, LaFleur and La Belle Province

Ben said that while places like Toronto and Vancouver are accustomed to the typical "street meat" vendors, the 'dogs in Montreal are in a class all on their own.

"In Quebec they have the trifecta of the Julep, Lafleurs and La Belle Province and at these places you can get "steamé" (steamies) or "toasté" (toasties). The steamés, steamed ones, I think the dogs themselves are steamed, too, and the buns are steamed so they're very fluffy and moist and delicious. And then on the other side, the toastés, these are grilled dogs and then the bun is pressed in this like iron so they're thin. Both are three-biters. It's like same ingredients, different food."

Hamburgers 

Ben's Pick: Chez Nick

Ben said while some people prefer big giant burgers -- the big juicy ones that ooze all over the place -- he finds that disgusting and prefers bacon cheeseburgers. There's nothing like the ones they serve up at Chez Nick ... a place just as close to his heart as his stomach.

"The best burger that I know of is at Nick's Diner, Chez Nick, on Greene Avenue, the place I got engaged. Every time I go in there, I always get the same thing. Bacon cheeseburger, side of fries with gravy, it's the thick gravy --  the French-Canadian stuff they use for the poutine -- and a black cherry cola."

Ribs

Ben's Pick: The Bar-B-Barn

The Bar-B-Barn first opened on Guy Street in 1967 and according to its website has become a "Montreal Institution."  It's famous for its mouth-watering spareribs that are dipped in a secret sauce.

"There's nothing like it in the world, because no one makes ribs like that," said Ben. "I know what the secret ingredients are because my aunt dated a chef there a long, long time ago and when you can go into a restaurant, first of all it's a big yellow barn in the middle of the city, and order by the 'whole hawg' or the 'half hawg,' you know that you're experiencing something special."

Old Standby

Ben's Pick: Globe Restaurant

This restaurant has been a mainstay in the trendy St-Laurent district for 14 years. While it features everything from seafood to international cuisine, Ben said the real treasure at Globe isn't on the menu.

"It's been a lot of things over the years to me. It was a place where we'd go to drink, a place where we'd go to cavort and meet up with friends but now as I'm getting to a certain age; it's a really great restaurant. What a lot of people don't know is that there are baby back ribs that are not on the menu. If you call ahead you can get what is called the rib feast, which is baby back ribs, cornbread, mashed potatoes and you can actually order extra and they will put it in tinfoil for you to bring it home and reheat it."

And the Side Effects... 

But while Ben spent the weekend in Montreal enjoying all his favourite foods, he also experienced plenty of side effects. Our esteemed Idol host likes to call it a "meat coma."

Ben could be found sleeping on set during celebrity auditions after consuming Schwartz's for lunch and holding his stomach after he downed four hotdogs in about a minute and a half on Media Idol day.

But Ben has had plenty years of experience recovering from a meat coma:

"When I was a kid and I'd go to the Forum to go see Canadiens games with my dad, I would eat three hot dogs per period and then one in overtime."

 

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