A Michelin star is arguably the most prestigious accolade a restaurant can receive on the international scene. Both highly coveted all while being shrouded in mystery, it holds the power to completely transform a recipient's fortunes.The guide's arrival in Montreal last year was a huge affair in industry circles, although I personally feel ambivalent about it. Why should we let a foreign entity with a narrow-minded view of gastronomy dictate to us what's good versus not? That said, I can understand its draw and significance for the lucky and hard-working few who get recognized.After only three stars were awarded to Montreal last year, this year a paltry two more were added - big whoop! One of these went to Hoogan et Beaufort, the acclaimed Rosemont restaurant set up in the Angus Shops development now known as Technop�le Angus.Helmed by renowned chef Marc-Andre Jette, who made a name for himself at the defunct Laloux and Les 400 Coups, this hotspot has been booked solid for weeks on end since nabbing its prized star. It didn't matter that tonight was a Sunday, typically a slow service; the locale was abuzz and full!

On 514eats.com I sometimes like to throw in some social commentary in addition to restaurant criticism. I know that you're here for the latter, but hopefully you won't mind a bit of the former.I personally always thought that Montreal was lacking when it came to good, refined Mexican food. It seems whenever I fell in love with a rare standout, it closes shortly after. Such was the case with both Emiliano's and Le Tequila Bar. I particularly lamented the loss of the latter last summer because it made my favorite tacos in town and was situated a short stroll away from my place.It would not be long before its owner would pivot, bring in new partners from Bistro Amerigo and unveil Figata in the same Saint-Henri locale. Since opening in January, the newcomer has quickly made itself a name and is drawing crowds rivaling those at the other popular Italian buvette across the street: BarBara. My wife had to reserve over a month ago to get us a table tonight!

The name Archway has been familiar to me since its opening in 2019; but beyond name awareness, I knew nothing about it. Earlier this week, I attended the Gala des Lauriers (Quebec's culinary awards ceremony), where the Verdun restaurant was awarded a laurier. This recognition probably brought it higher in my memory banks, and subconsciously influenced me when I suggested to meet a friend there for lunch.

Japanese culture is associated with restraint and collective responsibility. While some of Montreal's Japanese restaurants go for grandeur, opulence and scale, others choose to follow the minimalistic path. There is no better example of this than the Plateau's Noren.Open since 2016, this humble eatery has managed the impossible task of surviving this long and achieving popularity, all while maintaining a subdued presence. Its inconspicuous locale can very easily be missed, and its social media relies on simple photos (not a single reel or influencer collaboration - respect!).

Beyond the free meals and invitations, one of the perks of doing what I do is meeting industry folks and following them throughout their career. It was around two years ago that I met an aspiring restaurateur (Talal Sabbagh), who at the time was managing a restaurant downtown. A Syrian such as myself, he had a vision of opening his own place to showcase our homeland's cuisine in a different way.Fast forward to now, where his project - Brocard - has been open just over six months on the fabled Boulevard Saint-Laurent. The newcomer eschews its Syrian competitors and replaces the spacious dining rooms, formal staff and large mezes they are known for with an intimate/hip space, personable approach and smaller servings; perfect for the Plateau!Tonight would be my third time at Brocard, a spot which has garnered rave reviews and has already matured a lot in a short time span. A first dinner with my family soon after opening scored huge points for me, which led me to throw my agency holiday dinner here last December. Tonight would be high time I threw in my official verdict, via an eight-person dinner to celebrate Eid al-Fitr among family members.

Poutine is arguably THE signature dish of the province of Quebec (is there an argument?). Poutines across the land normally deliver; they're almost always good and sometimes reach perfection; be it on the classic, no-frills side or the more upscale, inventive kind.I've rarely found a poutine disappointing, even at a university cafeteria or your random ski station lunch counter. The right ingredients are widely available and the recipes have been perfected and streamlined over generations; be it the industrialized version or the homemade rendition, how can it go wrong?So how was the one at Poutineville, the self-described "best poutine in Montreal and Quebec" (taken from their website)? Today I visited the Shaughnessy Village, Bishop street location of this resto/bar chain with my kids to find out. As teenagers, it's not easy to find things to do that we all enjoy; but their love for poutine made for a good excuse to take them out for lunch on this frigid Sunday.

A restaurant either has an identity or lacks one. June Buvette, McKiernan, La Spada (three restaurants recently reviewed here)? Full-on identity; we know what you stand for. Shaker, Vertigo, ZIBO? No idea what you are. Others may be in search of such an identity; but does it matter really? Who cares if you manage to put butts in seats?The self-titled Restaurant Limbo likes to play on this idea with its branding, vibe and menu. Stepping into the (nearly) one-year-old restaurant on this frigid Saturday night, I was surprised to see a full house. Clearly the cold presents no excuse to honor a reservation here, which is strongly recommended if you want to avoid huddling in this hotspot's entrance.

One of my top meals of 2024 was at Mercuri 109, which sadly closed a few weeks after my visit. Fronted by the renowned Joe Mercuri, a veteran of the Montreal dining scene, I best recall the defunct downtown restaurant for its unique style of cuisine blending Italian with other elements into small dishes to share such as focaccia served with burrata, tuna crudo and short rib ravioli.Of course, a restaurant shutting is always sad for the industry, the people behind it and its fans; but sometimes it can lead to favorable outcomes for certain folks. Last week I was approached by a chef Colin Lavallee - unknown to me at this point - who was in fact the brain and muscle behind that memorable meal.The young chef wanted me to try his new home, a resto/wine bar called June Buvette in Pointe-Saint-Charles. Open since the summer of 2023, this neighborhood eatery is backed by the ever-expanding Tomahawk group of nightlife establishments.

When the Joe Beef folks decided to close their next-door McKiernan Luncheonette about a decade ago to expand into its space, many lamented the loss of what was considered the list-topping restaurant's affordable side.It was not long before these mourners' prayers were answered; in 2018 it was announced that McKiernan would reopen in a spacious locale along the Lachine Canal in nearby C�te-Saint-Paul. Having been here countless times (clearly, I'm a fan), I did not think twice before suggesting it to my group of friends for dinner tonight.Not only have none of them been before, but it is also conveniently located next to a highway exit, making it quite accessible to both folks coming from Nuns' Island and Laval (while I hopped over from adjacent Westmount). To top things off, free parking is aplenty since the building houses many offices in the daytime.

I met up with two friends of mine at Antep Kabab upon their recommendation. I've been aware of this popular, longstanding kebab shop for many, many years, but never gave it a shot for no particular reason - the "to try" list is just endless!On this unusually-warm early-fall day, which felt more like late summer, the Concordia University area downtown was bustling with folks walking around and grabbing dinner. Inside Antep Kabab, the vibe was just as hectic; a line of hungry diners was matched with a packed, boisterous dining room.

Some restaurant owners go unnoticed and operate completely behind the scenes. Others make their presence felt to the point that the restaurant feels like an extension of their identity and personality. Such is the case at La Khaima, a longstanding North African restaurant lying on Mile-End's Fairmount Avenue.A quick glance at the eatery's Instagram account places owner Atigh across the page's name, profile picture and many of its posts. Tonight's invitation to try La Khaima was no different; it came from him personally both by email and Instagram DM.

The commercial/residential stretch of C�te-des-Neiges clustered around the intersection of Victoria and Van Horne avenues is one of the most ethnically diverse in town. Amid the Filipino grocer, Bengali butcher, kosher fishmonger and (of course) Western Union is a revered Chinese restaurant known as Kam Shing.The lesser known of the two restaurants carrying the same name (the other one a mere five minutes away by car), this Van Horne branch is still a neighborhood fixture among locals. Tonight I hit it up with my family to enjoy a casual, comforting Sunday dinner.

