The beautiful DoubleTree by Hilton Montreal Airport Hotel in Dorval opened towards the end of 2018 and not only has occupancy been high, but for the better part of the past year people I know were giving rave reviews about both its restaurant and bar known as the Sephamore.
What does the word “Sephamore” mean? This is the person you see on the tarmac of an airport guiding a plane by waving flags to its proper parking spot upon landing.
By
Mike Cohen
Marché de l’Ouest (https://marchedelouest.com) features indoor and outdoor shops, with a large variety of horticultural products, meat, chicken, fresh fish, cheeses, tea, breads and pastries.
With over 36 retailers, the Marché De L’Ouest is the
go-to place for the ultimate shopping experience and is considered a
one-stop-shop in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. In the summer, you can visit the
beautiful outdoor farmer’s market with fresh fruits and vegetables.
I recently spent a few hours at the place, starting off with a great breakfast at Rôtisserie Gicanu. Owner George Housakos, working with his wife Bozica and son Nicholas, is on the job seven days a week from 9 am to 6 pm. It has been a labor of love for 15 years. The first thing he does is get those trademark chickens spinning on the rotisserie and prepares for all the regulars to order their club sandwich and other favorites from the menu. I was impressed with how quickly and expertly he made me some bacon and eggs, with a pair of sausages, two slices of toast and tomato. “We do catering as well,” said George, who was a furrier before he got into the food business. I will be back to sample the chicken.
George at Rôtisserie Gicanu.
Next door I went to say hello to Antonio Russo at Piada. The specialty here is an authentic “Piadina,” an Italian flatbread sandwich that comes from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. I am also told he makes a mean cappuccino. At Coucou Café baristas Lina Jin and Suhan Shi specialize in latté art.
Antonio makes a cappuccino.
No time to cook? Eatz Chez Vouz offers healthy prepared meals! I chatted with Michele, who guided me through the wide array of appetizing side dishes.
Michele at Eatz Chez Vouz.
The Marché even has a new concept store specializing
in the “Keto diet” called “Ketotteria.” Check it out!
What a pleasure it was meet to Franco at Hansel &
Bagel. “We are the oldest bagel store on the West Island, dating back to 1981,”
he said while watching employee Nathan pull some piping hot bagels from the
brick oven.
Nathan at Hansel & Bagel.
Boulangerie Patisserie MDO had some pretty yummy items
in the display window.
Looking for delicious sausages? Saucisser de L’Ouesthas over 60 types of sausages to choose from– they also have gluten-free options!
Boucherie La Préférence always has the freshest meats! They can truly “meat” your needs! Cavallaro is always ready to serve you – whether it be Italian pizza, various cheeses, cold cuts and many more Italian imported products. Yannick Fromagerie offers a variety of specialty cheeses. Boulangerie
Le Marché de L’Ouest offers an array of flavours and multicultural dishes from various countries; Japan (Japango Sushi), Lebanon (Feuille de Vigne), Hong Kong (Szechuan Supreme), Thailand (Thai Noodles & Sushi), Greece (Marché Pêche Pêche) Peru (Enjoy the experience of Peruvian flavours at the new concept restaurant called “Passion Ceviche”. where Chef Jose will serve you as you are in a cozy place of his beloved city of Lima in Peru!) and Italy (Boulangerie & Patisserie MDO). From the latter were told that Alfonso Salvo’s cannolis are THE talk of the West Island!
Première Moisson (www.premieremoisson.com)
is also a part of the Marché retailers! Did you know that they are the first
bakery to use local flour without any chemical input in their bread? Check out Bulk Barn for every kind of candy
and chocolate you can think of!
Delicacies from Première Moisson.
You can even make your own wine at “Vin Go.”
Find everything you need at the Dollarama! There is
also a specialized pet store that is ready to help you with all your needs:
“Bailey Blu.” Need flowers? Head to the florist. Looking for jewelry?
Take your family and friends out for dinner at our various restaurants: Madison’s Bar & Grill, Dunn’s, Guaca & Molé, Restaurant Panama, Ben & Florentine’s, Mandy’s, Paradise Kosher, La Verita and Jukebox Burgers! Seasonally, the outdoor fruit and vegetable selection is superb! And yes, there is even an IGA.
Marché de L’Ouest is indeed the ultimate gourmet destination, located
at 11600 De Salaberry, in Dollard-des-Ormeaux in the heart of West
Island. Log on to get the complete list of merchants and much more. https://marchedelouest.com or call 514-685-0183.
