Last March, as restaurateurs all over Quebec, strived to find solutions to survive the pandemic crisis, two young women from Montréal’s Sud-Ouest borough imagined a project that would revolutionize the experience of gourmet boxes. Indeed, Anne-Marie Giguère (BARROCO) and Kassandra Brochu (Atwater cocktail club, Blossom) have recently started operating a new delivery service of ready-to-cook dishes offering the delicacy of some of our best chefs and producers. A new way to eat well that, in the midst of a second wave, could become a precious tool for the city’s foodies! The online platform offers the Cambodian flavours of the restaurant Les Street Monkeys, the vegan dishes of Bistro Tendresse, the colourful food of Grumman’78, the pasta of Moleskine, the laid-back cuisine of the restaurant Mauvais Garçons, the Lebanese flavours of Sumac, and the French bistro cuisine of Restaurant Wellington. This Friday night between friends, on the menu: Moleskine’s pappardelle bolognese sauce, marinated meat by the Street Monkeys chefs, vegan dumplings and, for dessert, dark chocolate, and nuts cookie dough from Bistro Tendresse, why not? With Les Weekendeurs, dinners come from every corner of the city and can satisfy the preferences and intolerances of your guests. Three days of delivery — Thursday, Friday, and Saturday — order before Monday, 5 p.m. to receive it on Thursday; before Tuesday, 5 p.m. to receive it on Friday; and before Wednesday, 5 p.m. to receive it on Saturday. Moreover, a pantry section makes it possible to order Quebec products to season, enhance or marinate dishes, or even eat by the spoon (we’re not judging!), such as the Smoke Show sauces, La Pincée spices, Nos Cabanes maple products, or even the sweet honey of the Miels d’Anicet company.
Undecided? It is also possible to opt for discovery boxes. A wonderful idea for a Christmas gift, for example! A Les Weekendeurs box will always be enjoyed, no matter what the occasion is.
Born from a common passion for great food, Les Weekendeurs is an answer to a flaw of the food delivery system in Quebec. When you know that Uber Eats, DoorDash and Skip the dishes take a 30 percent cut, in addition to forcing restaurateurs to lower their prices, a more viable alternative for our Montréal chefs was needed! The team at Les Weekendeurs only takes a 15 percent cut, in order to maintain their operations. Furthermore, they do not interfere with the pricing of products by restaurateurs/producers.
Last February, just a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I was so excited to attend the grand opening of the new La Cage: Brasserie sportive (www.cage.ca) at the former P.F. Chang’s location at Rue des Jockeys near Decarie Blvd.
Formerly known as La Cage Aux Sports, the two-level, 317 seat restaurant barely had a chance to attract a following and showcase its $1.5 million makeover before shutting its doors. Featuring a completely modern look, designed to offer an immersive experience in this legendary sporting atmosphere, there are several giant screen walls, not to mention three new private rooms, perfect for business meetings or groups. The open kitchen concept adds a nice touch.
Lenny Lighter and Jean Bédard
Groupe Sportscene President and CEO Jean Bédard slowly began to open the 37 La Cage properties in Quebec in June. The company also owns breakfast restaurant L ’Avenue on the South Shore, P.F. Chang’s at Carrefour Laval and Moishes Steakhouse. The latter just had its iconic property on St. Laurent Blvd sold. It will resurface sometime after the pandemic is over at a new venue. The location being eyed is the former Houstons Restaurant at Victoria Square, right by the Palais des congrès. I hope they bring back Paul Dinelle, the parking attendant who worked there for an incredible 41 years. He never gave you a ticket, remembered every car and could see you returning from a block away. Ditto for Yoga at coat check. No tickets were required with him either, for he recalled every single coat.
Besides its restaurant operations, Sportscene is active in the sale of La Cage and Moishes branded products in grocery stores and of ready-to-eat meals.
Restaurants Reopen
I was a regular at P.F. Chang’s on Decarie until it was transformed into a La Cage and I developed a nice relationship with managing director Emile Haykal. So, I was delighted when he was charged with overseeing the new La Cage in the same location. A finer restaurateur you could not find.
At the La Cage restaurants many measures have been thoughtfully considered and implemented by the operational and human resources teams to provide customers with an enjoyable experience in a safe environment, while respecting all mandatory social distancing guidelines.
“The rigorous protocols we have implemented allow us to offer an enjoyable dining experience while following government guidelines to the highest standards in order to ensure the health, safety and comfort of our customers and employees,” said Bédard.
