I love bagels.
After having lived in Montreal for several years, I make a point of bringing back bagels each time I visit. I have even been known to have an empty suitcase in tow for the sole purpose of bringing back the amazing St.-Viateur bagels. Dense and chewy with a faintly distinct sweetness Montreal bagels are always cooked in a wood fire oven. Although there are a handful of Montreal-style bagelrys here on the west coast, nothing compares to a true Montreal bagel hot out of the fire torn apart and dipped directly in cream cheese.