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.
Tommy Café made its debut about five years ago on Notre Dame Street in Old Montreal, serving mainly different coffees and teas. It has since expanded a few blocks away to St. Paul Street, on Mount Royal twinned with a Baccaro pizza spot and in Oakville, Ontario. Expansion is on the way to St. Bruno and Fairview Centre in Pointe-Claire.
Q-ZN, as it is cleverly called, recently opened in the industrial sector of St. Laurent. When Dan and his partners, Jason Nishmas, Jason Martin and Steve Merling, were putting the concept together and approaching restaurants he began waxing nostalgic about Cattlemans. Before you could say “pepperoni,” a plan was in place. He approached the owners of Quebec Pizzeria in Laval (order.quebecpizzeria.ca) and with the blessing of the Blutman family, he gave them the Cattleman’s (now reborn without the apostrophe to please the language police and known as Cattlemans Retro) pizza recipe. The Papa family from Quebec Pizzeria nailed it.
Every so often I wind up at a culinary establishment where I ask myself the question, “How is it possible that I have never been here before?”
Such is precisely the case for the iconic Duc de Lorraine, located on Côte des Neiges Road just off Queen Mary. Since 1952, this truly magical spot has served French pastries, seasonal cakes, viennoiseries and macarons, using traditional recipes by great French pastry chefs. Victoria Sørensen became the owner 12 years ago and she clearly has the magic touch for this is a restaurant, catering service, dessert emporium and a pastry shop all rolled into one.
Back in 1966, Christos Kalogrias came to Canada, leaving his native Greek village of Arahova. He was only 26 years of age and had some family here. His first job was in manufacturing, earning 95 cents an hour. In order to build some savings, he relocated to Thompson, Manitoba to work in a nickel and mining company, returning to Montreal in 1971 with enough money to open his own restaurant on St. Viateur Street. In June, Arahova Souvlaki celebrated its 50th anniversary.
By: Mike Cohen
The story goes as follows. Dominic “Dick” Potenza was born in West Virginia and grew up in Utica, New York. He became well known in the Rochester – Buffalo area during the ’40s as a head-waiter in the supper-club-type restaurants of the era. It was at one of these supper clubs that he met his future wife, jazz accordionist Ann Collecchia, who performed using the stage name of Ann Russell. Together, they envisioned a fast food restaurant that would serve an original-style hamburger with their own special sauce. After much thought, this original style hamburger took the form of a toasted bun containing a thin patty that would cook quickly. After they modified and combined two recipes that they brought with them from Rochester, Dick and Ann developed their famous hot sauce.
In 1954, the couple moved to Montreal and opened the first Dic Ann’s, which was no more than a “hamburger shack” located on the corner of Cremazie and Papineau. Two years later, the success of this small location convinced them to move to larger premises in Montreal North. Initially open only in summer as a drive-in with car service, it was later renovated to allow year-round operation. In 1981, Dic Ann’s opened a larger operation in Chomedey, Laval, followed by Ville d’Anjou (1994), Terrebonne (1995), St-Jerome (1996), Repentigny (2000), Auteuil (2001), Longueuil (2004), NDG (2006), St. Eustache (2008), Ste-Thérèse (2012), Old Port (2013) and Marché Centrale (2013). They also have a food truck.
Last week I decided to take a drive to Chomedey and Boulevard Curé Labelle. This Dic Ann’s has a large parking lot. I went to meet cousins Delbina Potenza and Anthony Zammit, the third generation of the family business founded by their grandparents. While I could not resist the offer to enjoy two delicious cheeseburgers, fries and a Pepsi, the big news is that starting this June, fans of Dic Ann’s restaurants will be able to buy their famous sauce in Metro grocery stores across Quebec to reproduce the taste of their favourite hamburger in the comfort of their own home. I took home a jar, warmed some sauce up and used it on my own burgers and wow what a treat!