The crisis certainly highlighted the enthusiasm of Quebecers for local products, which confirms the strategy that was already initiated by the company. Sportscene will therefore continue to include on its menu and promote Quebec products, including beers, wines, and spirits. In addition, to serve customers outside of our dining rooms, they officially launched “La Cage – Chez vous” with an enhanced offering of delivery, take-out, and ready-to-cook meals. In addition, retail sales of the La Cage and Moishes products continue to grow as they extend their distribution in several new food banners.
Moishes Decarie?
In an interview with me, Bédard would neither confirm nor deny the possibility of a select number of Moishes and P.F. Chang’s items being added to the Decarie menu. Last year there was a Moishes steak at all of the Cage restaurants. I went for a try and it was great. However, the average patron in Boucherville or Rimouski probably did not appreciate the significance of this cut of meat. The thing with Decarie is so many Moishes loyalists live close by. For dine in or delivery, I think it would be real hit. They can add in the Moishes chicken and the Monte Carlo potato as well. As for P.F. Chang’s, business in Laval is booming. They were already set up nicely for takeout, so it only seems logical for some of the signature items like chicken lettuce wraps to become available at their original home. Haykal worked in Laval during the lockdown and he was pleasantly surprised to see how many people from Côte Saint-Luc and Hampstead were coming for takeout.
La Cage at Home
This is where I stepped in. I have been enjoying the food and ambiance of La Cage restaurants for decades. That was not the case for my wife, daughter, and mother in law or father in law. None of them had ever tried the food.
“We rebranded and changed our menu five years ago,” said Bédard. “To many people we are still a sports bar serving chicken wings and beer. We have worked very hard to project our new image and it is working. Takeout and delivery are still relatively new to us. We started on this before COVID, so we were ready.”
Well I did not have to blindfold my family, but when Haykal advised me that La Cage had reopened at Decarie I shared the menu with them. They were pleasantly surprised, not to mention comforted by the fact that a curbside pickup option existed.
I am pleased to report that every family member gave a big thumbs up to the food, not to mention the packaging and preparation. It was unanimous that curbside pickup at La Cage will now become part of our restaurant routine, probably even after the pandemic is over.
For my mother in law and father in law, bag number one was dropped off containing a Blitz (100 percent Canadian beef patty) with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mustard only and a fresh Atlantic salmon, served with croutons. They were pleasantly surprised, so much so that they will order the exact same things next time out.
In my household, we ordered an appetizer of three lobster tacos, a green salad, two salmon poke bowls and a steak (60-day aged AAA striploin, with peppercorn sauce and another salad). I added some garlic shrimps to my meal. Lenny Lighter, who sold Moishes to Groupe Sportscene and still oversees the brand, would definitely give this piece of meat his stamp of approval.
We miss a lot of things about Moishes, so it was a treat to order the famous Moishes millefeuille for dessert.
One of the trademarks of La Cage is to treat yourself to a basket of popcorn from their machine when you enter the premises. As a COVID-19 precaution popcorn is already pre-bagged. When you do a takeout order, you will get a couple of bags included.
Oh yes, there is a 15 percent discount for takeout.
The tacos were fantastic, so it was a pleasant surprise to be treated with some ready-to-cook kits created by executive chef Louis-François Marcotte! Every week La Cage is introducing delicious recipes that you can make by yourself at home. The principle is simple; they provide you with the ingredients and the steps to follow. All you have to do is prepare! So, the following day the three of us sat down for a delicious lunch. For the lobster tacos, it was easy to prepare and tasted just as delicious as the night before. As for the lobster sandwich, all you have to do is take one of their buns and the container of lobster spread. Wow was this great!
Other menu items I will be eyeing next time include the fish tacos, the fried chicken & waffle, the tartares (beef, salmon, and tuna) and a meal-size salad.
A revamped Carrefour Angrignon location will be the next to reopen once the pandemic is over. And after closing the Pointe Claire restaurant last year, Bédard said he and his team are seeking a new location to open on the West Island, but again post-COVID.
La Cage Brasserie Sportive Decarie is located at 5485 Rue des Jockeys, Montréal, QC H4P 2T7. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday (11 am to 11 pm) and Saturday & Sunday (4 pm to 11 pm). You can order via lacagechezvous.com, ubereats.com or doordash.com or call (514) 731-2020.
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.
By Mike Cohen
Le Burger Week in Montreal will have a cheesy twist when it takes place from September 1 to 7 across the city. You might want to call it “Le Cheeseburger Week!” That’s right, the annual fall foodie festival has a new look, and this year, it’s all about the cheese! This year’s edition of the festival is made possible thanks to Saputo and Lightspeed.
