FAMEUX VIANDE FUMEE ET CHARCUTERIE - DINER

FAMEUX - SMOKED MEAT PLACE WHERE THE BEST DISHES ...AREN'T THE SMOKED MEAT? (ALTHOUGH, I DO LIKE THE SMOKED MEAT TOO...)

Their Urbanspoon page:  http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/67/721176/restaurant/Montreal/Plateau-Mont-Royal/Fameux-Viande-Fumee-Et-Charcuterie-Montreal

4500 St Denis St, Montreal, QC H2J 2L3   Telephone:(514) 845-8732
Price Range:  $15 or less per person including one drink, meal, tax, and tip 

*This restaurant is a Mouthwatering Favorite!
 

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Readers of this blog (if any) probably know that I exercise a lot. It's simply one of the foundations of who I am. Can't help it:  I'm a hyper guy - I barely sleep (because my body automatically wakes up after about four or five hours of sleep), I can't stop moving, and I talk a mile a minute. That excess energy HAS to go somewhere. And so, I exercise - oftentimes to the point where I need multiple changes of exercise clothes per training session. Oh, I feel that burn... There is one mild, ever-so-slight downside to all that exercise though: I'm dumber than a box of hammers at the end of my workouts. No, seriously, I am. Like, really, really, really dumb. Simple directions become impossible to follow, I can't speak any of the three languages that I normally do, I forget where I parked (or if I even took the car that day) - hell, at the end of my craziest workouts, I can't even SIT UP STRAIGHT.

When those moments arise, I make a beeline straight for the big portion food places. Dainty places are fine for dates or snacks (well, snacks for me, at least - apparently my snack = full meal for a lot of people. Hmph. Pansies.) ( :P ). When I'm so hungry my IQ drops 30-plus points, I NEEDS TONS O'FOOD. Happily, one of the places that dishes out good serving sizes is also pretty damn tasty. 

Ah, how I do love that confluence of concepts... 

So, to wit: Fameux! This place is supposed to be a smoked meat place, but man alive, I keep on finding I enjoy their other food way more. Don't get me wrong, their smoked meat isn't bad at all - just doesn't feel like it measures up to other places (a favorites list of smoked meat is forthcoming, dear readers!). Instead, what I keep coming back for the pizzas, big-ass table d'hotes, and breakfasts.

Seriously, I love the pizza here, ESPECIALLY the bacon-onion pizza:

Only one picture, despite it being my favorite here. Because honestly, no picture will ever do justice to this pizza. Just go eat it, people!

When I'm not on a diet, I order the medium pizza. Sadly, these days, I'm-a-trimmin' down a bit, so I only ever indulge in the small pizzas... *sigh*  Still and all, the small-size pizzas are nothing to laugh at. It basically feels like it provides the same satiety as a medium (or even large) pizza elsewhere. The crust is thick and chewy, and the toppings and sauce are nice and piled on. It's damn well near-impossible to eat this neatly. Oh, who am I kidding - it's impossible to eat it neatly. But that is fine by me! The other pizzas here are great as well, but just thinking about the bacon-onion pizza warms my soul...

My other favourite thing here is the spanakopita. For the uninitiated, spanakopita is a savory pie filled with spinach. It's a pretty common Greek dish. The wonderful thing about spanakopita at Fameux, the thing that sets it apart from spanakopita I've had elsewhere is the sheer...well, "homemadeness"? of the pie here. Now, I have NO idea if it's homemade (as opposed to from frozen, etc.) or not. I really don't. But something about the way the spinach filling is made - whether it be the mincing, the seasonings, extra ingredients - something is very different, and in a very good way. Added to the fact that it's part of a table d'hote special with a soup and dessert+coffee, this is a VERY good deal.

Spanakopita. Go on, I DARE you to say it three times FAST.

Closeup of the spinach filling. Another case of, how does VEGETABLE taste this good?

Now, I do like the smoked meat here. It's nice and fatty and soft. It's just that, I like the pizza and spanakopita more, and there are better smoked meat places elsewhere. Still a good choice though:

Other excellent, or at least solid, standbys are the fish and chips (again, part of a table d'hote):

Big fish! Crispy batter, soft and seasoned fish on the inside. Makes me want to go to London (not the one in Ontario!)

And the souvlaki pita (yet again, part of a table d'hote), or just plain souvlaki:

"You like-a the juice, eh? Juice is good, eh? I give-a you the juice."

(If you're too young to understand the joke, here is a link to the original sketch, back from the days when Adam Sandler was young: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/d1053830d7/you-like-the-juice-juice-is-good )

Anyhow, if you've read this far and you're still not convinced, then there's nothing more to say. If you are convinced, well, then, what are you waiting for? Go, good man/woman, go!

 

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