In what would (inadvertently) be my third back-to-back review of a restaurant situated in a Shaughnessy Village greystone, today we're talking ramen soups and izakaya-adjacent fare. More so than a food critique, the focus here is on survival, resiliency and reinvention. I was invited to the first Tsukuyomi location in Mile-End back when it opened in 2017 (reviewed here).Since then, the folks behind both this ramen banner and its sister Kinoya izaka have gone through ups and downs. A pre-COVID expansion phase to Bishop Street was then halted when pandemic measures forced restaurants to shut their doors. Water damages ensued, followed by a consolidation/reinvention chapter, which saw the group reduced to two Tsukuyomi locations and no more Kinoya.An additional branch would open in 2024 in Bois Franc, bringing the total to its current count of three. With the kids away at my in-laws on this Saturday, my wife and I strolled over to the Concordia-area location for a late lunch.

Although the country of Iran recently made headlines for dire, war-related reasons, the Persian community here in Montreal continues to thrive. On the dining front, numerous establishments have opened of late representing the Middle-Eastern country.These typically fall into one of two categories: cafes/tea rooms and restaurants. A new entrant since last summer in the restaurant category is Maison Inja, which comes from the ownership duo behind Cafe Aunja, subject of today's brunch review.

People fall into the restaurant business for various reasons. Some choose it as a career path during their teenage or early adult years, while others are born into it due to family history. Such was the case for Jun Ho Bong - and his mother - whose grandmother opened the city's first Korean restaurant back in 1989.After selling Korea House, madame Bong picked Chinatown for her second restaurant in 2003. Only two years after that, her daughter would open a second location of Chez Bong downtown in the Shaughnessy Village neighborhood, which she currently runs with her son Jun Ho. Today I was invited by the latter to try this longstanding family-run Korean restaurant situated in a Mackay Street greystone.

What happens when Montreal's top food photographer joins forces with a seasoned Italian chef? From this marriage was born La Spada, a chic, hip Italian eatery known as much for its artistic image as its crowd-pleasing food.While the name of chef Steve Marcone is new to me, I first met award-winning photographer Scott Usheroff - a.k.a. Craving Curator - a decade ago when we both worked - for the same company - in the technology sector. Open for close to a year now, the buzz is still going at this Saint-Henti hotspot; my wife had to reserve two weeks ago to nab our table of four on this Friday night.

When Italians migrated to Tunisia in the 19th and 20th centuries, they left an imprint on the North African nation's cuisine. Out of this marriage was born the Tunisian pizza, a thin/airy Neapolitan crust topped with signature Tunisian ingredients such as tuna, olives, roasted veggies and merguez. With the recent explosion of Tunisian immigrants in Montreal, this European/African crossover made its way here.Since the beginning of the decade, I have been made aware of close to a dozen Tunisian pizza shops peppered across the island. Today I visited one of those, O'KIF in LaSalle, on invitation by one of the owners. Open since the end of last year, this newcomer occupies a car-friendly locale lying across from a Sami Fruits just off of Route 138.

We Arabs love our mashawi (grillades). While the shawarma is notably our most popular export to the Occident, another form of meat holds a special place in our hearts. Memories of backyard barbecues back home are immediately evoked by the sight, sound and smell of charcoal-grilled kabab skewers.While Montreal and its surroundings offer a few options when it comes to these meat slingers, few came as recommended and lauded by the community as Al Quds.

The Italian buvette is one of the hottest concepts in town these days. Mostly concentrated in Le Sud-Ouest area, the likes of Gia, BarBara and Mano Cornuto draw their share of attention and adulation. Nabbing a table at these hotspots requires either waiting indefinitely in line or reserving weeks in advance.Joining this group is a new contender called Sauce Buvette du Quartier, open almost exactly a month ago. Tonight I was invited to try this Griffintown/Little Burgundy denizen, which lies closer to the Lachine canal on William Street.

Although the Montreal restaurant scene is in full swing with new concepts popping up at an unrelenting pace, not many of those can be described as innovative. On the lower end, tried-and-tested burger, shawarma and French taco formulas dominate. At the upper end of the scale, we still see a preference for small plates blurring the lines between starters and mains with an emphasis on terroir and natural wines.In between those two ends is a space where not many venture, but was successfully pierced by Mezzmiz. The manager-and-chef duo behind this Lebanese eatery left behind a modest restaurant empire in Beirut and created the first iteration of Mezzmiz at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. A ghost kitchen to start with, the new project would unveil its signature meze trays composed of an assortment of mini dips, salads and mains.A common friend would put me in touch with founder Nadim, who gifted my family a meal on the house, quickly turning me into a fan. Yes, Middle Eastern food is rampant in Montreal, but nobody did it like these folks. Their blend of traditional recipes with modern cooking techniques and gorgeous presentations - what they like to call Beiruti cuisine - was a game changer.Since that time, Mezzmiz went through two physical relocations, first occupying a stall in Time Out Market before finally landing with their own bricks-and-mortar shop on Crescent Street. Along the way their offering expanded, adding mezzwhiches (sandwiches), mezzbowls (rice/salad bowls) and mezzmeals (meals to go), all of which I got to sample first due to my growing relationship with Nadim.Anyone who follows me closely on Instagram knows of my frequent visits here - almost always on the house - and my constant raving of everything these folks put forth. When earlier this month, I got wind of their iftar special during Ramadan, I decided to drop in with my wife and kids unannounced. Since I prefer my reviews to stem from incognito visits, I would finally be able to objectively share my thoughts in writing.However, I mistakenly assumed that Nadim would not be here at night on the weekend, so I was "caught" in the end. But, I still paid my bill and proceeded with my review unencumbered. That said, I will omit the "service" section below, as is my custom when invited somewhere; since I may or may no

Accompanying Montreal's demographic shift as it welcomes more and more immigrants throughout the years is a parallel change in its restaurant offering. As these diasporas settle and thrive in their new homes, so does their propensity to spend and invest.This translates into a sharp increase in higher-end "ethnic" restaurants across various communities and neighborhoods. What once was the domain of casual, mom-and-pop eateries has made way for ambitious projects such as Pamika, India Rosa, Ispahan and SHAY.Joining the fray is a spanking-new Turkish restaurant by the name of Gunaydin, situated midway along Marcel-Laurin Boulevard in Ville-Saint-Laurent. Today I accepted an invitation to try it at lunchtime on a quiet Monday afternoon. Motorists will enjoy the strip-mall situation affording tons of parking space.

If the 2010s were marked by the proliferation of speakeasies or underground bars, the 2020s are seeing an uptick in the same, but for restaurants. Examples such as Sushi by Scratch and Mercuri 109 - both of which have closed - relied on exclusivity and notoriety rather than a marquee address and publicity.More recently, two restaurant groups opened "hidden" fine-dining operations with Estelle and Nama Omakase. The former, owned by the Beatrice folks, occupies a tucked-away spot behind a Saint-Henri parking lot. The latter lies on the ground floor of Google's HQ in the International District. While not exactly clandestine, the place has little signage outside and is concealed thanks to small windows.I was invited here for the grand opening last summer, where folks got to sample some drinks and small bites as well as enjoy the decor; but tonight I would return (uninvited) to get a fuller idea of this self-labeled Japanese/French concept.

I have never been to the South Shore suburb of Saint-Lambert, although I have been given a few restaurant suggestions there. The sharp increase in real estate prices over the last decade points to a moneyed citizenry, which usually attracts fine-dining restaurants. One of those was/is Les Assoiffes, a bistro which just turned into a smokehouse.Tonight the new concept would be unveiled via a private affair for friends, family and some media folks - hey, that's me! Driving up to the restaurant, I could not help but notice how charming this part of Saint-Lambert is; I was not expecting a walkable village with older architecture and quaint boutiques.

Levantine brunches in Montreal have come a long way since the days we only had Garage Beirut as an option. Over the last half decade, a handful of restaurants have joined the fray, specializing in this specific brand of Lebanese/Syrian daytime grub.From Le Professeur and Beit Jeddi a few years ago to � Four and Safy Falafel more recently, the city's Middle Eastern diaspora can now get its fill of fatteh, ful and other brunch staples. The latest entry in this space comes under the name of Leymoun (Arabic for lemon), which opened its doors last fall on a dreary stretch of Nouveau-Bordeaux, the unofficial neighborhood sandwiched between Ahuntsic and Cartierville.