Provinces participating this year include; Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, British Colombia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Heading into its ninth year, Le Burger Week has become an annual autumn foodie tradition to look forward to. Restaurants across the nation are asked to think outside the bun and create a unique burger reflective of their overall concept, style, and cuisine. The 2020 edition will replace the traditional call to vote for the best burgers with a call to help through charity partnerships. Both Lightspeed and Saputo will be awarding the “Lightspeed Choice” & “Saputo Choice” awards to their favourite burgers!
Furthermore, this year, a proceed of select burgers sold in Canada will be going toCentraide and United Way; philanthropic organizations that collect donations to support a vast network of community agencies that help individuals and families.
Bravo to Le Cheeseburger Week’s founders, Na’eem Adam and Thierry Rassam. It is such a breath of fresh air to see a program like this taking place and providing vital economic benefits during COVID-19.
All you need to do is go to their website at www.leburgerweek.com and choose some restaurants to go to- eat in, delivery or takeout.
For me, the fun thing about a promotion like Le Burger Week is to try something new. When I came across a 2019 winner of the Saputo’s Choice Award I was intrigued to learn more about Brasserie Les Enfants Terribles (https://www.jesuisunenfantterrible.com). How could it be possible that I did not know about this successful chain of six locales? There is the original in Outremont as well as Nuns Island, Centropolis Laval, Place Ville Marie, Magog, and a cafeteria-style locale on Sherbrooke Street West downtown.
In the fall of 2007, during a family dinner, Francine Brûlé mused aloud about taking on a new challenge. For this mother of three grown boys, veteran businesswoman and charismatic leader, a restaurant seemed a natural choice. In the following days, she found the perfect site at the corner of Bernard and Champagneur in Outremont. On February 1, 2008, she took over the space.
Artistic director Alexandre Brûlé Brosseau and architect-designer Louis-Joseph Papineau renovated the space from top to bottom. They installed glass doors at the front and added features such as rustic wood, chalkboards, an open kitchen, murals by Tim Barnard, long wooden tables and a magnificent central bar. Inspired design and a clever layout helped create an inviting and cozy atmosphere. On April 14, 2008, the new eatery welcomed its first customers. During lunchtime and weekend brunch, the space is awash in natural light. In the evening, any reason is good to drop by and say hello to Francine and partner Serge Bruneau, himself a seasoned restaurateur. During the first summer, the patio became one of the city’s most popular, and the restaurant was an immediate hit with foodies of all ages.
Les Enfants Terribles revisits the classics and also crafts innovative and simple dishes with a festive, flavourful and unorthodox touch. Francine Brûlé has managed to recreate the homey atmosphere of a somewhat chaotic household where the fare is comforting, original and refined.
In advance of Le Burger Week I dropped by last week for a curbside pickup. Their special for September was not quite ready yet, but I was so happy to sample their Classic Burger with some delicious crispy fries. I added to my order for my next days’s lunch by also ordering an outstanding dish of macaroni and cheese gratiné with bacon. It was too delicious for words. I also had some mini-pogos at home that night. All they needed were eight minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. Their signature Caesar salad went to my secretary at work who gave it a huge thumbs up!
This section of Bernard Street has been closed off to traffic and turned into a giant terrasse. It was only lunchtime and the place was packed.
For Le Burger Week , Marketing Director Lélia Vincent says that five of the restaurants (the cafeteria is not open as of this writing) will be serving The Goody-Two-Shoes / Sainte-Nitouche burger containing AAA beef, Sainte-Nitouche cheese from Noyan, Quebec), crispy shallots, melted leeks and fresh herb mayonnaise. There is also a vegan option, with mane mushroom , vegan cheese, crispy shallots, melted leeks and fresh herb lion’s vegannaise
For Adam and Rassam, the idea for Le Burger Week was born in 2013 out of their shared love of burgers and an understanding that their fellow Canadians shared that same love. Adam and Rassam wanted to create a fun and exciting way for burger lovers to interact and support their favourite restaurants, while, at the same time, providing restaurants with the chance to build greater public awareness through their participation. As Adam explains, “Le Burger Week began as a fun local food project to celebrate our city’s (Montreal) love for burgers. Over the years, we have grown into a national festival that continuously helps to stimulate businesses across the nation.”
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.
By Mike Cohen
My family and I have been enjoying the fine cuisine of Lezvos West Restaurant on Decarie Blvd. near Monkland for many years. In fact this summer we were hoping to experience Lezvos North in St. Sauveur. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants continue to adjust to the new normal and that means trying to succeed with the take-out and delivery options.
