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.
MTL Resto Rap
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.