Dunn’s Famous Decarie Boulevard benefits from a winning formula.
Dunn’s Famous is indeed a Montreal landmark.
The late Myer Dunn, of course, opened the first franchise 90 years ago in downtown Montreal. These days Elliot Kligman and his son Andrew are at the helm. Besides the flagship location on Metcalfe Street, there are now six franchises and counting.
Nine years ago a Dunn’s Famous opened on Decarie Boulevard near Jean Talon in the spot that once housed La Diligence (The Stage Coach). It shares the same parking lot with Kanda Sushi and Amir. Expertly run by General Manager Tony Sama and co-manager Eric Blake, this is well-oiled machine which is always crowded. They know how to treat the client here. The dining room can seat 105. They also have a busy takeout business and offer home delivery from 5 pm to 11 pm., the latter requiring a minimum $15 order before tax. The place is open 24 hours Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and up until 2 am on other days.
Tony and Eric, with their excellent staff, go to great lengths to make sure customers go home happy. That is why they have so many regulars.
Dunn’s serves their family recipe of slow cured marinated brisket, better known as “Old Fashioned Smoked Meat,” chargrilled steaks and burgers, “Montreal Poutine,” homemade soups, signature appetizers and much more. They prepare the smoked meat the old fashioned way using a proprietary blend of spices, marinating each brisket for six days to lock in the flavor from the smoke house to your plate.
The Decarie location is open for breakfast, lunch and supper. There is a special lunch menu, which has a few items you will not find at another Dunn’s, such as chicken brochette, chicken parmigiana and shepherd’s pie. The reason why so many people come here multiple times per week is because of the diverse menu.
I am big fan of their Matzoh Ball soup and salads, the club roll and club sandwich. Friends rave about their wraps, pizza and pasta. There is a kids menu and simple items such as fish and chips and salmon.
The two of us started off with the Double “D” Combo Deluxe as an appetizer. It was fun to share: two potato skins, six smoked meat egg rolls, six cheese sticks and some onion rings. We left nothing on the plate that server Anika brought us.
We were now ready for the main course. Tony opted for the super combo smoked meat: a large sandwich served on rye bread with homemade fries, coleslaw and dill. Open faced is available on demand.
I was in the mood to try something else and ordered the 14 ounce AAA rib steak. It was preceded with an entrée of karnatzel, grilled salami and coleslaw. The aged, bone-in rib steak is served with your choice of fresh cut fries, baked potato or mashed.
We saved just enough room to share a delicious piece of chocolate cake. Upon entering the restaurant the different cakes are all on display in the front showcase.
The Decarie location has a number of flat screen TVs and on the night of a Montreal hockey game all of the servers where Canadiens shirts.
This Dunn’s Famous is located at 7385 Decarie. For more information call 514-731-2424 or log on to www.dunnsdecarie.ca. You can also like them on Facebook.
By Mike Cohen and Tony Medeiros