John Drymousis and his wife Carmela Tamarazzo have been able to count on a loyal clientele since they opened their first restaurant on Mount Royal Street in 1999. So even though the pandemic forced them to close their dining rooms, the business remains very strong given the circumstances.
For the past few months, they have been serving their loyal clients at both locations via take-out and delivery (Uber Eats). With restaurants permitted to open to diners with smaller capacities and strict safety standards in place, Lesvos is back in operation seven days a week in NDG and up north.
Take-out and delivery still remains the preference of some clients.
John is out and about during the day at the different markets buying the products necessary. Most of their regular suppliers, except for the one who provided such amazing mushrooms, continue to furnish their needs. John then joins another chef in the kitchen, with both wearing masks and gloves. The ever so friendly Hasbeeb greets customers at the door and provides curbside pickup service. You merely need to pull up in front and call. Hasbeeb will be out in a flash.
Carmela has the restaurant phone number forwarded to her personal line starting in the morning and she takes reservations and pickup orders, rewriting the latter neatly by hand and forwarding them to the team. She urges people to call in by 4:15 pm so she can assure pickup or delivery at the desired time.
My mother-in-law and father-in-law are Lezvos West regulars. They have held family celebrations there before and they were actually unaware of their take-out and delivery option. So when I made the order I did so for two households. The request was for a 5:45 pm pickup and everything was fresh and ready at the precise time my car pulled up. Hasbeeb had three bags properly labeled. I dropped one-off for my in-laws and then headed home to unpack our selections.
We ordered two green salads, with feta on the side to start. Nicely chopped and featuring their own home dressing, it was as good as in the dining room. Then came the fried Lezvos, crispy zucchini with some tzatziki sauce as well as eggplant salad dip. My wife and daughter opted for the lamb chops, cooked a perfect medium while I jumped at the chance to order the Mediterranean Sea Bass. As a side dish, we had some yellow rice. Everything was packed well and transferred beautifully to our plates. My in-laws shared the fried Lezvos, sea bass and rice. They were thrilled to be at their own dining room condo, with some of their favorite Lezvos items.
Carmela’s brother Donato runs the St. Sauveur operation. Besides their regular clientele up north, all of the seasonal and weekend cottagers are keeping them busier than expected. “We had to add staff,” says John.
Take-out and delivery also makes available some of the mouthwatering hot and cold appetizers such as kopanesti, dolmadakia, spanakopita, taramosalata, flaming saganaki, octopus, calamari and more. The cold appetizer plate contains a number of these delicacies.
Other fish selections include grilled salmon, grilled swordfish and grilled Chilean seabass.
Lezvos West is located at 4235 Decarie Blvd in Montreal. You can call 514-484-0400. Lezvos North is located at 429 Rue Principale in Saint Sauveur. The phone number is 450-227-4170. For more details log on to http://www.lezvos.com.
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.
By Mike Cohen
Celebrity Chef Tigretón (www.cheftigreton.com) has joined the take-out scene at La Croqueteria de Montreal, the first Spanish Croqueteria in Canadian soil. It is located at 4530A Park Avenue and now open Tuesday to Sunday (4 pm to 9 pm).
Croqueterias in Spanish, are shops specialized in the elaboration of traditional Spanish Croqueta. The perfect Croqueta has to be, creamy, light, crispy & full of flavour.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chef Tigretón and his team are focused on daily cleaning, meaning, hot water and bleach by the buckets, making sure that no staff member is sick, and the usual mask or gloves to manipulate our food, and/or dealing with clients. “We’re also very positive and try to make clients laugh,” he says. “Our hand sanitizers are manufactured locally and made with lavender essential oil, alcohol and glycerin soap, therefore, hydrates your skin.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve been working seven on seven,” Chef Tigretón said. “The first week we panicked, like everyone else, but after speaking with our bank and other financial institutions we decided to reopen again, and at least, present a good fight before going down. Action reaction always has been my motto. Today I’m happy we are headed in that direction.”
At La Croqueteria, the team uses fine organic ingredients, such as their flour is biological and non-chemically blanched; the pork comes from a small farm up north in Quebec; the chicken, only Chapon variety, also from another Quebec farm.; Spanish imported goods such as Jamon Iberico & Serrano, Piquillo peppers from the Lodosa Valley (D.O.), or Valdeon blue cheese from Picos De Europa (D.O.); and in the summertime, they stock up on veggies.
