The market’s Art Deco facade dates back to 1933, and forms an imposing backdrop for the Christmas-tree markets that take over the parking lot when the Yule tides are high. When you get close enough, it smells like a pine forest, and there are always some Canadian woodland critters poking their noses out of the foliage.

But we’re here for the food, right? Montreal’s home cooks and restauranteurs alike swear by the meat at the Boucherie de Tours – the wall behind their cash is adorned with all the business cards of local eateries whose skin they’ve saved, from Le Bremner to Joe Beef. Pierrot, the owner, is “the man”, and indeed one year when I was making crepinettes (French Christmas sausages), the Boucherie de Tours was the only place in the whole city that carried the caul fat I needed for the casings. You can see from the delivery pictured here that unlike the big box stores, they still practice whole-animal butchery.

For visitors to town who don’t have their own kitchens to work with, Boucherie de Tours is still a great place to pick up a tin of Foie Gras  – a staple French Christmastime delicacy – to accompany a bottle of Quebec ice wine up in your room. (A hint: the SAQ across the street from the Atwater market specializes in local liquor, so it’s a great place pick up presents du terroir to tipple here and/or take back home). Or, grab some ready-made garnished sauerkraut or Cassoulet (another seasonal dish) to snack on.

Speaking of hotel-room treats, why not pick up a gift basket from the Fromagerie Atwater. When you walk into this mecca of cheese, it smells like a real cheese cellar (complete with curds at the counter, bien sur). They also put together great holiday hampers, full of great imported and local products. If you keep your eyes peeled in the Fromagerie, you can spot the little hidden doorways to some great caves – there’s a room down a few stairs that’s stacked with artisanal beer, and another little cave for aging cheese  – call it Narnia for foodies.

On the second floor, Premiere Moisson makes baguettes to go with your portable treats, as well as special Christmas pastries, cookies and chocolate treats that are re-invented every year (this year’s Chocolate figurine is a toppled-over Santa who looks to have had too much Christmas cheer already!

Down the hall, in the florists’ area, you can pick up a festive little mantel bouquet, a poinsettia, or a decorative Santa head to add holiday cheer to any home-away-from-home. And with that you’re all set for a moveable Holiday feast thanks to Atwater treats!

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With a few major players in the smoked meat game, people who pledge alliance to a particular restaurant will argue and fight without shame with anyone who opposes their discerning palate. One of these institutions is without a doubt, Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen. This landmark on Saint-Laurent Boulevard has been slicing up smoke meat and satiating Montrealer’s smoked brisket void since 1928. This deli boasts a 10-day brine to their meat, which in tandem to their spice mix, produces the signature taste exclusive to Schwartz’s. The meat is then smoked, chilled, and then placed in a steamer ready to be served.

You can order your meat on a scale of “lean” to “fat”, and locals usually order “medium-fat”; the sweet-spot at which die-hard smoked meat aficionados swear the stars align and magic happens. Sliced from the middle of the brisket where the meat is covered by the fat-cap, it yields thicker and juicier slices – medium-fat is where it’s at.

The classic smoked meat sandwich is piled high, served on fresh rye bread with a schmear of straight up yellow mustard.  The clicking of the precision chef’s knife bouncing off the carving fork, slicing meat to order is as intoxicating as the whiffs of steam rising from your sandwich licking off the tart hints of mustard.

Directly across the street from Schwartz’s is another and just as famous Montreal landmark, The Main Steakhouse. With a smoked meat recipe of their own and equally as secretive preparation technique, the ongoing claim for bragging rights on the strip has remained friendly and neighborly for the past 40 years. Montreal’s smoked meat alliances run far and run deep, and many schools have been forged through generations of conditioning and consumption.

Another Montreal smoked meat institution is Lester’s Deli in the Outremont neighborhood. Still family owned and run (for over 60 years!), their spot highlights a great terrace in the summer and fun and kitschy artifacts that line the walls of the restaurant that rival the china cabinet of any bubbi.

Wherever you get your fix, a trip to Montreal isn’t complete without stuffing your face with our famous smoked meat.  You can try to order your sandwich with mayo if you’re brave enough to face the glares of locals, but what ever you do, don’t call it pastrami.

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