Back in September of this year, in my review of Shushuto, I went over the gentrification of the Canal Lachine-adjacent neighborhood of Pointe-Saint-Charles. While that restaurant sits on the fringe of the borough, most of The Point's commercial activity lies on Rue du Centre.Amid the many changes sweeping the area is an increase in its Muslim presence, made evident by the Khadijah Islamic Center and Marche Bengal. Joining these and sitting right next door to the aforementioned Bengali store is Grillades Amira, which I suspect is owned by the same folks.Open for just over a year, this grill made waves on Instagram thanks to its long wooden boards piled with assortments of meats, which I naturally had to check out.

At some point in recent years, it seemed as though the KFC (Korean fried chicken) hype machine had reached its peak and was in fact pointing downward. Although Olivia's Authentic Chicken scaled down its operations and Le Coq Frit completely vanished, a newcomer has recently entered the market.The banner is Chicken Plus, which claims to hail from Korea and have 500 locations worldwide, although there is no evidence of any presence outside of Canada anywhere on the internet.As far as Quebec is concerned, the KFC chain made its entrance in Trois-Rivi�res just about a year ago. That was soon followed by a couple of locations in Montreal. Today I was invited to try one of those, namely the Chinatown outpost.

Verdun is another one of those neighborhoods which went through rampant gentrification over the past two decades. During this time, a slew of interesting dining options dotted the sidewalks of what came to be known as Promenade Wellington, the neighborhood's main commercial lane.As far as I can tell, the area's first upscale restaurant which garnered acclaim was renowned chef Fisun Ercan's Su, a modern, refined Turkish restaurant. The venture - which ultimately fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 after 14 years of operation - was celebrated by locals but not much beyond.Around the same period, a newcomer would finally put Verdun on the international map. To nab a table at Beba - which last year made The World's 50 Best Discovery list - on this Saturday, my wife had to reserve over a month ago! Even with a booking, we had to make our way through the small line of hopeful diners huddled by the small restaurant's entrance, most of which were being politely turned away!

As a (wannabe) food critic, I ascribe myself the obligation of trying as many Montreal restaurants as possible. From the casual to the upscale, the unknown to the wildly popular, no restaurant is off limits in my books. However, there is one aspect of a restaurant which makes me run away and avoid like the plague: the lineup!There are a handful of eateries which do not take reservations and draw a perpetual lineup of fans. I resigned myself to the thought of never trying Kazu, Regine Cafe, Kem CoBa and their likes. I am happy for their success and curious to find out what the hype is all about, but I refuse to stand in line, not knowing when I will get my turn.That said, there are ways to avoid the dreaded queues, such as going at an off-hour. Such is what I did today with my wife as we were strolling along Notre-Dame Street in Saint-Henri at around noon. When we noticed the absence of the habitual crowd of diners huddled around BarBara's entrance, we immediately went in. While the Italian wine bar's interior was quite full, the patio outside had a few vacancies.

Manakish hold a very special place to an Arab such as myself. The topped-then-baked Levantine flatbreads are so ubiquitous in that part of the world, they can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or as a late-night bite.Long dominated by cheap, quick-serve joints selling them for $2-3 dollars each, the Montreal manakish scene has more recently been elevated thanks to newcomers taking an artisanal approach to this staple. One such operation is Milton Park's � Four, which recently celebrated its third year in operation.

One of Montreal's several neighborhoods to catch the gentrification bug over the last decade is Pointe-Saint-Charles. Also known as "The Point", the borough running along the Lachine Canal has had a history of anti-gentrification. The former working-class area had successfully managed to reject a few major projects; but ultimately succumbed to the condo boom of the 2010s.One casualty of these developments is Magnan, the venerable tavern known for its roast beef, around since the 1930s! The Saint-Patrick Street institution overlooking the canal would close in 2014, making way for a new condo building to replace it. It would take until summer of last year for the project to take its final form, which would include a new restaurant row on the ground floor housing four new addresses.One of those, the corner spot, would be occupied by Shushuto Bar a Ramen + Tapas. My original plans for this Saturday night involved a different address, but those fell through. I therefore pivoted and thought I would try this Japanese eatery, a reservation at which proved easy to nab the night before.

Asides from longevity, one of the hardest achievements a restaurant can attain is virality. A restaurant may have head-turning decor or Instagram-worthy food, but social media algorithms are so unpredictable, no one knows for sure what will catch.One safe bet is to cash in early on a trending foreign food item and be one of the first to offer it locally. Such is what happened with the supreme croissant (or New York roll), invented by the Big Apple's Lafayette Grand Cafe, which took the social sphere by storm in 2022.It was not long before the croissant/bomboloni crossover - a.k.a. cromboloni - made its way to Montreal. The phenomenon quickly exploded on the Instagram profiles of Old Montreal's La Cave a Manger as well as downtown's Amea Cafe, subject of today's review.

Among the handful of international cuisines having a moment in Montreal is Turkish food. The last few years saw a slew of new eateries dishing out Ottoman specialties such as manti, kebab and doner.One case of this is Alaturca, situated along Rue Jarry Est in Saint-Leonard. In business for a year or two, it recently changed ownership and now belongs to the family behind Avesta, the longstanding Turkish eatery downtown in the Concordia University area.Tonight, I was invited to sample the newcomer's offering on this post-flood Sunday. While not easily accessible by public transit, automobile commuters will appreciate the strip mall's easy parking situation.

After spending two weeks in Portugal and the French Riviera, where all I ate was seafood and Italian/Mediterranean fare, I needed something different for my first meal out since returning. Granted everything I ate was fresh and delicious, but after a while the flavour profile of olive oil, lemon, butter and herbs can get repetitive.For tonight, I needed something with more spice, fragrance and pungency, i.e. something "ethnic". The other criteria was to pick a restaurant midway between Westmount and Laval, where my dining companion resides. I therefore thought of Kebeh Kabab, a Middle-Eastern fast-casual concept conveniently located in a Ville-Saint-Laurent strip mall - which also adds easy parking to the equation.

Most restaurants are easily identifiable and fall within recognizable genres: Steakhouse, taco stand, pizzeria, shawarma joint, ramen bar, etc. Others are not tied to a specific cuisine but rather a theme: market, local, seasonal, vegan, fusion, etc. Tonight's protagonist goes even further, adopting a handful of concepts into one.Situated right next to the beloved and popular Le Jellyfish - reviewed twice here - in Old Montreal is its younger brother Pubjelly. While the former provides an upscale, snazzy and trendy proposition revolving around both raw and charcoal-grilled foods, the newcomer - which shares partial ownership as the name implies - leans more casual and pub-ish - again as the name suggests.For our dinner tonight, it was surprisingly easy to find a nearby parking spot in this normally-impossible area. Perhaps with Canada Day and moving day right around the corner, folks had other things to do than going out for dinner on this Friday night.

The Ferreira name made the news recently during Grand Prix weekend, when daughter Sandra posted an emotional video decrying the fire department's snafu at her family restaurant, forcing the evacuation and dismantling of the terrace during its most profitable period of the year.Though it went viral, the video is not what put the Ferreira name on the map. Father Carlos, later joined by his two daughters, now sit at the helm of a group which counts four restaurants - at one point five. The maison m�re of Cafe Ferreira - one of the best destinations for seafood in town - was followed by Cafe Vaso da Gama and more recently by two outposts of Campo.Today I finally visited the first of the two locations, situated around the Maisonneuve/Peel corner, steps away from the family's two other downtown institutions. The sweltering heat outside had subdued by 8PM on this Monday evening, so my two friends and I decided to enjoy our dinner on the small patio in front.

Tucked in one of the city's hippest streets is a Greek cafe/food counter named Kouzina Niata. The two-year-old Saint-Viateur locale is a reminder of Mile-End's Greek heritage, even if the neighborhood has gone through waves of gentrification and demographic changes in recent years.Named after the owner's village of origin, whose family has been part of the Mile-End tapestry for decades, Niata is a genuine product of its neighborhood's past and identity. Today I dropped by for lunch on this rainy Sunday (on invitation) - far from the Grand Prix crowds - to sample some of the house's specialties.