The project of La Croqueteria was born in 2014, in the perfect breeding ground. “I was heartbroken, penniless, in winter and jobless,” said Chef Tigretón “My current girlfriend decided it was time to become my ex, so you can imagine the scene. Luckily for me, I always had good friends, so, Patricia and Xavi offered me shelter, until I got back on my feet, and one night, having a conversation with them, sharing a glass of rum.”
Patricia told me “Your Croquetas are very good. You should offer them in Facebook and there you go, that’s all it took. Xavi designed a bunch of logos, I created a Facebook page, and overnight, I had like 300 to 400 likes. We were in business. We uploaded all the logos that Xavi made, and asked the people to vote. Our logo today is the result of these votes.”
Long story short, the project went on and off, on and off, till, one day, in 2017, he received a call from the food and beverage manager from the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, saying, they have heard great things about his croquetas, and they were wondering if he would be interested in offering a tasting.
“The day of the tasting, I made some, fried them and walked into that room, by the Place Ville Marie office where the culinary management team of the Queenie, led by the Chef Peupion were waiting for me, dressed in the sober Bragard chef whites, and surrounded by papers, laptops and product,” he said. “On the other side, me, with my finest Hawaiian shirt, and a tiny box of croquetas ready to eat. I excused my elf for the temperature of the croquetas and the tasting began. They liked them. Chef Peupion asked me if I was able to supply demand and keep quality standards. I said, ‘yes,’ so he replied, ‘what about if I need 5,000? Cocky of me replied, ‘you’ll have to give me a week in the beginning, but yes no problem.’ The week after, somehow, I managed to get an industrial kitchen where to start producing, and that’s how we operate until Canada Day 2019 when I signed the lease for our current location. Canada Day, can you believe that? I couldn’t be more proud of being in this beautiful country developing such an endearing product!”
Today, La Croqueteria de Montreal offers very high-quality Spanish croquetas, even for Spanish standards. The menu, with over 25 varieties, offers Spanish classics, like, Jamon Serrano (Serrano Ham), Calamares en su tinta (squid ink), Rabo de toro (oxtail), o Gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimps), but also offer that Montreal twist: smoked meat and gruyere, poblano peppers and corn, Margherita or Hawaiian. In case you didn’t know, Hawaiian pizza was invented by the Greek immigrant Sam Panopolus in Ontario in the ’60s, where he owned a Canadian diner.
On the pandemic, Chef Tigretón said he truly believes restaurants and bars fell into a coma. “They’re not dead, but it’ll take a while before they get back on their track,” he says. “For the past two decades, many restaurants and bars have been opened for the wrong reasons, and they had caused a dent in the quality standards of the industry. Razorblade thin margins, extremely thick red-tape regulations and a completely different system as the leading countries have weakened gradually this industry. Now, that everything has stopped, we’re victims of the kinetic energy we have created. No more than three decades ago, restaurants were a luxury. Nowadays, for many people, it has become a basic need. Business plans have been designed on capacity. Social distancing will chop that in half in the best-case scenario. How we will survive? I firmly believe it is time to observe how socializing will evolve, and adapt to it. Way less money will be made, but hey, we were never here for the money – at least the true ones!”
Petros Taverna has officially come out of COVID-19 hibernation with a take-out and delivery service at its Westmount (4785 Sherbrooke Street West) and Mile End (234 Laurier Street West) locations. Owner Ted Dranias plans to expand the program to his Griffintown (1613 William Street) restaurant soon. A fourth Little Italy spot was supposed to debut this spring, but that has been placed on hold until authorities give the green light for restaurants to open for diners.
Petros Taverna has a strong and loyal clientele. Dranias and his partner on Laurier Avenue, Peri Kalivrousis, had been fielding calls for weeks to reopen for take-out. They are doing so now with all the necessary precautions related to the pandemic, notably constant sterilization of the kitchen area. Any staff working in the restaurant, including those doing deliveries, have their temperature taken before they start their shift with an infrared thermometer. They also wear masks and gloves. Hand sanitizers appear at the entrance for people doing pickups, as well as circles on the floor to ensure social distancing towards the front counter. Take-out orders can be done via credit cards. Customers also have the option of calling when they arrive for curbside pickup.
“We have to get the economy going again and restaurateurs like myself will do our part,” said Dranias. “Until restaurants can reopen under normal conditions or with a smaller capacity, I think you will see more opt for the takeout and delivery model. At Petros it will be the same quality food and excellent customer service we pride ourselves on.”