Delbina and Anthony
The sauce has actually been sold at the cash at all Dic Ann’s locations since last December. Delbina and Anthony said they will be watching closely to see which Metro spots sell the most sauces (they will not necessarily be available at each one, so you can ask the manager). If, for example, at the NDG Metro near my home sales go well maybe the West End will get a Dic Ann’s franchise again. There was one on St. Jacques Street West, but it closed when the multi-year construction project for the Ville Marie Expressway kept any car traffic away from the area.
“We spent our evenings hand-filling the thousands of jars of sauce and putting the labels on ourselves,” says Delbina Potenza. “It made for a nice exciting project for us during the pandemic.”
The idea to offer the sauce separately came with the high demand for deliveries during the pandemic. “Our hamburger is really better when the sauce is added at the last minute to keep the bun from getting too soft,” Anthony Zammit explains. “So we started offering it in a separate container for deliveries, and then the idea came up to sell it to our restaurants.”
“Our original intention was to bring a little happiness into people’s homes during the pandemic,” adds Delbin. “Families are cooking at home more and more since the restaurants closed, so it was the perfect opportunity to launch the sauce in grocery stores.”
The story behind the famous sauce
When Dick and Ann decided to open a hamburger restaurant in Montreal, they enlisted the help of the chef from the restaurant where Dick worked to develop a sauce recipe. They did some trial runs and taste tests with their friends and chose the most popular one.
“We have a sauce like you can’t find anywhere else,” Anthony boasts. “Not too runny, not too thick and the meaty taste of our sauce is really unique.”
Dic Ann’s customers know how important quality ingredients are to the company. The sauce is made with pure spices from India and fresh ingredients. The recipe has never changed since the company began in 1954. The Potenza family used Dic Ann’s sauce in many recipes, not just burgers. One of their favorite recipes was to mix the sauce with beef or pork in the slow cooker to make delicious pulled meat, or to cook very thin slices of roast beef in the sauce to make a sandwich served on a baguette.
“There are so many delicious ways to enjoy our sauce,” says Anthony. “Our community shares with us on social media their favorite ways to cook with our sauce and we are always pleasantly surprised by their creativity.”
My brother-in-law grew up in Chomedey and always returns to Dic Ann’s on visits back home. When he saw me order a burger with no Dic Ann’s sauced one time, he was upset! “That is sacrilegious,” laughed Anthony.
Dic Ann’s Original Sauce is sold for $7.99 for 550 ml in Dic Ann’s restaurants now and in Metro grocery stores this June.
The Pandemic
I sat down with Delbina and Anthony on the small terrasse, which will soon be up and running again for clients. But for Dic Ann’s, the pandemic did not really impact business badly. “We were built for take-out,” said Anthony. “Customers often eat in their car anyhow or bring orders back for their family. We started using DoorDash for home deliveries and that turned out to be a big success.”
The appropriately dubbed Notre Boeuf De Grâce (https://www.notreboeufdegrace.ca) was an instant success and expansion happened quickly today there are nine locations (NDG, Downtown, St. Laurent, Pointe-Claire, Laval, Terrebonne, Le Village, Le Plateau and Saint-Jérôme) and one more in Blainville on the way later this summer.
My family has been frequenting the Firegrill Restaurant ( https://firegrill.com) for a few years now, enjoying some of the best steaks in town at their downtown Stanley Street and St. Laurent Sphèretech 14 (next to Cinemas Guzzo) locations.
One of the truly growing pizza chains in Quebec is Pizzéria No. 900 Napolitaine. There are now 25 locales across the province and if you are making a pickup you will not have long to wait as the pizzas are cooked in their special ovens in a remarkable 90 seconds. The oven is at 900 degrees Fahrenheit, hence the name of the chain.
The team at MtlRestoRap is in mourning following the sudden passing of our sales coordinator Mel Leitman, on Monday, March 22, 2021.
