Mike Cohen, born and raised in Côte Saint-Luc, has long been active in the community as a volunteer, journalist, and consultant. He profiles restaurants in Montreal and beyond. mikecohen.ca
Montrealers are starting to get spoiled vis-à-vis the food court experience.
First came TimeOut Market Montreal at Eaton Centre, featuring 16 eateries, three full bars, a cooking school, a demo kitchen and a shop brimming with goods and local artisans.
Now comes Le Cathcart Restaurants and Biergarten, a $1 billion investment from Ivanhoé Cambridge.
I was invited to both openings and to say I was impressed is an understatement.
As La Queue de Cheval Steakhouse and Raw Bar located at 1181 Avenue de la Montagne, marks 21 years in business, owner Peter Morentzos has some exciting news to announce.
In early 2020, the Q will open up in Toronto at 224 King Street in the base of a glitzy condo building. Morentzos will tell me more soon so stay tuned to this space, but the prime location is right next to the Royal Alexandra Theatre in the very heart of Toronto’s entertainment district.
I first met Antoine Zammit when he was a teenager attending Laurier Macdonald High School in St. Léonard. It appeared, even back then, that he had some true entrepreneurial talents. We kept in touch over the years via Facebook and email, but when he decided to open his own restaurant in Anjou he extended an invitation for me to come as a guest and give it a try.
The beautiful DoubleTree by Hilton Montreal Airport Hotel in Dorval opened towards the end of 2018 and not only has occupancy been high, but for the better part of the past year people I know were giving rave reviews about both its restaurant and bar known as the Sephamore.
What does the word “Sephamore” mean? This is the person you see on the tarmac of an airport guiding a plane by waving flags to its proper parking spot upon landing.
I have lived most of my life in the City of Côte Saint-Luc so when it came time to go to a restaurant close by for dinner or pickup, the Famous Delly Boys always won out. Owners Sonny and Chico made some great smoked meat sandwiches and had other signature items such as the pizza burger. The iconic spot shut its doors for good in 2015 after 53 years in business.
Three years ago Emmanuel Darmond purchased the kosher Sorsky’s Deli at the Quartier Cavendish food court and he renamed it the Deli Boyz. “It is a nostalgic name,” Emmanuel told me when I stopped by recently for a bite. “The spelling is different and we do not use the word ‘Famous,’ and we think it has caught on.”
On December 15, 1999, John Drymousis and wife Carmela opened their first Lesvos Restaurant on Mount Royal Street, at the corner of Brébeuf.
John had been a waiter for years, but always dreamed of having his own dining establishment. Carmela was not in that industry at all, having earned a living the previous 12 years at the credit bureau of the Royal Bank of Canada. A decade earlier the couple had relocated to Fort Myers, Florida, where John had been offered a senior role by some Montreal businessmen at a 250 seat family restaurant. At the time their only child, daughter Mia, was a toddler.
I think one of the first food items I learned how to make myself was a grilled cheese sandwich. We had one of those grillers at home and all I needed was a slice of cheese, two pieces of bread and some margarine. Over the years I learned different variations: buttering up two sides of bread, slipping in the cheese and making it on the frying pan and or toasting two pieces of bread, applying the margarine then sticking it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
I have been to Kahnawake a few times in my life, but it was my curiosity over a tempting relatively new restaurant called Two O Seven Steak and Seafood which closed the deal for me to venture over the Mercier Bridge for dinner one night. I was joined by my friend Mel Leitman, his wife Connie Dorfman and his sister-in-law Marilyn Silverman.
The city of Laval has some terrific restaurants. Add Westwood Grill & Bar to the list. Recently opened at Place Bell, the venue can accommodate 180 people aged 18 and over.
When I sat down with Groupe Sportscene President Jean Bedard recently, he spoke glowingly about the restaurants under the company umbrella: La Cage, Brasserie Sportive; Moishes Steakhouse; PF Chang’s and Avenue.
We were chatting at the now-former PF Chang’s on Decarie, which will be converted into a state of the art Cage facility by next spring. Bedard asked whether I had experienced the newly renovated Bell Centre location, urging me to do so. On a recent Sunday afternoon, I did just that.
While I have loved Japanese cuisine for years, I generally dine at the same places. In recent months though I have been looking to explore and did my family ever hit the jackpot when we stepped into Maïko Sushi on Sources Boulevard in Dollard des Ormeaux.
When my friend Glenn and I recently had to attend an event at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on Decarie near Plamondon, I suggested we try the Luzzatto Kosher Restaurant.
I have been driving by this location for years and noticed previous incarnations of this dining establishment and hotel. It was recently rebranded a Ramada Plaza from Quality Inn and got a complete facelift –inside and out.
There are restaurants in Montreal which merit being compared to a “unique dining experience” and Gibbys certainly qualifies for that category.
In 1969 Gilbert (Gibby) Rosenberg and two partners established a steakhouse in St. Sauveur. His nickname stuck and would soon become legendary. Three years later a second Gibbys opened up in a historic former stable in Place d’Youville in Old Montreal. The rest is history. Today, both locales continue to thrive. For a brief time, there was even South Florida locale in Fort Lauderdale.
For the past year, I kept noticing this small storefront with the name “Ai Dumpling” on the awning. I kept promising myself I would go inside and check the place out. It was only when a friend suggested we meet for lunch there that I did so and how glad I am that occurred for this is a most unique dining experience.
One of the truly wonderful things about writing about restaurants is stepping inside a place you have seen and heard about for many years, yet never before experienced its menu. Such was the case recently for my family when we walked inside Restaurant Sho-dan on downtown Metcalfe Street for the very first time. Let me say from the outset that if you are a lover of sushi like I am and have never tried this spot before then make a reservation without delay.
