Canadian Prime Minister Gets A Taste Of Mile End

When the Canadian prime minister visits the White House, he gets the royal treatment, and by that, we mean fancy poutine and smoked meat from none other than Mile End. The New York-based, Montreal-style delicatessen served smoked-meat sandwiches to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his first night in D.C., and while Trudeau may not have actually eaten the meat, The Montrealer reports, it was a major milestone for Mile End nonetheless.

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Serving the sandwiches at the Renwick Gallery, which is across the street from the White House, wasn't exactly easy, however. Mile End's Joel Tietolman and Noah Bernamoff tell The Montrealer that when they got off the train in D.C. to deliver the meat to Trudeau's welcome reception, the shipment hadn't made it. A manager from Mile End in New York quickly hopped a train to D.C. with five briskets, arriving just in time to steam the meat at local deli DGS.

"We literally walked into the event with the meat as it was starting," Tietolman says. "We just squeaked it out."

For tonight's White House state dinner, Trudeau will get an upscale version of his country's famous drunk food, poutine, with canapés of smoked duck and cheese curds, topped with red wine gravy, the Washington Post reports. Matching the dainty version of what is typically a big, meaty mess, "a drizzle" of Canadian whisky will also make an appearance—not in a tumbler, but on top of an entrée of herb-crusted lamb, PBS reports. The maple syrup featured in the dessert, however, is from New England.

Find Mile End here, or in our DINE app.
Find DGS Delicatessen here, or in our DINE app.