Mike Cohen Discovers Petros Westmount: Outstanding Mediterranean cuisine

It has now been two years since restaurateur Ted Dranias opened Petros Westmount (www.restaurantpetros.ca)at the corner of Sherbrooke Street West and Grosvenor.  My family and I recently went to dine therefor the very first time and judging by the fact there was still a lineup for tables at 8:30 pm it is clear this place has caught on.

Dranias already owned another popular restaurant called LaTrattoria (www.latrattoria.ca) in trendy Griffintown. Next door he opened the first Petros Griffintown as a tribute to his late father (named Petros) who always wanted to have a Greek restaurant of his own here. Now comes news that Petros Griffintown will make its debut in early 2019 on Laurier Avenue.

“Westmount came about quite by chance,” said Ted. “I was driving by one day and noticed that the building was vacant. The previous tenant, an L’Oeufrier franchise, had closed. I knew right away this was a good choice for me and from the get go business was booming. We have a very loyal clientele and new people are coming in each day.”

It is not uncommon to see the likes of former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, former Canadian first lady Mila Mulroney and other well-known personalities dining here. Quite simply Westmount has never had a restaurant serving such outstanding seafood. Ted himself or one of his seniors staffers are at the market early most mornings picking the fish.

Petros serves up authentic Greek cuisine prepared with local produce, fresh fishes and cuts of meat. Whether you are craving a fresh spanakopita, tender grilled octopus or want to try something unique like salmon flambé with Ouzo, Petros offers a Mediterranean-style cooking, enhanced with fresh herbs and spices.

This is a Bring Your Own Bottle establishment.

Petros Westmount seats 80 upstairs and 50 downstairs. Either level can be rented out for private parties or that is happening more often than not these days. Head chef Angelo used to work at Milos on Parc and Faros on Fairmount, so there is no wonder the dishes are so delicious,

Our server Chris went over the menu and got us started with some toasted bread. We added an order of taramosalata , spread made from carproe and olive oil, and it was superb. The same goes for the Petros Special, featuring lightly fried zucchinichips served with Tzatziki and the grilled mushroom medley. The latter, made from shitake and Portobello mushrooms with an amazing marinade, was out of this world and something I only wish I could make as good at home. In fact I came back a week later to make an order to bring home for a side dish.

 We also shared two Psilokemeni salads for the table, containing hearts of Romaine, vinegar red wine, fresh dill and olive oil. The lettuce was thinly chopped, just the way I like it. Soups, other salads and a handful of other appetizers and spreads are on the menu.

Service was organized at a good pace.

For the main course, three members of our party had the Mediterranean Sea Bass while I had the swordfish, perfectly grilled and cut like butter. There was also an order of grilled lamb chops. Each main course comes with market fresh vegetables and oven roasted lemon potatoes or rice if you so wish.

Besides a variety of other fish selections, chicken, pork or veal chops, moussaka, octopus, Jumbo Gulfshrimp, lobster pasta and steak are menu options as well.

For dessert we shared a plate of homemade loukoumades, little yeast-risen dough drizzled with honey syrup and accompanied by some yogurt.

Petros is also a nice spot to come and enjoy an Express Lunch, with specials starting at $15.

Petros Westmount is located at 4785 Sherbrooke Street West and Grosvenor. Open Monday to Friday 11:30 am to 3 pm; 5:30 pm to 10 pm Sunday through Thursdays and 5:30 pm to 11 pm Friday and Saturdays. For reservations call514-938-5656.  You can email westmount@restaurantpetros.ca  and log on to  www.restaurantpetros.ca. Petros Griffintown is located at 1539 Notre-Dame St  W. and it has private party rooms as well.