It was in May 2015 that Dranias opened his first Petros on Notre Dame Street in Griffintown. The name was a tribute to his late father (named Petros), who always wanted to have a Greek restaurant of his own. In December 2016, a second Petros was established in Westmount followed in April 2019 by Petros Laurier. The Griffintown restaurant relocated to William Street last fall.
Specializing in Greek Mediterranean Cuisine, Petros Taverna is offering a variety of homestyle menu choices such as traditional moussaka, yiouvetsi (veal cubes with orzo), fish filets (cod, salmon, swordfish and seabass), pastisio (pasta with bechamel sauce and minced ground beef), gemista (stuffed tomatoes and peppers, with rice, fresh green herbs ground beef and ground veal), the Greek spread medley (any four spreads such as taramosalata, tirokafteri and tzatziki), Petros Special (lightly fried zucchini chips with tzatziki), Greek salad, finely chopped romaine salad with Greek balsamic vinaigrette, beets with crumbled feta and for dessert, homemade loukoumades (little yeast-risen dough drizzled with honey syrup and accompanied by some yogurt) and baklava.
My family and I did the take-out experience at Westmount and Laurier. At Westmount it was Gennaro Dranias, son of Ted, working alongside Tasso Roussopoulos who was delivering orders. Attired in gloves and a mask. Gennaro had everything well-organized inside: a couple of orders of lamb chops, pastisio and moussaka as well as the Petros Special and the Psilokomeni chopped salad. Gennaro or Tasso will bring it right to your car and pop the bags in the trunk.
At Laurier, Kalivrousis and Chef Shiva were creating culinary masterpieces the night I arrived. There were plenty of parking spots in front. Peri brought everything to the car. We ordered the Petros Special, Greek spread medley, Psilokomeni, two orders of lamb chops, moussaka and salmon. Everything was fantastic. The drive from Laurier to Côte Saint-Luc took under a half-hour and Peri packed everything so well nothing needed to be reheated. It was all fresh and tasty. Peri even threw in some pieces of baklava.
The complete special menu packages can be found at www.restaurantpetros.ca. All orders of $125 and more will come with a $25 gift certificate, to be used when in restaurant dining resumes.
Dranias has been donating meals to front-line health workers during the pandemic.
To make an order please call 514-938-5656 for Westmount and 514-312-0200 for Laurier. Hours of operation are 5 pm to 10 pm (Wednesdays to Sundays for now). If you do not wish to come inside, call the number when you arrive. You only need to pop open your trunk or back seat and the order will be placed there for you.
You can follow Petros on Facebook @PetrosTaverna.
By Mike Cohen
My family and I cannot get enough of Ryú Sushi. In this COVID-19 pandemic world, we are now experiencing, restaurants in Montreal are closed for dining. Some are trying to make a go of it via take-out and delivery.
Ryú (Japanese for Dragon), which specializes in high-end sustainable sushi, is presently excelling in this new reality at both its Peel and Westmount locations.
After a fantastic dinner from the Peel Street locale, we were anxious to sample Westmount- a venue we have gone to many times since it opened.
Westmount is open from Thursday to Monday and Peel from Tuesday to Saturday from 5 pm to 9 pm.
David Dayan is the owner and visionary behind Ryú. I spoke with Director of Operations Jason Lamarre. He noted that while the Laurier location is closed right now, it has been transformed into a central kitchen. Other spots at Carrefour Laval and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Dorval are not operating either at the present time.
“We are getting terrific feedback on the take-out and delivery,” said Lamarre. “Sushi is something you generally do not make for yourself at home, so that gives us leverage.”
First a little bit about the precautions they are taking during this COVID-19 pandemic.
With COVID-19 bringing the world to a standstill, the Ryú team wishes to reassure clients that health and safety remain their top priority at both locations. For starters it is always the same staff to ensure safety.
All staff wear gloves and face masks and disinfect their hands as much as possible;
Sanitizers/disinfectants are everywhere on site;
All take-out bags are sealed shut;
For client’s safety, pickups are done only from the side entrance on Greene Avenue. Clients generally wait outside for their bag; for anyone who steps inside (one at a time) there are hand sanitizers galore.
Orders are pre-paid and no contact with staff is necessary;
Curbside pick-up is available for clients who request it;
Ryú has established an employee fund where 70 percent of the sales of gift cards go to these individuals. They are also encouraging people to donate to the Montreal Relief Workers Fund, which has thus far raised over $80,000 for those in need in the industry. Ryú has also created a short private import list of wine/sake, for which prices are reduced by 35 percent.
