The breakfast must: The Beautys Special

I was tempted to put the Mish-Mash omelette in this category, and no doubt it’s another iconic dish from this Montreal landmark, which has been serving breakfast and lunch since 1942. But the Special, that incomparable sandwich made with lox, cream cheese and sliced tomatoes and onion, says “Montreal” to me as much as Mount Royal. “The Special and the Mish-Mash are our signature items,” says Larry Sckol­nick, who owns the restaurant with his father, Hymie. “But the Special is our Big Mac.” Often ordered to share, the Special is usually enjoyed on top of regular breakfast dishes. Sold for 65 cents in 1942, it now sells for $10. “People try to recreate it at home all the time, but come back telling us it just doesn’t taste the same,” says Larry Sckolnick. When asked who made it best, he doesn’t miss a beat: “My mom (the late Freda Sckol­nick),” he says. “She had the touch.”