The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the world and rocked the city's restaurant scene when it hit in March of 2020. Amid the many casualties was the revered Moishes, the city's finest and most famous steakhouse, open since 1938.The landmark restaurant had switched hands two years prior, when longtime owner Lenny Lighter signed his property to the then Sportscene Group, which has since been absorbed into the Grandio Group. With commercial and touristy names such as La Cage and Gibby's in Montreal and Cafe du Monde and Lapin Saute in Quebec City in its portfolio, the new owner would certainly bring changes to the beloved Moishes.To begin with, they relocated the Saint-Laurent Boulevard institution to Square Victoria, no doubt aiming at the area's business crowd for lunches, happy hours and team dinners. The new digs - which take over from the dreadful Houston Avenue Bar & Grill in the same corner - were unveiled last summer by way of a noisy media event, which I was invited to and attended.Of course the latter being a stand-up affair a la cocktail d�natoire, it was impossible to tell if the resurrected steakhouse lived up to its name. Recent reviews seem mixed - exorbitant prices are a common gripe - but today I would decide for myself.

Greek restaurants come in three varieties - at least in Montreal. Going from the lower end upwards, you have your casual souvlaki joint followed by the mid-market ouzeri and ending with the upscale estiatorio.Occupying an acute angle corner at the intersection of Rue Saint-Denis and Rue Gilford in the Plateau - a rare sight in Montreal reminiscent of European towns - is the aptly-named Ouzeri, which naturally falls in the middle of the scale.Parking in the area does not come easily, least of which on a Friday night, which required several back and forths in the adjacent residential streets.

Few neighborhoods have witnessed the explosion in dining options that Saint-Henri has over the last decade.Amid the buzzing restaurants gaining all the attention such as Tuck Shop, Foiegwa, Elena and BarBara are a handful of below-the-radar mainstays that have endured the tumultuous period of gentrification and saturation, followed by the COVID-19 lockdown. One of those is Mexican resto/pub Le Tequila Bar, which is celebrating its 9 years in business this very week.

Two of the fastest-growing trends in Montreal's dining scene of late are the buvette and the modern Middle Eastern eatery. From the former we recently got Annette, June Buvette and Buvette Pompette - which all rhyme for no reason. As for the latter, newcomers included Babacool, Hayat and SHAY.Combining both of these concepts into one is HENI, which opened its doors last fall in the restaurant-dense stretch of Notre Dame Street West in Little Burgundy. With backing from a diverse and seasoned team of restaurateurs hailing from the likes of Barley, Lulu epicerie, Nolan and Pastel, all the ingredients are in place for a winning formula.

Just when you thought every possible food combination has been tried, along comes something new.Freshly opened just last month on Sainte-Catherine Street in the Concordia University area is a Persian concept combining kebab, burgers, fries and more. Backed by two wanderers who lived in Africa and South America but now consider Montreal home, KBF reached out to me this week to check out their offer.

Today my wife and I found ourselves wandering the streets of Saint-Henri in search of a brunch spot. The hunt would prove challenging; all the hotspots from Arthurs and Eva to L'Avenue and Foiegwa had one-hour-plus waits on this fine Sunday morning.Not one for waiting in line, let alone in the cold while nursing a hangover, we headed for Greenspot. The area's casse-croute par excellence still made us wait a bit for a table, but I will take a few minutes indoors over an eternity outside any day.

When Agrikol shut down in 2020, the city's options for Haitian food became limited to mom-and-pop-type joints. While those certainly have their place and time, what Agrikol provided was a fun option with as much attention given to decor, vibe and drinks as to the kitchen.This dearth did not last long however, as a few options sprouted up since that fateful year such as Kwizinn in Verdun and Pikliz in Saint-Henri. Tonight, I accepted an invitation to try the latter, which went through several iterations since 2019 - home kitchen, popup, cafe - before taking its final form this spring once it finally obtained its liquor license.

Montreal's Italian restaurants normally fit into three molds: pizzeria, family-style and upscale ristorante. More recently, a small wave of osterias - casual establishments pushing small dishes and wine, popular in Italy - has made its way mostly thanks to two duos of restaurateurs.The first of those, Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione, need no introduction thanks to their TV shows, restaurants and product line. The second duet composed of Ryan Gray and Emma Cardarelli may not be as famous but earn as many accolades for their collection of restaurants and their recent cookbook.After blessing Montreal with Nora Gray and Elena (reviewed here and here, respectively), they added Gia to the list in December of 2021. Continuing their tradition of naming their establishments after important women in their lives, their latest is an homage to Tuscan winemaker Giovanna Tiezzi.As with its predecessors, it also made Canada's 100 Best restaurant list, in addition to enRoute's best new restaurants of 2022 - the longlist, not as a finalist. Needless to say; a reservation here was a must for dinner on a recent Friday night.

While Montreal has its coterie of local star chefs enjoying success, their international counterparts have not all faired well here. Whereas we once counted operations involving Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Jo�l Robuchon, today we are only left with Maison Boulud and Marcus (Samuelsson). What both of those have in common is their attachment to luxury hotels.The latter, part of the Four Seasons Hotel, opened with a bang in 2019 and has since been a hotspot with the jet-set crowd. Today I was invited here to check out their newly-introduced power lunch, which suggests a two-course formula for $45 and promised in under an hour, a boon to business folks.

For a city with so much shoreline, I have always lamented Montreal's dearth of restaurants lying along the waterfront. Memories of meals enjoyed by a beach, lake or river during my travels abroad seem to haunt me and instill a bit of jealousy. It's bad enough we only get four months to enjoy a meal outdoors with our long winters, the choices are few when it comes to "dinner with a view".Pockets of exceptions do exist, either in the Old Port - too crowded and hard to get to - or Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue - too far. However, I have recently become aware of a third option in the neighborhood of Lachine, where a handful of restaurants afford a view of the canal by the same name. Of those, I picked Il Fornetto for lunch with my father, wife and kids on this beautiful late-September weekend.

Due to France's colonial past, the "French bread" has left its mark on the cuisine of many former colonies. From this have emerged a number of iconic sandwiches throughout the world which combine indigenous ingredients with some variant of French bread.Vietnam has its banh mi, C�te d'Ivoire has its pain brochette and Lebanon has its franji sandwich. Luckily for Montreal, we now have a sandwicherie dedicated to the latter and conspicuously named after it. Hailing from the Middle East myself, I could not turn down the invitation from Franji's owners on this late-summer Sunday night.

No topic touching the restaurant industry has occupied my mind as much as inflation over the last twelve months. From fast-casual spots all the way up to the most prestigious tables in town, it seems there is no escaping the various coping methods - price increases, shrinklation, skimpflation, excuseflation, etc. - restaurants use as they grapple with soaring costs themselves.Treating my family of four for dinner has become prohibitively expensive considering our healthy appetites and penchant for finer foods. Restaurants relying primarily on premium ingredients such as steakhouses and seafood joints have been especially prone to bill hikes, with main dishes exceeding $70 becoming commonplace; du jamais vu in Montreal! Add to that the recent surge in alcohol excise duties by the federal government, and you have a recipe for bankruptcy.An annual tradition of ours is to go out for sushi in celebration of my son's birthday per his asking. To lessen the load on my wallet, a friend suggested Torii Sushi in Laval, a moderately-priced B.Y.O.W. establishment around since 2001. Open on Sundays and situated on a strip-mall with adequate parking space, this candidate seemed to check all the requisite boxes.

Much has been written about Montreal's relationship with chicken, rotisserie chicken and Portuguese chicken in particular. The latter comes in two forms: roasted on a spit or charcoal-grilled spatchcock style. Add a brushing of spicy peri-peri (often stylized as "piri-piri"), and you end up with one addictive dish!Derived from "pilipili" ("pepper" in Swahili), the malagueta pepper was originally produced by Portuguese colonists in their former African territories. Later it made its way to the nation's motherland and spread from there until it became synonymous with Portuguese cuisine.One Montreal-area fast-casual venture has been slowly invading the city under the Piri Piri monicker. This chicken empire went from one location in 2012 to nine, with the latest addition landing in Marche Central a mere two weeks ago.Having accepted an invitation to try it out on a Monday at noon, I was expecting a slow start for the spanking-new franchise; but was surprised to see a long lineup of hungry patrons queued up all the way to the restaurant's front door. Obviously the strip-mall setting with its ample parking space make this a convenient pre/post-shopping destination.