Mel joined MtlRestoRap in the fall of 2019. He was a perfect fit given his endless array of contacts in the restaurant industry. He was the beloved soulmate of Connie Dorfman; cherished father of Allison Dorfman (Rob), Heidi Dorfman (Jason), Rob Leitman (Harriet), Jeff Leitman (Mia), Tracy Leitman (Craig); treasured Zaidie of Alexa and Chloe Hamou; Brooklyn and Jax Toledano; Jenny and Madelaine Leitman; Elizabeth Leitman; Hudson, Cooper and Delaney Coulls; devoted Brother of Jack (Lily), Larry (Marie) and Patti Leitman; and brother-in-law of Marilyn and the late Perry Silverman; son of the late Ruth and the late Al Leitman and son-in-law of the late Ben and the late Sylvia Silverstein.
I have been a fan of Pasta Casareccia on Sherbrooke Street West in NDG for many years. The restaurant’s name is Italian for ‘homemade pasta. What originally started out as making their own pasta, grew into distribution to many restaurants in the greater metropolitan area and availability of over 50 different kinds of pasta in their gourmet boutique for you to cook at home.
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.
With the family pretty much socially isolated from others since winter began, dinner take-out has become a fun and unifying family occasion. Additionally, our socially conscientious clan has become quite sensitive to the plight of local businesses and restaurants. We have made it a habit, during these quarantine times, to order-in from a variety of restaurants by proclaiming our Saturday nights as ‘Small Business Saturday’.
As Laurentian weekenders, we have often sought out dinner options in the Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts region. Having enjoyed the area for most of my life, I thought I had pretty much discovered nearly every restaurant from Sainte-Adele to Saint-Jovite. So in the middle of the pandemic, it was with some excitement when we noticed a new sushi place was opening at a recently constructed mini-mall at the intersection of highways 117 and 329 in Ste-Agathe. Since then we have been regulars at Yuzu Sushi.
Our ‘support local business’ mantra worked nicely into the Yuzu story as we discovered that this was in fact a Quebec chain. Started in Quebec City in 2002, the restaurant chain has expanded to 140 locations across Quebec and New Brunswick and was recently acquired by the MTY Group. MTY clusters together many brands across Canada and the US that we are all familiar with from burgers and steaks to sushi, subs and steamies, from ice cream shops to corner cafés, and so much more.
True to their guiding principles of designing innovative culinary creations and frequently offering new menu items focused on quality and freshness, Yuzu Sushi grabbed our attention and we have been very impressed from our first visit.
The local franchise in Ste-Agathe is owned and operated by Jessyca Noel. Jessyca has been involved in the restaurant industry for a number of years and possesses two professional diplomas attesting to her culinary skills. She worked at Sushi Shop franchises (coincidentally also owned by MTY Group) and eventually decided to invest in her own franchise opportunity with Yuzu Sushi.
Jessyca opened her current location in June 2020 and has had tremendous corporate support from the good folks at Yuzu. She began forming her team from scratch and extensive training took place for two weeks last summer. Presently Jessyca employs some 11 staff members from the immediate area.
“I have a great team. They are well trained and very organized,” Jessyca told me. What’s clear to me is that every time I’ve been at Jessyca’s Yuzu Sushi location, her staff are shoulder to shoulder, masked and gloved, working with military-like precision. What’s more, Jessyca and her staff are friendly, helpful and bilingual.
On a recent Saturday night we indulged in a wide-ranging selection from the impressive Yuzu Sushi menu. Right out of their bright orange boxes and reusable cloth bags, my wife Judy remarked how beautiful the selection looked. “The colours and textures are so lovely.”
When you think of sushi, you probably think of miso soup and rolls. At Yuzu Sushi they offer a much larger variety and it all begins with their entrées. We ordered the Kanikama Tartare Nachos. They were crispy and overflowing with chunks of crab-flavoured pollock salad, jalapeno, onion, soybean and sesame with spicy mayo drizzle. Other nachos choices include salmon tartare, shrimp tartare and tuna tartare, in both starter and main course sizes.
As well, we had the unique flavour of the Goma Wakame Seaweed Salad with sesame and a side order of Calamari Salad with ginger, bamboo shoots and mushrooms. We were definitely off to a good start. “I love seaweed salad and this is the best I’ve had in a long time,” my daughter, Nicole, said.
