One of the things I have really missed since the pandemic started is a good early morning breakfast at some of my favorite restaurant spots. Well, since I have become quite accustomed to the take-out route I jumped at the offer to drop by Petinos in the Sainte-Dorothée District of Laval for a pickup before reporting to work.
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
Foodies like myself sure do miss certain restaurants that have remained closed since the start of the pandemic. A case in point is Reuben’s Deli & Steakhouse (http://reubensdeli.com) on St. Catherine Street and Anton & James, which had a storefront on Stanley.
In November 2019, the father and son team of Gary and Jonathan Makris became the exclusive owners. Gary has been there since day one while Jonathan began busing tables as a teenager. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Elounda closed its doors. “We were not a take-out and delivery type of place,” reasoned Jonathan.
After months of hunkering down and planning out their steps, The Tzemopoulos family finally pushed the play button on the reopening of their trendy downtown Stanley Street Deville Dinerbar (www.devilledinerbar.com). As of this writing their sister property, the iconic Reuben’s Deli & Steakhouse will remain temporarily inactive for a while longer.
At the age of 40, Jonathan Dresner is quite the entrepreneur. After graduating from Concordia University with a business degree, he tried his luck at a number of jobs and eventually made the plunge into restaurants, operating some Quiznos franchises in Montreal and became part of a startup called Kupfert & Kim. He’s also a partner in the Hello 123, a plant-based restaurant and bar.
While its Old Montreal and St. Sauveur locations are now open for dining, Gibbys has implemented an already very popular takeout and curbside pickup format. Gibbys is following all required protective measures for patrons, staff and suppliers. All tables are socially distanced and all of the staff wear the required protective equipment. There are hand sanitizing stations throughout the restaurants and all areas are sanitized on a regular basis. In Old Montreal, a separate entrance has been created for clients coming in so that clients arriving and leaving are not crossing each other in the entrance.
For so many years now I have walked or driven by Sushi Shop locations, but never stepped inside to order. With our family focusing exclusively on take-out and delivery options during the COVID-19 pandemic, we agreed to finally give this place a whirl. Let’s just say they can count on us being regular customers from this day forward. What a pleasant surprise the entire experience was.
As Restaurant Sho-dan prepares to reopen for diners its take-out and delivery service aims to please
As Restaurant Sho-dan prepares to reopen for diners its take-out and delivery service aims to please
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid-March, Restaurant Sho-dan on Metcalfe Street closed its doors like others in the industry. Now this place is traditionally packed for lunch and dinner during regular operating hours, so for charismatic owner Chinh Pham (best known as Romeo), it was a bitter pill to swallow.
For the past few weeks, my family and I have gone through some major sushi withdrawal. So we were delighted to hear that Ryú Sushi (www.ryusushi.ca) had reopened its Peel and Westmount locations for take-out and delivery.
Ryú (Japanese for Dragon) is known throughout Montreal for its fresh ingredients and a unique philosophy of respect for the environment and one another. The place specializes in high-end sustainable sushi.
Peel is open from Tuesday to Saturday whereas Westmount is open from Thursday to Monday, both with different menus. We decided to order from Peel first; Westmount is penciled in for next week.
First a little bit about the precautions they are taking during this COVID-19 pandemic.