There are noodle shops and then there are hand-pulled noodle shops. If you are not familiar with the latter, I urge you to drop everything you are doing right now and head over to Nouilles de Lan Zhou in Chinatown to witness this Northern Chinese technique. It is a sight to behold!At Lan Zhou, the leader in this category in Montreal, one can watch from a streetside window the mesmerizing process by which the dough is repeatedly twisted, stretched and folded into strands until the desired thickness of noodle is reached.Due to this latter's popularity, I never tried another restaurant serving this specialty, nor do I know if anyone else does it. However, recently I was made aware of Les P�tes Vivantes, a downtown pandemic-era slinger of this delicacy.

Let me open up this review with an unpopular statement: I am not a fan of izakayas! As much as I love Japanese restaurants, I so far have not been wowed by the casual variety pushing drinks and small plates known as izakayas.It could very well be that I have simply not stumbled on a winner among the half dozen I have tried in Montreal over the years. Today, that would unexpectedly change after I accepted an invitation at the spanking-new Edo.

Today would mark the beginning of what I would like to call my "summer of George" (if you know, you know). With free time on my hand on this crisp, late-spring Monday morning, I decided to take a two-hour bicycle ride on the Westmount heights at the foot of Mount Royal.After some intense physical activity, I met my wife and a friend for breakfast for some much-needed recharging. Our rendez-vous was at Monkland Village's Pigeon Cafe, which opened during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020, taking over from St-Viateur Bagels, which closed the year before.The second location under the Pigeon banner following Pigeon Espresso Bar near the Concordia University downtown campus, the fledging group was created by Johnathan Dresner, who is also behind Notre-Boeuf-de-Gr�ce.

The last five years saw an acceleration in foreign-based fast food franchises making their way to our fair city. From as close as Ontario we received Hero Certified Burgers, Original Shawarma and Loaded Pierogi. All the way from Japan and Taiwan came Tsujiri and Hazukido, respectively. Earlier this year, a Dutch-based Asian operation installed itself in the West Island.Since opening in Amsterdam in 2004, the Wok to Walk banner has rapidly expanded across all five continents and is now hoping to win the Canadian market, first via Quebec. Tonight, I accepted an invitation to try the newcomer, located in the car-friendly Pointe-Claire strip mall running along Saint-Jean Boulevard.

For those of you following me closely, you may have noticed a number of Syrian restaurants covered on my blog and social platforms of late. Partly due to nostalgia and partly due to Ramadan, tonight's destination would - sort-of - continue this streak.While not necessarily a Syrian eatery, the chocolate haven under the name of holychoco is in fact owned by a Syrian! This factoid notwithstanding, the real reason this Sherbrooke Street pastry shop was chosen was for suhur, the Muslim tradition of consuming a pre-dawn meal ahead of a day of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.Granted it was only 11PM when my friend and I converged here on this Sunday night (a far cry from the crack of dawn), we had to make due with holychoco's closing time of 1:30AM.

For decades, Montreal's most prominent cuisine from the Middle East has been Lebanese. This should come as no surprise given the multiple waves of immigration from the Mediterranean country in the 1880s, 1950s and 1980s. However, neighboring Syria - from where I trace my roots - has been slowly making its presence felt of late.In the last decade alone, Montreal went from hosting a single Syrian restaurant - Alep - to the flourishing scene we are lucky to have today. From Kaza Maza, Damas and Beroya to Lylac, Bouza and Abu el Zulof, not to mention the massive success of Les Filles Fattoush, one can tell how busy the recent flood of migrants and refugees have been.Joining these ranks is another candidate called Mosaic, where I found myself tonight with two of my friends - one also Syrian, the other Lebanese. In business for little over a year, this resto/lounge occupies a strip mall-ish locale in the kosher/Jewish stronghold along Rue Saint-Louis in Ville-Saint-Laurent.

For tonight's dinner, the same work trio of the Syrian, Egyptian and Tunisian from my last review had our eyes on a Syrian restaurant, in an effort to rotate across each of our mother lands' cuisines.With the best options centered around the Ville-Saint-Laurent/Laval area, placing them a little far from our Pointe-Saint-Charles office, one of us suggested a lesser-known but closer candidate in Shaughnessy Village's Mirage Restaurant.Whatever time we saved in driving was more than lost on searching for a parking spot in this busy, dense neighborhood. The streets' hustle and bustle were contrasted to the restaurant's quiet interior, which only counted our party upon our arrival just shy of 7PM.

A Syrian, an Egyptian and a Tunisian walk into a Tunisian restaurant... That is not the beginning of a joke, but rather how I ended my Wednesday night with two of my work colleagues after some drinks over happy hour.The Tunisian member of our trio had been wanting to expose us to his homeland's cuisine for a few months now, which is how I found myself at Abouda, a Tunisian street-food eatery located on Plaza Saint-Hubert.Having wrongfully assumed the North African nation's kitchen would resemble that of nearby Morocco's, I was not expecting to learn or try anything new on this occasion. Boy, was I wrong in the end...

Montreal has its depanneur, New York has its bodega. More than a convenience store with extended hours, the latter is a cornerstone of many a Big Apple neighborhood.Serving coffee and sandwiches, this versatile New York locale acts as a lunch stop for workers, an after-school candy stand for teens and a life-saver for night owls. Hoping to recreate this concept for Montreal is our own Bodega, which has been operating out of Griffintown for about eighteen months now.

While we can safely assume that the restaurant industry has recovered since the near-death it experienced over the last three years, a couple of trends seem to loom over this rebirth. At the upper end of the scale, much of the newcomers consist of established names adding to their portfolios.A5 Hospitality launched NOMI while both of Pamika and India Rosa unveiled new locations, to name a few. The opposite end is marked by a plethora of new fast-casual concepts such as halal burger joints by B12, Yumi and Allons; "French Tacos" - shudder - by Mont Tacos and Snatch; and an unending supply of fried chicken by Olivia's, Freakin' and Cal�.Far from the formulaic fast-food operations of yore, these babies are raising the bar for this category while remaining franchise ready. Just last week, a new contender entered this space with a very modern take on Pan-Asian cuisine; and lucky for me, I was invited to try it out for lunch on this frigid Saturday.

Way before this blog, I have been keeping a list of restaurants "to try". Originally sourced by word-of-mouth recommendations and newspaper reviews, more recently I feed it based on curated lists and influencer posts - no crowd sourcing or user-generated content for me. As much as I try to cross off entries from it, I find myself inadvertently revisiting many restaurants. In fact, more than half of last year's reviews were of spots I had been to before.For the first review of 2023, I made a concerted effort to follow through on my new year's resolution of hitting as many new - to me - restaurants as possible. With that in mind, I decided to dig into my long must-try pho list; which brought me to Chinatown's My Canh. Not surprisingly, this neighborhood is as parking challenged as can be; even on a slow, post-New Year's Monday night.

After ten years as a blogger/instagrammer/influencer or insert-your-least-annoying-term-here, I have certainly attended my fair share of restaurant openings. Over time, you start forgetting where you've been and when, especially in the face of high restaurant turnover. This fall, however, I have detected a pattern at a handful of events which give me faith in my memory.For the third time in two months, I would be summoned to a locale I've already been invited at, only under a different restaurant which has since closed. These thoughts would race through my mind as I stepped into Pamika Wine Room on this Thursday night, when I immediately recalled the launch event of a M.Mme at the same Laurier Avenue address back in 2015.The soon-to-open project is the second location of Pamika, the renowned upscale Thai eatery. This iteration is a drastic departure in concept, as I would find out during the happy hour-plus-dinner shindig which gave us a sneak peak of the main dining floor but also the wine tasting room downstairs.