I have lived most of my life in the City of Côte Saint-Luc so when it came time to go to a restaurant close by for dinner or pickup, the Famous Delly Boys always won out. Owners Sonny and Chico made some great smoked meat sandwiches and had other signature items such as the pizza burger. The iconic spot shut its doors for good in 2015 after 53 years in business.
Three years ago Emmanuel Darmond purchased the kosher Sorsky’s Deli at the Quartier Cavendish food court and he renamed it the Deli Boyz. “It is a nostalgic name,” Emmanuel told me when I stopped by recently for a bite. “The spelling is different and we do not use the word ‘Famous,’ and we think it has caught on.”
On December 15, 1999, John Drymousis and wife Carmela opened their first Lesvos Restaurant on Mount Royal Street, at the corner of Brébeuf.
John had been a waiter for years, but always dreamed of having his own dining establishment. Carmela was not in that industry at all, having earned a living the previous 12 years at the credit bureau of the Royal Bank of Canada. A decade earlier the couple had relocated to Fort Myers, Florida, where John had been offered a senior role by some Montreal businessmen at a 250 seat family restaurant. At the time their only child, daughter Mia, was a toddler.
I think one of the first food items I learned how to make myself was a grilled cheese sandwich. We had one of those grillers at home and all I needed was a slice of cheese, two pieces of bread and some margarine. Over the years I learned different variations: buttering up two sides of bread, slipping in the cheese and making it on the frying pan and or toasting two pieces of bread, applying the margarine then sticking it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
I have been to Kahnawake a few times in my life, but it was my curiosity over a tempting relatively new restaurant called Two O Seven Steak and Seafood which closed the deal for me to venture over the Mercier Bridge for dinner one night. I was joined by my friend Mel Leitman, his wife Connie Dorfman and his sister-in-law Marilyn Silverman.
The city of Laval has some terrific restaurants. Add Westwood Grill & Bar to the list. Recently opened at Place Bell, the venue can accommodate 180 people aged 18 and over.
When I sat down with Groupe Sportscene President Jean Bedard recently, he spoke glowingly about the restaurants under the company umbrella: La Cage, Brasserie Sportive; Moishes Steakhouse; PF Chang’s and Avenue.
We were chatting at the now-former PF Chang’s on Decarie, which will be converted into a state of the art Cage facility by next spring. Bedard asked whether I had experienced the newly renovated Bell Centre location, urging me to do so. On a recent Sunday afternoon, I did just that.
While I have loved Japanese cuisine for years, I generally dine at the same places. In recent months though I have been looking to explore and did my family ever hit the jackpot when we stepped into Maïko Sushi on Sources Boulevard in Dollard des Ormeaux.
When my friend Glenn and I recently had to attend an event at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on Decarie near Plamondon, I suggested we try the Luzzatto Kosher Restaurant.
I have been driving by this location for years and noticed previous incarnations of this dining establishment and hotel. It was recently rebranded a Ramada Plaza from Quality Inn and got a complete facelift –inside and out.
There are restaurants in Montreal which merit being compared to a “unique dining experience” and Gibbys certainly qualifies for that category.
In 1969 Gilbert (Gibby) Rosenberg and two partners established a steakhouse in St. Sauveur. His nickname stuck and would soon become legendary. Three years later a second Gibbys opened up in a historic former stable in Place d’Youville in Old Montreal. The rest is history. Today, both locales continue to thrive. For a brief time, there was even South Florida locale in Fort Lauderdale.
For the past year, I kept noticing this small storefront with the name “Ai Dumpling” on the awning. I kept promising myself I would go inside and check the place out. It was only when a friend suggested we meet for lunch there that I did so and how glad I am that occurred for this is a most unique dining experience.
One of the truly wonderful things about writing about restaurants is stepping inside a place you have seen and heard about for many years, yet never before experienced its menu. Such was the case recently for my family when we walked inside Restaurant Sho-dan on downtown Metcalfe Street for the very first time. Let me say from the outset that if you are a lover of sushi like I am and have never tried this spot before then make a reservation without delay.
After dining at Jukebox Burgers & Bar Laitier in Dollard des Ormeaux for the first time, I asked myself why I had waited so long to do so? The place opened up in Marché de l’Ouest on de Salaberry in 2010. Marc Emond, Derek Hirsch and Mark Gawronski were original partners in creating this very unique concept and while it took a few years to build a clientele, the place is now an unqualified success.
Thursday’s has been a Montreal institution on Crescent Street since 1973. The brainchild of Bernard Ragueneau and his former partner Sonny Lindy, it was a restaurant, bar and nightclub all rolled into 24,000 square feet of property spread over three floors.
