There’s been a lot of talk about pastrami lately, thanks in part to L.A. import The Hat’s arrival on the West Side of the valley. What hasn’t gotten quite as much attention is the arrival of pastrami’s Canadian counterpart in Henderson.
Our neighbors to the north call this delicacy “smoked meat.” One longtime purveyor in Quebec is Lester’s Deli. On Sunday, August 9, Lester’s officially opened an outpost at 1590 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, on the outskirts of Macdonald Highlands. Food and Loathing was there to get the lowdown.
Lester’s is a Montreal institution dating back to 1951. Jean-François Blais is the local resident bringing those 75 years of Canadian deli tradition to our valley. And at the heart of the menu is the specialty that generations of Canadians know simply as Montreal smoked meat.
“It’s very well known across Canada, particularly in Quebec,” Blais says. “But all across Canada, people know smoked meat more than pastrami and more than corned beef. Our thing up there is smoked meat.”
Blais (known around town as JF) is a Montreal native who has lived in Las Vegas for 23 years and works as a musical director for Cirque du Soleil. He partnered on the Henderson restaurant with Kevin Fung, owner of the Montreal Lester’s location, after a visit from Fung got the two talking about bringing a taste of home to Las Vegas.
Las Vegas’ large population of Canadian and French Canadian transplants and visitors seemed to provide a natural audience. But Blais believes the appeal goes well beyond homesick expats.
“There’s a lot of Canadians, a lot of French Canadians,” he says. “We figured there’s a demand. And if not, it’s just amazing smoked meat.”
So what exactly is Montreal smoked meat?
The obvious comparison is pastrami. Both begin with brisket and use spice-heavy preparations. But Blais says Lester’s follows a Romanian Jewish tradition in which much of the fat is trimmed from the brisket before the spices are applied, allowing the seasoning to come into direct contact with the meat. The brisket is then cooked and finished in a steamer, producing meat that Blais says is particularly moist.
That smoked meat anchors much of the Henderson menu.
The most traditional introduction is The Montreal Classic, which keeps things extremely simple: smoked meat and yellow mustard piled onto seeded rye. An oversized Deluxe version is available for larger appetites.
From there, Lester’s gets a little more playful. Le Reuben combines smoked meat with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard and Russian dressing on marble rye. The Avenue Bernard adds smoked turkey, Swiss cheese and maple mustard, while Le Maurice tops smoked meat with Swiss, creamy coleslaw and Russian dressing. There’s also Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, a smoked meat platter served with coleslaw, pickle, mustard and seeded rye.
For Blais, however, opening Lester’s in Henderson is about more than importing a particular sandwich. It’s introducing Las Vegas diners to a style of deli food that is part of his hometown’s culinary identity.
And he makes no attempt to hide his allegiance in the pastrami-versus-smoked-meat debate.
“I prefer that to pastrami,” he says. “In my opinion, it’s better.”
After 75 years in Montreal, Lester’s is finally giving Las Vegas diners a chance to decide for themselves.
