From a great raw bar to a top-notch menu Lucille’s Oyster Dive offers a great dining experience

Lucille’s Oyster Dive opened its first location on Monkland Avenue in NDG back in 2009.  For reasons I cannot properly explain, it took me 14 years to enjoy my first experience and wow was this ever a treat!

There are now five restaurant locations – NDG, Fairview Pointe-Claire, Dix30 in Brossard, Laval and Mont Tremblant. In addition, there is a summer pop-up at Atwater Market,  three food trucks and a catering division. We decided to enjoy our first Lucille’s experience at Fairview.

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Le Burger Week 2023: BBurger, Patty Slaps, and Centre Philou represent a nice collection

Each September I look forward to Le Burger Week  (www.leburgerweek.com) for the opportunity to discover something new. Le Burger Week continues across Canada through September 14, with over 600 participating restaurants. That includes 31  in Montreal. Bravo to Thierry Rassam and Na’eem Adam, who came up with this brilliant concept 12 years ago, as well as La Poutine and La Pizza Weeks.  The two Montreal businessmen have unveiled an interactive gamified experience that allows participants to rack up points (called YUMS) and redeem them for burgers throughout the event.  For participants…

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Rôtisserie St-Hubert dining room returns to Côte des Neiges after a four-year absence

As readers of my restaurant stories know very well, the Rôtisserie St-Hubert chain has always been high on my list of dining experiences. My “go-to” spot has long been on Côte des Neiges Road. But four years ago the land where the restaurant sat was repurposed for a residential high-rise building. St-Hubert had to conclude its lease, with a promise to return again at the same location.

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Lavender Grill and Lounge adds some definite flavor and color to the Byward Market

Lavender Grill and Lounge opened in the Byward Market in the summer of 2022, the vision of owner Reza Khakbaz.

Lavender, of course, is a light shade of purple or violet. It applies particularly to the color of the flower of the same name. Khakbaz and his team have certainly taken advantage of the connection, from the décor to the coloring of some of the drinks like my blackberry smash tea mocktail, a combination of blackberry and Earl Grey tea.

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The magic touch of John Borsten: Starling, YOW and Apothecary are his latest creations

John Borsten is indeed the picture of success when it comes to Ottawa restaurateurs. Borsten is the visionary behind five Zak’s Diner locations, Zak’s Cantina, Grand Pizzeria, the Metropolitain Brasserie as well as the historic York on William (YOW) building, which encompasses Starling Restaurant & Bar and Apothecary Cocktail Lounge The latter are part of a multiple-dining concept featuring a rooftop terrace and street-level patio.

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Pierrefonds native Christopher Michaud is proud of his Marzitelli Restaurant in Ottawa

When I first started visiting Ottawa on a semi-regular basis a few years ago, filing restaurant stories, a former colleague from The Suburban Newspaper Christopher Michaud reached out. The  West Island Pierrefonds native was now in the nation’s capital and operating a supper club called Marzitelli and named after his Italian mother. On my most recent trip to Ottawa, I went to visit with Chris and take advantage of the ever-so-popular Marzitelli Sunday brunch. We sat on the beautiful rooftop terrace, overlooking hopping Elgin Street. Chris’s charming wife Fei helps…

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A return trip to the fabulous Métropolitain Brasserie in Ottawa

Last summer I made my first visit to the Métropolitain Brasserie in Ottawa, conveniently located next to the Byward Market at 700 Sussex. That is just steps away from Parliament Hill. Home to Ottawa’s largest oyster bar, the restaurant is open seven days a week, serving lunch, dinner and brunch on weekends.

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