The biggest storyline in the Montreal restaurant scene right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit has to be the arrival of the food hall - the glorified, less commercial version of your typical food court. Le Central, Time Out Market and Le Cathcart all opened within a few months of each other to much fanfare and acclaim by media and foodies alike.Three years later, it is high time to objectively review those and not throw them a bone because they just launched, threw a media event or suffered during the lockdown.My lunch destination on this Sunday was Le Central, simply because I was headed later to Le Salon du Livre in Le palais des congr�s nearby. The proximity to the Saint-Laurent subway station would prove helpful, given that I left my car behind to avoid the construction mess around the convention center.

A few years ago, as part of my review of the now-defunct Ludger, I mused over the rise of the buvette gourmande. These establishments blur the lines between a watering hole and a restaurant by serving top-rate food in a bar setting. As much as I lament the loss of this Saint-Henri gem, another candidate carried on its flame in the same Sud-Ouest neighborhood. Lo�c entered the scene in 2015, and I have been a happy customer since.Sadly, this hotspot would succumb during the pandemic among countless nightlife venues. Luckily for us though, the Saintwoods duo fronted by fashion/party kids Zach Macklovitch and Nathan Gannage - also behind Apt. 200, SuWu, ecole Privee, Name's on the Way, a clothing line and vodka bottle - would save Lo�c and add it to their collection. With the cold settling in, the owners summoned a group of influencers to sample the newly-introduced winter menu.

The choice of restaurant tonight came from a friend of mine who lives in Laval. For a couple of months now he had been raving about this Indian restaurant in his area. Naturally, I had to verify his claim; so I accepted to meet him at Tandoori Palace for a Sunday dinner. Traffic not being an issue on this day of the week at night, it took me under twenty minutes to reach the B.Y.O.W. joint from Westmount and pull up into one its parking spots.

Montreal has a long history with shawarma, the ancient Levantine practice of stacking then slow cooking meat on a spinning vertical spit. One player in particular had a major role in popularizing this Middle Eastern staple here.Of course I am referring to Boustan, the iconic Lebanese fast-food joint and its Crescent Street location, which I regularly frequented during my McGill University days just over twenty years ago. The institution was famous for its long-time owner Imad Smaidi, also known as "Mr. Boustan", and his signature beef shawarma sandwiches.After running the independent business by himself since 1986, he eventually sold it in 2012 so he could retire. The new owners had larger aspirations; they would award over fifty franchises in Quebec in addition to cracking open the Ontario market. A short stroll away from my home in Westmount is their latest addition on Atwater Avenue, where I headed for lunch on this sunny pre-Halloween weekend.

When I visited Montreal for the first time as a teenager with my parents in the mid-nineties, we stayed at the then Ch�teau Royal on Crescent Street, the one with the famous Leonard Cohen mural, now simply called Le 1420 Crescent.In those days our Montreal was confined to the Sainte-Catherine Street shopping area, so we naturally gravitated towards Crescent's commercial restaurants for sustenance: Thursday's, Hard Rock Cafe and - subject of today's review - Wienstein & Gavino's, the longstanding Italian restaurant which has outlived its contemporaries.As I expanded my radius over the years and discovered better ristorantes and pizzerias, my stops at this generic, big-box restaurant would become less frequent. That said, an occasional revisit is warranted from time to time; as such I returned to my stomping grounds on this Sunday night to celebrate my daughter's birthday with my family and in-laws.

Of all the continents, Africa has the least representation in the Montreal dining scene - not counting Australia. With a stronger showing for Northern African restaurants, the city has lately seen a modest influx in Sub-Saharan cuisines.On this blog you will find reviews of Le Uptown and Maquis Yasolo, and today I will be adding to this list. Open since last year is Platana, where I was invited to sample some West African specialties on this Saturday night.

The stretch of Notre-Dame Street between Atwater Avenue and Charlevoix Street has slowly built its restaurant arsenal over the last decade. Although not as applauded as its neighboring block to the east due to the Joe Beef empire and the Burgundy Lion pub, the north sidewalk of this lane does carry its own with the likes of Quoi de n'Oeuf, Drinkerie and Barley.The recent pandemic would cause some turnover here, with Toi, Moi & Cafe giving way for Otto Bar and Le Fricot pivoting to Le Gril. The most recent resurrection involves the owners of the defunct Bon Vivant turning their gastronomic project into the more accessible Sunny's Dinette. My wife and I would find ourselves here just shy of noon on this Friday, after being turned off by lineup after lineup in front of several of our first choices in Arthur's and Foiegwa.

My ambivalence towards vegetarian and vegan restaurants has already been documented in these pages (e.g. here). While I can get behind the health benefits and ethos of sustainability, I rarely find the end product a worthy endeavor from a purely gastronomic perspective.I have always been of the opinion that dishes that are vegetarian by definition - i.e. originally conceived using veggies - can be and are often great. However, things fall apart when vegetables or legumes are used as substitutes for meat, poultry or dairy - e.g. plant-based burgers, mushroom gravy or almond cheese.Now, I won't go as far as shunning that entire category of restaurant permanently; today I hit up Aux Vivres' Westmount location for lunch with an open mind and a readiness to be proven wrong.

The stretch of Sainte-Catherine street extending from Atwater avenue to Guy street - officially known as Shaughnessy Village - has completed a full reinvention over the last two decades. During my university days in the mid-nineties, a concentration of Arab-run businesses - shawarma joints, manakish bakeries and shisha cafes - gave it a distinct character.This was followed by years of degeneration and disrepair, spearheaded by the abandonment and gutting of iconic buildings such as the Montreal Forum, the Seville Theatre and the Faubourg Ste-Catherine. The street's dilapidation combined with its increase in homelessness would earn it the unofficial label of "Concordia Ghetto".The area's nature would slowly mutate over the last decade, with a slow and steady stream of Asian eateries dominating the neighborhood. From sushi bars and ramen counters to noodle shops, dumpling pushers and Korean fried chicken purveyors, one would be hard-pressed to find an Asian staple without a home here.Celebrating the village's identity is an outdoors fEte de quartier called Shoni Market, which returned for its second edition this weekend. Having missed it last year, considering this was my home during my first five years in Montreal, I made sure I would take part in the festivities this time around.

This review needs to start with a disclaimer, one which has nothing to do with a media event or comped meal. No, this one is about my relationship with wine. Although I do enjoy a good glass of vino, I confess I have an introductory and rudimentary knowledge of grapes, vintages and appellations, and more so when it comes to Quebec wines.Today, I tried to expand my palette by visiting a local winery on this splendid pre-Labor Day Friday afternoon. Located forty minutes away from Montreal proper in Saint-Eustache in the Basses-Laurentides region, Le Vignoble Rivi�re du ChEne has been in operation since 1998 and houses a restaurant on site - why else would I be here?

One of Montreal's most charming, below-the-radar stretches runs along Avenue Bernard west of Avenue du Parc.� Not as posh or well-known as Outremont's other nightlife strip running along Avenue Laurier, Bernard does hold its own when it comes to restaurants.Two famous empires were founded here - Les Enfants Terribles and Pizzeria no 900 - but the avenue is also home to popular, smaller-scale operations such as Nouveau Palais, Brasserie Bernard and - more recently - Thammada.� Tonight, a friend of mine and I found ourselves on the latter's patio, sans reservation, after finding out our initial target destination down the street closed on Tuesdays.

Sometimes in life, one needs to make concessions. For the sake of pleasing my large family, I - half unwillingly - accepted to go to my least favourite category of restaurant: the dreadful all-day/week breakfast/brunch restaurant.You know this specimen of eatery, serving an impossibly-long menu of eggs, pancakes, waffles and French toast in endless permutations, and usually named using a play on words with egg or oeuf. L'Oeufrier, Eggsfrutti, Ben & Florentine and All�! Mon Coco are all competing for the lamest name, but perhaps the one to start this trend is none other than Eggspectation.This breakfast empire saw its first light in 1993 at its flagship downtown location on the corner of de Maisonneuve and de la Montagne, and has since expanded to other Canadian cities, the United States and a handful of Asian countries. I was happy to learn the no-reservation policy did not apply to larger groups, allowing us to skip the modest line of hungry patrons outside; whew!

