I’ve heard it whispered. I’d seen posts about it on social media. According to the xeets and the comments, the Smoked Meat Sandwich at The Refinery Grill is a faithful nod to Montreal.
Now, that’s a big statement. I’ve lined up in the Montreal cold — which is a lot worse than an Edmonton cold snap — in order to get into Schwartz’s. I know, there’s probably some reader in Montreal who is thinking, “oh, you’ve been to Schwartz’s? You tourist.” (I’ve also been to Katz’z in New York, so I wonder if there’s deli merit badge that I’ve earned.) A woman in front of me in the Schwartz’s line got to to door and asked if there were any specials. The guy at the counter responded, “look at at the lineup, lady — do you think we need specials?” And, trust me, the lineup was worth it — the world-famous sandwich sure lived up to the hype.
So, I went into The Refinery Grill with measured expectations. How good could this smoked meat sandwich be? “Montreal good” is a big claim.
First off, on the menu, there’s a choice between the regular smoked meat sandwich and the deluxe version. The deluxe version is bigger. So, if you feel that the arteries have been running a bit too smoothly this week, go for the upsize. I went for the regular, and it was big enough — a sandwich of real heft. In fact, it was a struggle to keep the curled up bits of smoked meat inside the slices of rye bread. The fries and the peppery gravy brought back memories of when I was a kid in Brampton, Ont. It’s weird how food can bring back a memory so vividly — but I was right back in the Vega family restaurant, ordering fries and gravy when I got out of school at lunch hour.
Oh, back to the sandwich. The “regular” sized one was so big, I couldn’t finish it all. The meat was hearty, and not too fatty at all. The smokiness was subtle. It’s certainly not the big, deep red, fatty type of smoked meat sandwich that you’d find in Montreal, but wow, it’s recommended. Maybe we should start talking about an Edmonton-style smoked meat sandwich. You with me on this?
The Refinery Grill
Youngstown Industrial | 10406 Mayfield Rd NW, Edmonton | 780.341.4904 |refinerygrill.com
