Is this Montreal's new signature food dish?

0:00When life gets unpredictable, preparation matters. In medicine it's all about staying alert, ready for whatever comes through the door. On the road, it's no different. That's why Volvo designs vehicles to help anticipate risk, reduce harm and protect lives. The Volvo XC90's advanced safety systems inspire confident decisions wherever the road takes you. The Volvo XC90 for life. Proud sponsor of the pit podcast. Learn more at VolvoCars.ca-safety. Big question for you this morning. What is the food that defines Montreal Poutine, a steamy, smoked meat, bagels? None of the above says our next guest. We know him from a virgin radio morning. He's a producer at a co-host of Virgin Mornings with Vinnie and Shannon. And Mike Shar says we have got it all wrong. And he wrote all about it for TheMain.com. Mike joins us to, I don't know, stir controversy. Ask the big question. Get a subset.

1:01Mike, thank you so much for joining us. What a pleasure. Listen, if there's something I'm going to do, it's cause a controversy. I love it. I love it. So you're saying not the steamy, not the smoked meat, not the bagel, not the Poutine. It's rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chicken. I know. And I feel like that's unexpected for a lot of people to hear. But when you really think about it, if someone were to ask me, oh, when was the last time I had a Poutine or a smoked meat, I would go back weeks and months even maybe years for some people. You ask me about a rotisserie chicken. I had it last week. I had it two weeks before that. I got it from the grocery store. Oh, wait, I went to this iconic restaurant, Shelley Barbeque-Ladrune. I have it so much more often. And I feel like Montrealers all around would also have it more frequently, right? Yeah. And like I mentioned bagel in there. And a bagel is not really like a, I mean, they prepare it, but we do it classic. We do it our way. But the rotisserie chicken, I have to say, we do have it more often. Everyone has their favorite spot. But I'm going to ask you Mike, why is the Montreal rotisserie chicken better than say a Toronto rotisserie chicken or another source? Totally. Because listen, though, the one you're going to find at Sobes is the same one you're going to find, you know, at IGA.

2:04But when it comes down to the authentic Montreal version, it's because of how ethnic our city is. I mean, we have the Portuguese version. We have Lebanese serving it with garlic sauce. Maybe you don't want to be in this fight. But even the Greeks got in with rotisserie chicken. There's lemon potatoes on the side too. We do have mean lemon potato, but in terms of like walking out with the whole chicken, I don't know that we do that. So Portuguese and Lebanese, I think they're at the top right. We're battling it out. And you know, everyone has their style. Everyone put their little twist on it. And I feel like it's quintessential, Montreal, like the way that we're just able to sort of unite over a chicken, but we all have our different versions. But at the end of the day, and I love this too, it's also the same in English and French, rotisserie. So it crosses language barriers and solitudes. Exactly. The chicken has brought together the two solitudes. And what more can we ask for? That's it, problem solved. Okay, so I have, I remember when I lived in my land, my favorite was around the corner. It was a Portuguese place called Serrano, where they would do the rotisserie chicken in the window.

3:05And all the drippings would fall down onto the potatoes. They would put the potatoes at the bottom of the bag with the juices. And it was chicken in the bag. It was amazing. But that's, and that's again, that's so quintessential, Montreal, right? Because the chicken in the bag, the Greece, and not just the Greece in the bag, but the Greece that you get under your fingernails that are so worth it for the taste. And then we could talk about the gravy, too. I mean, that's a whole other separate thing, right? Yeah, yeah. Okay, so the gravy versus a little sauce on the side, which is the period, period, versus, you know, a Lebanese garlic sauce. Exactly. Okay, so who can I ask you who in your mind's eye does it best? Can you choose this? Or is it like the famous bagel debate? I mean, it's a bit of a Sophie's choice situation, right? But I'll choose my favorite child. And it's, it has to be Shally barbecue. Shally? It has to be. It really, I just, the nostalgia, memories of going as a kid to this day, it's affordable. And I just, yeah, again, it's, it's the memories attached to it, the accessibility. And again, it's delicious. It is Shally barbecue. That's, you know, a lot of people will agree with you. Okay.

4:05It's interesting. Okay. So that, that's for the nostalgia, but it is also for the flavor. Because let's be honest, Mike, sometimes you get the chicken and the potatoes have to be great, too. Yes, you're not wrong. Yeah. I would say that the chicken's, the chicken's up there. But for me, it's, it's, it's the Shally barbecue sauce as well. And perhaps this is more controversial than, than this conversation alone. But I'm the type who will have leftover gravy on the side. Yeah. I will down it. I will take a shot of the Shally barbecue gravy sauce willingly and happily. And I'll do it all day. I mean, injected into my veins at this point, it is the number one. Mike, you know what? I probably have done that as well. And I probably mean I have. And the other day I was finishing up sushi. I'm not going to lie. I had the shot of the soy sauce that was left. Amen. There's too much wasabi and I heard myself. Okay. So chicken is king. And again, back to the reality of us, we have our ethnically diverse. Exactly. Yeah. Okay. So you do have the Shally, you, and then would you rank the Lebanese chicken next to the Portuguese chicken? Oh. Oh, if we're talking Portuguese, I mean, Mapulmuyi is easily my go to Rachel Street plateau.

5:05I lived two blocks away from it. And while it was great, it was also very, very dangerous. Yes. On both the hips and the bank account. But oh, gosh, yeah. For Portuguese chicken rematos too. I mean, oh, we could talk about it all day. Mapulmuyi would probably be my number one. Okay. So Shally. And then Mapulmuyi. Yes. But can I give a shout out to St. Tubei as well? Of course. Because again, I feel like again, it's sort of ties that into our identity because we don't look. Other provinces don't have. I mean, of course, there's, um, swish alley, but we don't talk about her. We haven't had a moment. And she didn't last. Yes. We have St. Tubei. We have scores. We have Benny and Co. That's true. The list goes on and on. We have, we've taken the lead with Rotesis Riccikin. Mike, it's very interesting because you, you, you really, you, you opened our minds up. I was going to a poutine. You know, you are right. I can't remember the last time I had a poutine. Exactly. You know why? I'll tell you why. Tell me. No one layers the cheese. I don't like it. Just cheese on top of this. Right. It's not fair. You know, who does layer the cheese quite well? What?

6:05Mapulmuyi. It's not fair. I just, with the best of both were holes, it looks like you're going to do it in the plateau. Mike Shah again from Virgin Radeon. We should say nobody paid him to do this. No. These are just his opinions. And again, for Mike, the quintessential Montreal food, the debate is over, it is the rotisserie chicken, bringing together the two solitudes. Mike, remind everyone where they can find you on social media. I thought you could find me on IG at Mike Schar. CH2A's R. Mm-hmm. And of course on Virgin Radio Mike, thank you so much for taking the time. What a pleasure. Thank you. It's the music that raised you. The artist raising the bar. Hi, this is Ryan Adams. Hey, my name is Brett Evans. I'm from the glorious Suns. Hi, I'm Nelly Fertado. Made in Canada. The station that champions Canadian music. Loud, proud, and all yours. No passports required, just press play. Tap into Maiden, Canada now on iHardRadio.ca or the free iHardRadio app.