Decisions in life entail risks. Be it for major commitments such as buying a house or accepting a job all the way down to trivial choices such as picking a shoe or ordering a dish at a restaurant, a modicum of risk tolerance is a must. It seems these days, with the proliferation of information at our fingertips thanks to our phones, people want to control everything and eliminate any possibility of surprise or disappointment.Personally, I do not operate this way. I never research a restaurant before visiting it, nor do I consult its menu beforehand. Where is the adventure and discovery in that? I digress; this is a restaurant review after all, but I will return to this point later. These thoughts were racing through my mind after my dinner on the patio at Elena, Saint-Henri's fabulous pizzeria, on this balmy Friday night.

While the Montreal restaurant scene seems to be thriving since pandemic-related restrictions have been lifted, much has not reverted back to how things were. Some establishments reduced their operating hours by not opening on Mondays or for lunch.A feature which has not returned - for now - is the buffet, at least not at one of the city's institutions. Long considered Montreal's premiere brunch destination, the Queen Elizabeth hotel's Roselys seems to have switched its Sunday buffet for a three-course meal.

One of the world's richest and most diverse cuisines is the one that hails from Peru. With its origins in indigenous/Incan practices influenced by the waves of European, Asian and African immigrants, the result is one of the planet's true fusion cuisines in its purest sense.While a handful of Montreal restaurants specialize in a specific one of these sub-cuisines (native, Nikkei or Chifa), tonight I discovered one which seems to span the gamut of the South American nation's numerous facets.The four-year-old Pikeos occupies an inconspicuous corner along the nightlife-dense stretch of Notre Dame Street, albeit on a quieter corner. Although nearly packed on this Sunday night, I was able to make a last-minute booking at this Saint-Henri eatery before meeting a friend there for dinner.

One of the fastest-growing trends in new restaurants I have noticed of late are halal eateries. I say this from a purely anecdotal angle without having access to any numbers or statistics. Once reserved to the cuisines of predominantly-Muslim countries or regions such as the Maghreb, the Middle East or Pakistan, nowadays a plethora of sandwich shops, burger joints, fried chicken pushers and pizzerias have adopted the halal label.Today I was invited to try Yumi Burger, a recent entrant in this space located around the corner from Concordia University's Webster Library. Although this narrow, dim stretch of Mackay Street is not particularly suited for outdoors seating, my wife and I did enjoy Yumi's enclosed, street-side patio on this warm Friday afternoon.

One of my feel-good discoveries during the COVID-19 confinement period was a novel pizza concept by the name of Mama Sofia. In August of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I was approached by the folks behind this N.D.G. operation to check out their proposition.In short, Mama Sofia sells you the raw pizza; you then take it home and bake it. This low-key enterprise has slowly amassed a loyal neighborhood following throughout its decade in business. As I was hosting a couple of friends to watch the NBA finals at my place tonight, I dropped by for a couple of pies.

There is a certain breed of steak-frites restaurants pioneered by the de Saurs family in France operating under the Relais de l'Entrec�te monicker. Specializing in and serving one main dish - a steak with fries in a butter-based sauce - the concept has spread across the world, with Montreal receiving its own incarnation in 1991 named L'Entrec�te Saint-Jean.I personally never understood the popularity behind this tried-and-tested formula, even after trying it in Paris, Riyadh, Beirut and Montreal. In my book, a good cut of steak need not be drowned in sauce, just as fresh, quality sushi can be overshadowed by excessive soy sauce. My opinion aside, the news of L'Entrec�te Saint-Jean's closure after 29 years in business was met with sadness and disbelief by its loyal patrons.One of those lamenting its loss is restaurateur Thomas Vernis of the Tomahawk Group, who decided to continue the entrec�te tradition by establishing his own take on it. Open since November of last year next to Le Vin Papillon on the restaurant-dense stretch of Notre Dame Street, Mignon has had no trouble filling its scarce seats.

Nothing heralds the arrival of summer and the end of COVID-19 like a mask-less, rooftop gathering of influencers and members of the media.Such would be how I spent my Tuesday evening at the just-opened Terrasse Carla atop the new Hampton Inn hotel in Chinatown. Organized by Rose PR, the best in the business, the official media launch would mark a return to pre-pandemic days for our sorts.

Westmount has often been a tough market to crack for higher-end restaurants. While longtimers such as Taverne sur le Square, Vago and PARK have secured a dependable clientele thanks to their reputation and excellence, others failed to attract the moneyed neighborhood over a prolonged period.Central Brasserie, Lea, Parm, Kavos and Brasserie Lucille's only lasted a couple of years despite putting forth seriously-solid food. A more recent entrant is Balos, a Greek restaurant occupying a Sainte-Catherine Street corner, which is nearing the two-year mark. After a pleasing first dinner here last month, my wife and I decided to return with our kids to celebrate Mother's Day.

For years I had been aware of a longstanding Middle Eastern pastry shop by the name of Mahrouse. Be it from word of mouth or receiving a box of their famous baklava as presents from friends, my run-ins with this name were frequent; but somehow, I never got around to visiting the V.S.L. locale in person. This changed when I met the owners at a house party last summer, and they invited me to check it out.When I finally did in December, it was love at first sight! At this point, I am not even addressing their desserts; the spot itself is visually stunning! Perfectly adorned and decorated to resemble a traditional Syrian home, it evoked memories of my grandparents' childhood abodes in Damascus and Hama. From the tiling and chandeliers to the mother of pearl furniture and octagonal fountain, few places can transport you elsewhere like Mahrouse does.With Ramadan nearing its end, I returned today to pick up some of my favorite desserts to serve with iftar - breaking of the fast - tonight. Conveniently located just north of Marche Central, its strip-mall setting makes it an ideal spot for a drive-by takeout order.

I first became aware of chef Guiseppe Sacchetti during a media event at Crescent Street's Wienstein & Gavino's in 2013. The affair unveiled the longstanding pasta factory's new branding as well as the seasoned chef's revamped menu. I would later find out his resume included stints at some of the biggest Montreal restaurant groups such as Morentzos (Queue de Cheval), Antonopoulos (Vieux-Port Steakhouse) and Cavalli.His tenure at Gavino's would not last long and would be followed by stops at the bygone Venti and Newtown, among others. After years of lending his talents to these flagship names, Guiseppe would pivot to a smaller-scale, independent project; opening his namesake pizzeria/bakery at the height of the COVID-19 shutdown in September of 2020.After stumbling on some positive reviews of this ghost kitchen, I decided to drop by for some takeout. Located just above the Decarie Expressway underpass on Saint-Jacques Street in N.D.G., its quiet surroundings blessed me with a parking space right in front.

One of the city's biggest pandemic-era successes had quite the origin story. The journey from the independently-owned Korean eatery Le K'bob on Somerled Avenue to the budding fried chicken empire known as Olivia's took a couple left turns along the way.Back in June of 2020, I was invited to try the first iteration in NDG during its infancy. I immediately fell in love with the product, despite its flaws at the time; and Olivia's quickly entered my takeout rotation. Fast forward to October 2021, when I was invited to the DIX30 location's soft launch; then again to last Monday at the latest downtown branch.

The Faubourg Ste-Catherine was a frequent point of convergence for me during my first decade in Montreal. As a university student in the late 90s, the art deco "mall" served as an entertainment hub thanks to the bygone Sharx Pool Bar and movie theater it housed in its basement. Later during the mid 00s, it would become a lunch destination when my work colleagues and I got wind of - what was then - one of the city's best-kept secrets.Tucked away on the second floor was a fast-food Thai counter by the name of Cuisine Bangkok. While not exactly a household name in those days, the little operation did amass a cult following thanks to its signature pad thai and stir-fries. Efforts to expand to a sit-down restaurant across the street were short lived, while the eventual gutting of the Faubourg saw Bangkok relocate to the Village in 2017, placing it beyond my habitual radius.The move would not last long however, as news of the eatery's return to its birthplace surfaced early last year. More than a decade since my last meal here, I finally returned with anticipation and a desire to relive a long-lost experience.

