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.
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.
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.
What makes a new restaurant stand out from the crowd? Is it excellent food? Maybe outstanding service? Could it be an attractive and comfortable venue? Or the perfect location? Or maybe it’s the convergence of all of those that make the newly-opened Estiatorio Kavos on Sherbrooke Street West a winning choice for Greek cuisine buffs.
Madisons Restaurant & Bar has always been one of those dining establishments I have truly appreciated for its well-balanced menu: terrific appetizers, salads, tartares, soups, burgers and sandwiches, steak, seafood, pasta, chicken, ribs, sides and decadent desserts. There is also a neat bar setup.
This was no ordinary evening out for dinner. I had heard of Onoir for several years and each time I came up with an excuse why I didn’t want to eat in the dark. This time was different and what an eye-opening experience it was.
I often drive down Lacordaire Boulevard in St. Léonard for business. The large Scores Restaurant on that strip was always a big favorite of mine. Then last year I noticed the sign in front had disappeared, replaced by Grillys 9305.
Recently, curiosity got the best of me and I dropped in to meet owner Maria Tsimboukis, her sister and brother-in-law George Tsonis. George has decades of restaurant experience under his belt and serves as the general manager. After undertaking extensive renovations and re-branding the property Grillys 9305 (the latter is their civic address) they opened and customers began to arrive in droves.
