Montreal, arguably the gastronomic capital of the country, is nothing if not festering with fine dining establishments. But a guy can only eat so much foie gras. And, besides, it all begins at the Belle.

La Belle Province is a shining light for enthusiasts of the fundaments of Montreal cuisine: steamed hot dogs, decent smoked meat, yummy poutine. Get these right first, goes the philosophy in this food-happy province, and you can do anything.

The “Belle,” launched in 1970 on Sherbrooke St. E. and today a chain that’s loosely held by a half-dozen ownership groups overseeing more than 100 locations, has the formula nailed.

The grub here is simple, bountiful, reasonably priced and tasty as hell. Servers take table orders from hungry customers who make their selections from a vast menu board plastered with photos to help them imagine their foodie fates. Grill cooks work assembly-line style, nudging plates through their courses until they’re brimming with the goods. And what goods.

Breakfast is a staple, served until 2pm at the St. Jacques location (Pataterie La Belle Province, 6752, rue St-Jacques Ouest, open since 1994), with diners lingering over the Mirror, link sausage and one more cup of joe.

With lunch comes some of the Belle’s finest offerings, including “steamies” (Montreal’s famous skinny hot dogs in gluey buns), sauerkraut-laden hamburgers and enormous Styrofoam containers of authentic poutine (thick-cut fries layered with gooey cheese curds and suffocated with gravy).

Other standouts include the smoked meat (natch), souvlakis and the simple miracle that is a perfectly assembled club sandwich.

And so en route to your next Montreal fine dining experience (or on your way home, to fill up where your sparsely populated gourmet meal left off), detour to Belle Province, why don’t you, for a delicious introduction to the building blocks upon which this city’s fine-dining reputation is constructed.