Next we had the Shrimp Tempura which was covered in panko and so crispy and the Coco-Shrimp Poghomaki which had a wonderful coconut coating. Dipped in a spicy mayo both were plump and crunchy – we couldn’t choose a favourite so order both and you can decide for yourself!
Moving onto the main courses, Yuzu’s fried sushi is another winning option. We settled on Judy’s favourite dish, the Kunsei Sesame, which includes five pieces of sesame seed coated rolls filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese, then deep-fried. The end result is visually striking; don’t be intimidated by the spotted black exterior – take a bite and enjoy the absolutely delightful, warm and crunchy interior.
While I enjoy a little of everything, my family eats vegetarian and pescaratian options. We opted for the Eye of the Tiger, a vegetarian panko-fried roll with marinated tomato, mango-chipotle seasoning, carrot and asparagus, served with spicy mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce. “It’s an incredible taste, so unusual and unique,” said Nicole. “The Eye of the Tiger was the thrill of the night,” she sang out.
Next up were spring rolls. While we’ve eaten from Yuzu Sushi several times, we had never ordered the spring rolls before but we certainly will from now on. Both the Smoked Kanikama and the Tuna were absolutely stuffed with fresh, colourful ingredients and although cut into two halves, each could easily be halved once again and shared among four at the table. My other daughter, Nathalie, said that this dish would make a tasty and filling lunch.
We had plenty of the staple makis such as the popular California roll packed with crab-flavoured pollock salad as well as the Shrimp Tempura with avocado and sweet omelet. Yuzu Sushi allows you to substitute quinoa for rice in all rolls – just write your preferences in the comments section of your order.
But, what really sets Yuzu apart are incredible creations such as their Yuzumaki and Kyandi. The Yuzumakis have an internal roll as well as an external garnish – Yuzu certainly understands the mantra that you eat first with your eyes.
For example, I had the Cajun Chicken that featured fried chicken, cream cheese, avocado, clementine, green onion and mango chipotle seasoning on the inside and marinated tomato, teriyaki sauce and black sesame seeds on the outside. Dipped in spicy mayo, it was splendid. I also got the Coco Bongo Shrimp with shrimp salad, avocado, sweet omelet, cream cheese, coconut and masago inside and tuna, mango chipotle mayonnaise, soybean and coconut outside. A winning choice! And the presentation is quite lovely, topped with a single edamame like the jewel on a crown.
Speaking of presentation, the Kyandi looks like, and even tastes a bit like, well, candy! The puffed-rice-rolled-exterior is the Rice Crispy Square of Sushi, my kids decided. We had the Tuna Crunch with cucumber and spicy mayonnaise on the inside and spicy tuna tartare, arare, goma sauce and green onion on the outside. Pure delight! On to the Midori with an interior filled with fried marinated tofu, teriyaki shiitake, green onion and exterior of marinated tomato and avocado.
Next up, Sushi-Pizza. “Mmmmm, it’s so good and crunchy,” Nicole yummed. You can choose from two different crusts – thin fried seaweed and traditional rice pattie. “And the shiitake mushroom, OMG!” The pizza topping is marinated tomato, teriyaki shiitake, soybean, jalapeno, sriracha hummus and sesame seeds. Another winning selection that everyone absolutely loved.
My son, Jeremy, totally loves Yuzu’s Sushi-Club. “I could eat this everyday,” he exclaimed. We all indulged in all three choices of Spicy Salmon, Kanikama and Spicy Tuna. They all come with Yuzu rice embedded on panko-fried seaweed along with each of its namesakes: salmon, tuna and pollock. Cut in a triangular shape, stacked and assembled with a wooden skewer, it is the sushi version of a club sandwich. Everyone at the table agreed it was a winning choice. We dipped the crunchy wedges into two-coloured sauce – a mixture of mayo and teriyaki sweet sauce. Jeremy proclaimed this is the “best item on the Yuzu menu”! Nathalie added, “This is one of my favourite six dishes at Yuzu!” I would agree with my kids that the Yuzu Sushi-Club is a superb choice.
