By Mike Cohen
It has been 15 years since Benoît Dessureault and Adam Bornell bid adieu to their careers in the print-media advertising business and purchased Chez Delmo, a French restaurant specializing in delicious fish and seafood.
Located at 275 Notre Dame Ouest, near the heart of Old Montreal, Chez Delmo has gone through several incarnations since first opening in 1907 as a bar, gaming room and yes, a brothel. It is hard to believe that we have not been there since 2016. I assure you it won’t be nearly that long a wait the next time.
We were greeted by Benoit at the door, a charismatic gentleman who told us that 20 years ago he was given six months to live due to a rare blood disorder. Thanks to the late Dr. Arthur Rosenberg at the Jewish General Hospital, he survived and continued telling his story two decades later. That is where I ran into him again, not too long ago, in the parking lot, when he invited me to come back for a visit.
We took a 6:30 pm reservation on a Saturday night. There is evening valet parking for $15, which is no higher than the nearby lots. Cars are parked in an indoor garage. We were shown to a nice window-side table. Our server was William, who happens to be Benoit’s son. Full of personality like his dad, William was indeed a real “upper” as the dinner began. “All three of my kids have worked here,” said a proud Benoit.
William first offered us some drinks. We went for the Aperol Spritz and a glass of prosecco.
Chez Delmo is known as a French restaurant specializing in fish and seafood. We started off by sharing 12 large and delicious oysters and a perfectly prepared fresh Angus rib-eye steak tartare, with some pieces of toasted French bread. They also have clam chowder, lobster bisque amd cream of tomato soup, as well as grilled octopus, beef carpaccio, and fried calamari. The seafood towers looked absolutely amazing, but we decided to go with the oysters as an appetizer and then came the main course- a 1.75-pound lobster and scallops. The lobster was grilled and William made sure to have the chef cut it up as much as possible in order for the lobster meat to be pulled out, allowing us to avoid the cracking of the shells. It came with rice pilaf and vegetables. This was indeed some of the best lobster I have tasted in a long time. As for the scallops, all I can say is “wow!” I would love to get that recipe. They came grilled, with cauliflower and carrot purée.
The Dover sole meunière (brought in from Holland, the fish is poached, deboned as four filets and accompanied by a small pitcher of brown butter on the side) and Walleye (Doré) are house specialties while you can also choose from grilled salmon, rib steak, créole crab, pasta, lobster sandwiches and sturgeon caviar.
“Our menu has changed little over the past 80 years,” says Benoit. “It is quality fish and seafood prepared and served in a traditional way. “ Our lobster bisque takes two days to create and the classic cream of tomato remains virtually unchanged for decades.”
For dessert, we shared a decadent portion of chocolate mousse. William was nice enough to give us an extra bowl of whipped cream.
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Chez Delmo also has a lunch menu and an extensive wine list.
Originally opened in 1910 as a private English gentlemen’s club, in 1964, restaurateur Roland Perisset assumed ownership and began referring to regulars as Delmonians. When Perisset decided to retire in 2004, the restaurant’s manager, Simon Desjeans, bought the establishment and relocated it across the street to the current spot. The Holder brothers (as in Brasserie Holder) took over next in 2007 and shortened the name to Delmo. It was not a successful investment and closed a year later. Benoir and Bornell stepped up to the plate in 2011. Over the years, Delmo has had its share of facelifts; the 18 barstools surrounding the granite bar are all that are left of the original 38. The iron sign outside and its original lighted tulips were salvaged and still greet all our clients. Artist Carlito Dalceggio was commissioned to create some murals.
Chez Delmo is located at 275 Notre-dame St West and open Tuesday to Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. For reservations, call 514-288-4288, e-mail info@chezdelmo.com, or log on to www.chezdelmo.com.