Kettlemans hand-rolled Montreal style bagels, unique spreads, fresh salads, and sandwiches make the perfect breakfast-to-go, boardroom power lunch or late-night indulgence. Founder and Montreal native Craig Buckley opened the first store in August of 1993. When he started the business, he simply wanted to make the best bagels you could find. By rolling, “kettling,” and baking traditional Montreal Bagel in a wood burning-oven using handpicked hardwood, and maintaining an unwavering commitment to the traditional quality of the food, Kettlemans has become a food institution — 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year — for 28 years.
Posts published by “Mike Cohen”
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 and @mikecohencsl
When Montreal-based Foodtastic purchased the Milestones Grill + Bar restaurant chain (https://www.milestonesrestaurants.com) last summer, with plans to finally debut franchises in Quebec, I got pretty excited.
Foodtastic, a highly successful multi-brand restaurant company, is owned by brothers Lawrence and Peter Mammas.
Au Coq has been part of the Quebec restaurant landscape for more than 60 years. Since 2019 it has been part of the Foodtastic group (foodtastic.ca), which was enough to get my attention when I was in Dollard des Ormeaux and looking for a place to eat on Sources Blvd. There are presently 10 Au Coq franchises in Quebec (Dollard, St. Laurent, Marché Central, Hochelaga, Montreal East, St. Leonard, Central Station downtown and Gatineau). Opening soon will be locations in Terrebonne and Île-Perrot.
Sikellis and his team managed their way through the pandemic, but he told me clearly that I must come back to one of his locations when indoor dining could see what a sensation it is. I finally did so recently in Dollard, managed by Harry’s son Mike. It was a Sunday morning and when I arrived the place was starting to get busy. By 10 am there was a lineup out the door. Mike, assisted by his mom Marina Tzanetakou, was busy checking vaccine passports. There is plexiglass between tables, which are well spaced.
When I dropped by at a lunch hour to meet Dranias, Chef Armeni greeted us with a basket of bread, an appetizer of Fritto Misto – deep-fried calamari, shrimp and smelt- and delicious bowls of busiate pasta, with a braised rabbit in fresh tomato sauce.
At the Île-Perrot location, manager Costa Soilis aims to please. He has been at this spot since it opened six years ago, having started off as a chef and then taking charge. Throughout the pandemic he kept the place running with take-out and delivery orders. Now he is overseeing the return to in-person dining. The terrasse season has regrettably ended for their patio can accommodate 90 people. He and wonderful server Sophie, who has also been on staff since the start (in between becoming a mom three times), told me how these days they also must play the role of COVID-19 vaccine passport copies. Regularly they have to prevent unwanted customers from coming through the front door.
Greenspot is right out of a movie set. There are a few counter stools and enough vinyl booths to accommodate as many as 140 diners. Each table has a jukebox. While the machines no longer function, some people still try to feed coins inside for some old songs. Music now is piped in via a Bell satellite.
Notable Quebec race car driver Alex Tagliani recently opened his new $18 million TAG E-Karting and Amusement Center at Plaza St. Thérèse... The Center features nine activities including a combination of the multi-level layout of three electric karting tracks, a laser tag game arena, six ax-throwing lanes, six bowling lanes, a Triotech 7D interactive cinema, a multi-sensory virtual reality experience, numerous modern arcades, and an interactive children’s floor—all under one roof. And it was all founded by Tagliani, the owner of TAG Autosport and a large partnership with a number of entrepreneurs well-known in the business sphere.
Since Pizzeria Bros debuted on Côte des Neiges a year ago I have driven and walked by umpteen times. I finally stopped by to sample the food and thanks to team leader Jared Maraj and his co-workers Mikael Loyat and Harjot Singh I came away with an excellent first impression. This chain can best be compared to the Subways of pizza. However in this case Pizzeria Bros provides a fresh thin crust pizza with quality ingredients in a quick-service setting. The dough, sauces and dressings are all homemade and pizzas cooked in high heat ovens in only 90 seconds.