The Nigiri was “elegant” according to my eleven-year-old restaurant-critic son. Indeed the salmon was plump, fresh and juicy, elegantly draped atop the sticky white rice.
Jeremy loves wrapping up his Yuzu Sushi meals with one of their dessert choices, namely the Créme Brulé. “I love cracking through the crunchy top layer. The creme is so sweet and rich it helps wash down my whole meal,” my little epicurean chimed. While the Créme Brulé is a more traditional dessert, the Choco-Miso is a chocolate mousse mixed with miso paste creation (trust me, you have to experience it to understand). Each dessert is topped with a milk chocolate square sporting the Yuzu “Y”. We all grabbed a mini-spoon to get our share of the creamy ending of a thoroughly satisfying meal.
“This was a wonderful meal from entrée to dessert and I appreciate that Jessyca is so accommodating with switching out rice for quinoa. A recurring theme is the crunchy texture. I also like the fact that they use recyclable containers and no styrofoam,” Nicole concluded.
Indeed, substitution was no problem at all. My crew loves quinoa more than rice which we switched out of several of our rolls.
On previous visits we’ve tried the Poke Bowls of which Yuzu has many options. They also have a wide variety of tartare bowls if you are grabbing a lunch or eating alone.
The Ste-Agathe location offers us and our up north country friends the convenience of proximity without the hassle of traffic or parking concerns. What’s more, it is easy to order on their user-friendly mobile app (Apple or Google Play) or website and pick up on our way to the chalet, either on the Friday commute or after our daytime activities, be it après ski or after a bike outing.
“I have many regular customers each week,” Jessyca told me with great pride. “About half are permanent residents and half are weekenders. Fridays our business triples compared to weekdays! And we’re very busy each weekend,” she said.
Jessyca told me that while most customers order online and via the terrific Yuzu mobile app, some choose to walk in and either decide on the spot or head over to the counter or the refrigerated grab-and-go selection. Still others call in and ask for help in choosing from among a wide variety of appetizers like the very popular miso soup, salads including the top pick seaweed salad and spring rolls to, nigiris, makis, pokes and full ranging platters. Many customers are happy to go with the chefs choice and to discuss their allergy concerts which Jessyca and her staff will gladly work around to ensure a wonderful meal. There’s even a small area to eat in the restaurant once that’s allowed again.
Fresh ingredients are delivered every week and all dishes are prepped on location (except for the decadent Choco-Miso and Crème Brulé desserts).
While Kamikaze and California rolls are among the most popular choices, Yuzu offers promotions that you can find online. The Chef’s Choice is a big hit and available on Sundays. The platter is predetermined by the chef and offers 30 pieces for $30. Students get 15% off just for asking. Such a deal! Other hot dishes include the Yuzumakis and the puffed rice crunch. The menu is updated several times a year and Jessyca is one of a handful of franchise-owners who volunteers on the chain-wide menu committee.
My family is very pleased that Yuzu Sushi has eco-friendly policies. We recycle or compost everything we don’t eat. They are also a member of the Ocean Wise program, ensuring that they offer environmentally responsible seafood choices.
Yuzu Sushi Ste-Agathe is currently open six days a week and closed on Mondays. While regular hours are from 11:00AM to 8:00PM they are closing at 7:30PM during the current nightly curfew. They are located at 183 boul. Norbert-Morin in Ste-Agathe-des-Mont (a.k.a. Route 117) at the new Canadian Tire Gas Station at the intersection of Route 329. Phone 819-774-3433 or go online at YuzuSushi.ca and download their mobile app. Jessyca is dressed in Yuzu orange while her staff are all in black. Tell her Glenn sent you. We’re there so often maybe we’ll bump into you! I hope this review will help you in making your selection on your next order and be sure to share with your Up North friends.
For 47 years the Brasserie Manoir (www.brasseriemanoir.com) location in Pointe Claire has been serving up ever so popular home cooked holiday meals in December. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, owner Peter Sergkakis and executive chef Chantal Sauvé are keeping that tradition in place, adding their NDG St. Jacques Street location (the former Serre Piccasso Restaurant) to the mix with a special take-out format.