Our Dining Experience
Peel was superb and Westmount was just as spectacular. Everything was so absolutely fresh! Jason correctly told me, “you could eat this sushi three days later and it still tastes like it was just made.”
I requested for my order to be ready for 5:45 pm and opted for the curbside pickup option. I merely had to call the number and Will stepped outside, wearing gloves and a mask. You can also send a text from outside.
When I got home we opened the bag to find three nicely packaged boxes with all of the food and some dessert, some extra soy sauce and of course chopsticks. Everything was fresh.
We started off with some tuna tataki, a simple Japanese dish that combines delicate, gently-seared tuna with a citrus-soy sauce given a gentle ginger kick. Then came a lobster roll. At first look, I thought they were cupcakes. The 10 pieces contained lobster, white fish, cucumber, avocado, yuzo kosho mayo and yuzu sauce.
The sashimi roll (four pieces) was too good for words, made with salmon, tuna, and hamachi, cucumber, avocado and tosazu sauce. Turning to maki (soy paper hand roll), we happily shared the kamikaze.
Undoubtedly, the nigiri and sashimi platters of 12 and 24 pieces each represent the highlight of any Ryú experience. They are based on their Chef’s choice of daily arrivals of fresh Oceanwise fish which may consist of bio salmon, bigeye tuna, hamachi, and albacore tuna and when in season, Japanese sourced fish. The platters were served in a large and attractive box, with neat dividers.
Ryú also runs Livia Café, which Dayan has transformed into Livia Sweets. It makes for the perfect signature desserts menu for Ryú. Some you can pick up and bake yourself. All of their cookie dough is homemade, pre-portioned and vacuum packed in sets of three cookies: chocolate chip, oreo, unicorn and salted caramel and pecan.
There is apple pie, which we enjoyed immensely. You can also sample popcorn or birthday cake for two, options that will be on my list for future orders. There are also some bundles to choose from. Instructions are attached to the package. It all stays fresh for 10 days and can be frozen.
To enjoy the Ryú experience in the comfort of your own home, go to ryusushi.ca or from one of their delivery partners: Uber Eats or DoorDash. They also accept orders by text (438-899-0557)/phone (514-320-0191). You can follow the restaurant at https://www.instagram.com/ryu.sushi.
Ryú is located at 4185 Ste. Catherine Street West, but a reminder to use the Livia entrance on Greene Avenue.
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.
Editor’s Note: Below is a review of the curbside pickup procedure that was in place at La Queue de Cheval. As of May 4, this service has been discontinued until further notice. If it does resume, this story still will share the appetizing items on their special menu.
By Mike Cohen
Since the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic there are a lot of experiences people miss dearly. Going out for a nice meal at a restaurant is certainly one of them.
Restaurants are presently only permitted to operate for take-out and delivery service. The iconic
La Queue de Cheval Steakhouse and Raw Bar, (www.queuedecheval.com), located at 1181 Avenue de la Montagne, has been around for more than two decades. Before the coronavirus battered the economy, founder Peter Morentzos was happily preparing to open a new Toronto location. That is now on hold and in jeopardy of not proceeding.
Peter Morentzos in COVID-19 safety attire.
Always a visionary, Morentzos has never been one to sit still. Take-out and delivery was never part of his plan. The restaurant has been in its present location since September 2014, an exquisite historic three-level building that can accommodate up to 300 diners at a time. No stranger to challenges, Morentzos had a licensing agreement in place with the company that owned his original Boulevard René Levesque location. It concluded on June 31, 2012, at which time he closed for almost two years and constructed his present facility from scratch. His former landlords tried, in the interim, to put another steakhouse there. It failed and Morentzos took his time resurfacing, inheriting all of his loyal clients and more.
While the pandemic has already cost the operations over $500,000 in lost revenue, Morentzos wanted to find a comeback route. He has attempted to do so with a flashy curbside pickup promotion, with a new moderate menu and offerings, along with the great steak cuts that we know. Until restaurants reopen, what a treat it is to enjoy the fine cuisine of such an extraordinary restaurant.
The procedure is simple. Go to their website at www.queuedecheval.com and click on Curbside Pickup under Menus. You can text, email, or call your orders into info@queuedecheval.com and select your timeslot. There is a 10 percent discount for ordering the day before. If you do so on the same day, you are asked to send it in two hours in advance. Upon arrival merely call or text 514-390-0091 and they will bring the order right to your car and place it in the trunk or the seat.
