I must confess that it had been a few years since I dined at a Mikes Restaurant. But after going to a few movies at the Cinemas Guzzo Spheretech 14 in St. Laurent in recent months and seeing one of the new locales, I was anxious to give this iconic franchise another try.
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
It has been almost 20 years since the Theo family opened their first Firegrill Restaurant in the same St. Laurent complex which houses the Cinemas Guzzo Méga- Plex Sphèretech 14. In 2007 a downtown location on Stanley Street followed. After experiencing their cuisine with my family for the very first time, we are all asking ourselves the same question: How in the world did we miss this place?
There are a lot of good restaurants on the West Island of Montreal. But since it first opened in 2002, 40 Westt Steakhouse & Bar has “carved” a solid reputation for fine dining and an ambiance that cannot be beaten.
Conveniently located right off Highway 40 in the Méga Centre Pointe Claire, owners Stefano Hinoropos, John Leonis and their staff aim to please. This very attractive venue features large ceilings, good lighting, nice artwork, interior brick walls and pleasant music playing in the background. You cannot miss the spacious open kitchen. The restaurant can accommodate 110 people in the main room, 90 at the bar, 100 in a private room and 66 in the wine room. For a cocktail cocktail denature, the number swells to over 1,000.
Let me say from the start that I have been a huge fan of the Bâton Rouge Steakhouse & Bar Restaurant chain (batonrouge.ca) since the original Carrefour Laval location opened in 1992. It was at that time a gentleman by the name of Kosta Mavrohalis created the concept. Twenty-six years later the group has grown to 29 venues in Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia. The 30th will debut soon in St. Hyacinthe.
It has been 12 years since Poissonnerie & Restaurant Rayan opened its first location in Rosemount. There are now four locations and counting: 4528 rue Belanger in Rosemount, 6080 Côte-des-Neiges, 2020 Lanthier in Ottawa and the first franchise at 8090 Langelier in St. Leonard.
Poissonnerie & Restaurant Rayan offers casual dining with a Middle Eastern feeling. Nothing here is pre-made. The concept is quite unique. Upon your arrival, customers head directly to one of the chefs and choose from the wide selection of fresh fish and shellfish lining the bar. The service is prompt and convivial. It is quite novel to go to the seafood bar to handpick your dinner.
I have always loved the Embassy Suites brand, but when Stewart handed me a menu I was impressed with the selection. Located across the street from the Palais des congrès and minutes from Old Montreal, the hotel’s Ristorante Atrio has a steady clientele from hotel guests alone for breakfast, lunch, supper and the very popular Manager’s Reception. But as Stewart told me, because of the attractive menu, combined with excellent prices, many people at conventions at the Palais or headed to or from the Old Montreal have discovered this hidden gem.
I often drive down Lacordaire Boulevard in St. Léonard for business. The large Scores Restaurant on that strip was always a big favorite of mine. Then last year I noticed the sign in front had disappeared, replaced by Grillys 9305.
Recently, curiosity got the best of me and I dropped in to meet owner Maria Tsimboukis, her sister and brother-in-law George Tsonis. George has decades of restaurant experience under his belt and serves as the general manager. After undertaking extensive renovations and re-branding the property Grillys 9305 (the latter is their civic address) they opened and customers began to arrive in droves.
I must confess that I am quickly becoming a huge fan of foodora, the on-demand food delivery service.
Le Bird Bar joined foodora a few months ago. You must check the foodora site first to see which days you can order from Le Bird Bar. At the moment they do not provide the service Thursday through Sunday. “We are really happy with the arrangement,” Lallouz told me. “Customers are so pleased to have this opportunity to get our chicken and other favorites right to their door. At the moment it is the only type of delivery service we provide and the system works very well. Foodora was so reputable, it was an easy choice to go with them.”
From the moment Scores Restaurants (https://www.scores.ca) made its debut in Quebec in 1995 I was a fan. Renowned for its famous Rotisserie chicken and delicious back ribs, it now has over 38 restaurants and counting in Quebec and Ontario.
A subsidiary of Montreal-based company Imvescor Inc (imvescor.ca) which also oversees the operations of Baton Rouge, Toujour Mikes, Ben & Florentine and Pizza Delight, Scores always appealed to me for many reasons. It starts off with their terrific all you can eat, soup, salad and fruit bar, a great way to start a meal. You can literally make that experience your meal or for a small add on price get things rolling with some soup and a wide array of choices.