Chantal and Peter showcase some delicious meals then use the tray box and the roast beef and the turkey
Through January 2, you can make a pickup order between 4 pm and 10 pm seven nights a week by calling 514-695-2071 (Pointe-Claire) or 514-489-6356 (NDG). You can also order anything else off the elaborate Brasserie Manoir menu.
“For these holiday meals, we are insisting upon pickup only for a number of reasons,” explains Sergakis. “The delivery companies charge restaurants 30 percent. We have already under-priced these items and we want to keep it that way for our customers. When you come and make a pickup we take 10 percent off.”
Sauvé adds that all of the dishes are prepared fresh. “When someone comes for take-out they will get the package home quicker, fresher and still hot,” she said.
Sergakis said that when the pandemic first hit last spring, the Manoir restaurants remained closed. They successfully reopened for dine-in service with all safety protocols in place and then successfully moved to take-out and delivery when the government ordered dining rooms shut. In recent weeks Sergakis began fielding endless requests from regular clients for the holiday menu.
After speaking to Sergakis and Sauvé for an interview in The Suburban Newspaper, I was invited to try some of the offerings myself. Sauvé even went the extra mile and showed up at the NDG location early one afternoon to prepare two single meals for me. I enjoyed one that evening as I was working late at the office and placed the other in the fridge for a much anticipated lunch the following day.
Brasserie Manoir is known for its outstanding roast beef, aged 45 days and roasted for 12 hours.
The Prime Rib Roast au Jus Plate ($29) contains prime rib cooked medium rare, served with buttery mashed potatoes, nantais carrots and home-made sauce. That was my number one choice and I was not disappointed. The roast beef cut like butter and was outstanding!
For my lunch the next day I enjoyed The Holiday Plate ($22), which contains roast turkey, meat pie, and meat balls in gravy, home-made stuffing buttery mashed potatoes, nantais carrots, home-made gravy and cranberry sauce. Again, I can only describe this as outstanding,
Nowhere in Montreal can you find a meal of this quality at this price. Why go to the trouble and expense of preparing something like this at home. Whether you are part of a large family or eating alone, this is a great option. When I did my pickup I chatted with one of the managers, Colleen, who told me that the holiday meals are so popular some people are ordering them a few times a week.
There is more of course. The Family-Buffet Style Roasted Turkey Dinner ($16 per person) is for four people or more and includes roast turkey (white and dark meat), served with home-made stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, nantais carrots, home-made gravy and cranberry sauce. Then there is the Whole Young Turkey with all the Trimmings ($150) which will feed 10 to 12 people: a four kilogram young turkey seasoned and roasted to perfection (white and dark meat), served with home-made stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, nantais carrots, home-made gravy and cranberry sauce. You must place this order 48 hours in advance.
The one kg Whole Prime Rib Roast au Jus ($99) consists of prime rib cooked medium rare, served with buttery mashed potatoes, nantais carrots and home-made sauce and good for four people. Finally there is the Pig’s Knuckle ($17) and Braised Lamb Shank ($36). The slow braised pig’s knuckle is served with buttery mashed potatoes, nantais carrots, sauerkraut and home-made gravy and good for four people or more; while the lamb comes with grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes, red wine and Porto sauce.
“It is time consuming and costly for people to prepare these meals on your own,” says Sergakis. “So let us do it for you. Chantal is using her grandmother’s recipes. I own a farm and we grow our own organic products which are used for all of these meals.
For dessert, I ordered two pieces of Christmas chocolate logs. They are $6 each or $45 for the cake. Please note that any orders of $50 or more must be paid for in advance.
Folks, with everyone staying at home this holiday season give the family this treat.
The NDG location is at 6810 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, QC H4B 1V8. On the West Island it is at 600 Boul Saint-Jean, Pointe-Claire, QC H9R 3J9.
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
The iconic Rib ‘N Reef Steakhouse on Decarie Blvd. is the latest Montreal restaurant to move to take-out and delivery.
First opened in 1960, Peter Katsoudas assumed ownership almost 30 years ago and took this landmark establishment to a new level of success.