Morentzos said he did not open for curbside pickup until he could be sure that all of the necessary safety precautions related to the pandemic could be taken. Any staff working in the restaurant has their temperature taken before they start their shift with an infrared thermometer. They also wear masks and gloves, changing the latter frequently. The kitchen, overseen by a small crew, is being disinfected constantly. There are also washing stations for staff.
You can also order steaks from the butcher (all steak cuts 25 percent off retail price) to bring home and cook yourself and wine from their list (15 percent off).
“The Montreal restaurant scene has been the backbone inspiration to many cities around North America for the last 40 years,” says Morentzos. “We have dedicated ourselves to the cultures around us and have always stood apart from the rest. We are facing something that many of us, or all of us never thought could be possible The entire industry is facing a monster that we can’t see. It is essential that our communities everywhere support our local restaurants.”
With that in mind, the Queue will be contributing 100 percent of the sale of gift certificates proceeds to the employee’s rescue fund until the end of April 2020.
“The first three months of the year in Montreal, and in most provinces are the worst three months of the year,” Morentzos said in a letter to staff. “We budget to lose money traditionally, so when this disaster hit, coupled with the three weakest months…we find [ourselves] in a situation where we need to work with everyone to see this [through].”
There was scrutiny with staff not being paid, and other hard allegations, but it was clearly explained that many have been paid and continue to be paid. La Queue de Cheval and the Morentzos team are no different than any other restaurant operator in the world. Business stopped and staff had to be laid off.
A Fantastic Meal
I must say that half of the fun for the three of us was making our order for curbside pickup and seeing many of our old favorites on the menu. My request was for a 5:45 pm arrival. I called and Demetra from the Queue was out in minutes with everything very nicely packaged. I made it back home in less than a half-hour. We set the table and sat down to an absolute feast!
We started off with the Dungeness Crab Crake Tempura Balls, with spicy dipping sauce and the BC King Salmon Poke, with marinated wakame, smashed spicy avocado, tomatoes, enoki mushrooms, sesame seed oil and mirin dressing. For our main course the three of us shared our favorite 32 ounce porterhouse, medium rare, dry aged in their meat lockers for over 60 days and grilled over Maplewood charcoal. We had leftovers for the next night it was so large. In addition, we divided up the beef short ribs. They are slow cooked, containing USDA prime ribs, garlic roasted mashed potatoes, butter sautéed peas and short-rib jus. This dish cut like butter and melted in our mouths.
We also added in, as a side, sage mushrooms: large button mushrooms with butter and sage. And yes we certainly chose a dessert, the decadent fresh berries shortcake.
They also have salads, hamburgers, chicken, fish and pasta available.
For anyone who is a regular at the Queue or any high end steakhouse, why not treat yourself to something special like this?
The Queue de Cheval is located at 1181 Rue de la Montagne. The hours of operation for curbside pickup are 4 pm to 9 pm daily, with lunch service as well from Noon to 2 pm weekdays. For more information log on to www.queuedecheval.com or call 514-390-0091
Despite being on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, the service industry has been one of the hardest hit by the economic fallout of the virus. With thin profit margins and high operating costs at the best of times, restaurants are being forced to either close their doors for an indeterminate amount of time or change their business models overnight. Now, Brunette, an online retailer of Canadian restaurant products, is offering a way to help. With their “Pay Now, Eat Later” model, visitors to shopbrunette.com can purchase gift cards to their favorite spots, helping to keep these businesses afloat during these turbulent times. Brunette also carries a bevy of high-quality, restaurant-specific apparel and merchandise that ships worldwide and that you can sport proudly right away.
Brandon Harrar and Dave Rose founded Brunette in 2018 as a way to give restaurants access to an otherwise untapped revenue stream, via online retailing of products, apparel, and $25 or $50 gift cards. With a global crisis halting standard revenue streams for these partners, this source of cash flow has become more valuable than ever. According to Harrar, “Rather than ask for donations, this allows consumers to support their favorite restaurants, while still getting what they paid for.” Rose added, “Not only are you helping, but you’re getting something to look forward to, which we can all use right now.”
You can browse through Brunette’s 30+ brand partners (and growing) on their website shopbrunette.com. While there’s still no telling how long this pandemic will last, restaurants will eventually reopen their doors; and when that day comes, hopefully, you’ll have secured that delicious, celebratory meal. For any additional information, feel free to contact info@shopbrunette.com.
Brunette is an online retailer of restaurant products. They exist to give access to some of Canada’s top food products only accessible on location. You can now order the finest products this country has to offer from the comfort of your own home.