Let’s be clear. For diners, the physical setting of Rib ‘N Reef is always a big draw for lunch or dinner. Featuring two dining rooms, one seating 100 people and the other accommodating 60, there is also an award winning wine cellar with its own distinct dining room for up to 30 people, surrounded by more than 8,000 bottles of wine aging and a seasonal rooftop terrace for 40 more people.
After a meal, cigar aficionados can enjoy a stogie and a single malt scotch in a private lounge. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art air filtration system, satellite TV, full bar service and wireless Internet access.
That will all have to wait as we continue to adjust to COVID-19 protocols. Katsoudas was able to open last summer and given his large capacity business was good. Thinking outside of the box, he invested in special heaters and plexi-glass in an effort to extend the terrace season. Then Quebec shut restaurants down. Katsoudas used the time to do some renovations and ponder his next move.
“I do not think the decision was fair,” said Katsoudas. “Restaurants were taking all of the necessary precautions. I had to put 85 people out of work. The government could have been more creative, perhaps limiting tables to groups of four people and close dining rooms by 9:30 pm. This would have allowed us to retain some income and offer couples an opportunity for a night out.”
At the end of November, optimistic that the province would permit restaurants to reopen to diners, Katsoudas had $56,000 worth of topline meat inventory in his possession. He thought things over. Rib ‘N Reef never had formal take-out and delivery options and there was no better time for him to give it a shot. Regular clients have responded with great enthusiasm. Valet parking staff have been transformed into home delivery drivers. You can also use Uber Eats and soon Door Dash.
“People are tired of bringing home pizza and hotdogs,” said Katsoudas. “We have clients who are ordering large meals, some going to a few different addresses so they can have a first class meal with friends and family via Zoom or Facetime. We recently had someone who ordered caviar and one of our signature seafood towers. He was very pleased.”
Katsoudas and his team have put together a nice package. My family always considered Rib ‘N Reef a real treat, so when I went for the take-out option we were all pretty excited.
For starters, you can do curb side pickup. The parking lot makes it easy for cars to pull right up to the front door and call upon arrival. If you go inside, there is plenty of room for social distancing and a large table prevents you from getting anywhere close to the open kitchen where Katsoudas and GM Abdo Abou Hamad keep things moving.
I called in my order two hours in advance to Abdo for a 6 pm Friday pickup. It was two packages: one for mother-in-law and father-in-law; and the other for the three of us at home.
Everything was so well organized when I got there. For my mother-in-law and father-in-law, they started off with a Caesar salad for two and main courses of roast beef and a two pound lobster, both with French Fries.
For our house, we began with an amazing salmon tartare appetizer and a piping hot bowl of lobster bisque. For the main courses, I had the filet mignonette cooked to a perfect medium, with lobster tail and a monte carlo potato on the side. My wife and daughter shared the rib steak P.K’s cut and steamed lobster, along with roasted garlic mashed potatoes – always a treat.
Each household ordered millefeuilles for dessert.
The packaging was so well insulated that nothing really needed to be warmed up.
You can select from a detailed menu on the website. For appetizers there is also steak and tuna tartare, caviar, crab cake, fresh calamari, grilled octopus, chorizo sausage, oysters Rockefeller and sirloin sliders. Sure we miss the marvellous way in which Rib ‘N Reef servers prepare the salad at the table, but the ones available come nicely assembled. While I chose the lobster bisque, the clam chowder is available too.
There are plenty of tantalizing steaks to choose from, dry-aged USDA PRIME Midwestern Beef, raised without antibiotics, hand cut and broiled to perfection on their open charcoal pit. You can also select from fresh fish, shrimp, crabs legs and veggie sides. If you would like to cook the meat at home, this can be arranged as well.
Rib ‘N Reef is located at 8105 Decarie Blvd. It is presently open for take-out and deliveryTuesday to Thursday from Noon to 8pm , Friday from Noon to 9 pm and Saturday from 3 pm to 9 pm. Log on toribnreef.com, ubereats.com or call (514) 735-1601.
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.