Pastry shops specializing in a single item have ebbed and flowed throughout the last decade and more. Cup cake shops gave way to ice cream parlours and doughnut shops. More recently, these single-SKU concepts have diversified further into waffles, croffles (croissant/waffle mashups), poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes), tulumbas (Turkish churros) and more.As of 2020, we also got Bomboloni Boss, named after the Sicilian/Tuscan version of a doughnut. The family-run business went from a home kitchen to operating out of the Table 51 restaurant in the Rue des Jockeys strip mall before morphing into its own location next door last summer. Given the car-friendly setting, the young pastry shop lends itself more to takeout orders, which is what I came for today.

Disclaimer: I have a weakness for Peruvian cuisine. The country's rich and diverse culinary heritage with its many foreign influences sets it apart from its South American neighbors. Few things get me as excited as the promise of a frothy pisco sour, a fresh, citrusy ceviche and a crispy-skin pollo a la brasa.One restaurant making noise in this space is Barranco, which has landed in the Plateau last spring. After focusing exclusively on takeout at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Peruvian eatery has since generated some buzz after opening its doors for diners with the recent relaxation of health measures.Not wanting to miss out on the action, my wife and I booked a table here on this mid-February Saturday night. The afternoon's violent snow squall evidently did not deter folks from going out; parking was tougher to find than usual around the Saint-Denis/Mont-Royal intersection. As for Barranco, to say that reservations are a must would be an understatement!

Amid the myriad options of dining in which have surfaced since people were forced to spend more time at home with the onslaught of COVID-19 are partially-cooked meals. Lying somewhere in between ready-to-eat takeout and DIY kits, these simply require heating, finishing or assembling.New in this space is Sous Vide Gourmet, started by twin brothers Peter & Bill Mavridis in October of last year. Based out of Saint-Simon in Ahuntsic, the siblings have set up a delivery service showcasing the merits of slow cooking as a technique. They were generous enough to offer me a large sampling of their products to test.

The Western part of downtown Montreal - officially known as Shaughnessy Village - has long been a haven for Asian restaurants. More recently, it also welcomed an explosion in fried chicken, echoing an overarching trend across all North America. Today, I picked up some takeout from a spot checking both those boxes - Asian and fried chicken - from Sainte-Catherine Street West's Cocodak.

Pizzaiolo Jordan Biberkraut certainly took the road less traveled to create his Hang Time Pizza concept. An Information Technology professional, Jordan honed his pie-making skills as his office moved to his home like countless others since the emergence of COVID-19.This passion turned to a part-time ghost kitchen followed by a Monkland Village pop-up specializing in Detroit-style pizza by the name of Fungool - which I discovered and loved during La Pizza Week last May.This journey finally culminated with Hang Time in September, a brick-and-mortar pizzeria one block removed from Concordia University's downtown campus. Tonight, I picked up a handful of pies from there on my way home for dinner with my family.

After the summer and fall of fun we went through thinking COVID-19 restrictions were behind us, Quebecers got the wind knocked out of them on Thursday when premier Legault announced restaurant closures amid other confinement measures to kick in on New Year's Eve.With my own plans to ring in the new year at Gibby's forcefully cancelled, I opted for something casual and comforting for takeout instead. With winter in full swing, I was attracted to the idea of a hot noodle soup from Mae Sri. After invitations at both the McGill Ghetto and Plateau locations of this Thai eatery, tonight would be my first unannounced, paid-out-of-pocket visit.

This past summer saw the arrival of a popular Ontario eatery in Montreal. Hailing from Mississauga, Original Shawarma built itself a reputation as one of the best shawarma slingers in the GTA. Its opening weekend here drew hordes of diners, creating interminable lineups outside of the Boulevard de l'Acadie locale.My own attempt to visit on the second day was thwarted with a "sold out" call as early as 5PM. I finally returned on this Friday night to pick up some takeout with a friend. Although its strip-mall setting does not have a ton of parking space in front, I was lucky enough to immediately nab a spot upon arrival.

It seems seafood boils are having a hard time surviving the Montreal dining scene. The Captain's Boil closed both of its locations and L'Asie Resto-Bar followed suit, all pre-pandemic so we can't blame COVID-19 for that. Filling that void is Seau de Crabe, which has been serving Laval with steamed bags of shellfish for a little over a year.Following their success north of the Prairies river - and an expansion to Dubai of all places! - the team behind this brand have just added a location in Pointe-Claire. Open in soft mode since a week ago, the West Island newcomer hosted an influencer event on this Saturday afternoon, which I duly attended.After finding an easy parking spot in the quiet Sources Boulevard strip mall, I immediately noticed Seau's neighbor: a SQDC outlet. I could not help but ask myself which of the two substances on sale here are more addictive: seafood or cannabis?

There is a category of restaurants which succeed due to their visual allure and ambiance, regardless of what they put on the plate. After hitting up Perles et Paddock for brunch once and another time for happy hour, I was convinced the Little Burgundy spot belonged to this group. The food struck me as overly fussy while the cocktails were trying too hard to push the envelope.Three years after my last visit, I thought I would return for a reassessment; after all, this is one of the most beautiful restaurants in town. While reservations are not accepted, I had no trouble finding a couple of free tables and nooks at the bar on this Friday night.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused its fair share of restaurant casualties. Among the many businesses which succumbed to the lockdown was GaNaDaRa, a popular Korean eatery in the Concordia University area. Easily one of my favourite cheap spots in town, I would greatly miss their hearty bowls of ramyun soup, bibimbap and dupbap, among others.My disappointment would turn to intrigue a few months later when I spotted another Asian eatery's logo at the same address along my jogging route. GaNaDaRa's successor, JaKo, would eventually open in November of last year. Tonight, I decided to check it out by ordering takeout, hoping it would strike the same chord its predecessor did with me.

Tonight's restaurant pick came from my eleven-year-old daughter. When asked what she wanted to have for her birthday, she said "that Vietnamese spot nearby", referring to Saint-Henri's TRAN Cantine.Clearly my kids are well groomed; they're not the Chuck E. Cheese kind! Not that we have that in Montreal, but I digress... With that, I headed down the street to pick up some of our favorite dishes from this Notre Dame Street locale, a takeout regular of ours.

The addition of Time Out Market to the Eaton Centre was probably the biggest story in Montreal's dining scene before COVID-19 changed the world. The food hall concept which started in 2014 in Lisbon has proven very popular and successful as it spread its curated "best of the city under one roof" approach across the world.After a long, forced shutdown, the iconic space finally reopened in July; unveiling a handful of changes to its roster of restaurant kiosks. To further diversify its offering and attract a larger swath of the dining public, the Market has just added beloved brunch spot Le Passe Compose to its ranks. Today I attended a media event to usher in this newcomer and check out what it has to offer.

As a restaurant blogger, I feel inclined to primarily cover new restaurants and trending dishes; but will always make room for old-fashioned institutions. While biking in Saint-Henri along Notre Dame Street today, my eye caught the venerable Greenspot. Having never been to this greasy spoon while sober, I figured I would give it a try in full possession of my faculties for a change.

Some debates surrounding "who's the greatest?" will never be settled. Fairmount vs. St-Viateur, Pele vs. Maradona, Jordan vs. Lebron, etc. Adding a humorous twist to the discourse is newcomer Le G.O.A.T Grill, a casual Portuguese eatery located on Saint-Henri's stretch of Notre-Dame Street.In case you have yet to catch on, this joint's name stands for "Greatest of All Time" and not an actual "goat". Today I dropped in for some takeout around noon, after realizing that nearby hotspot BarBara halted its lunch service on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Although September is technically late for "festival season", things started slow this summer, with restrictions around gatherings only lifting in June. While several of the city's marquee events such as Osheaga and YUL EAT were cancelled for the second year in a row due to COVID-19, a few managed to set the wheels in motion and take place after all. After skipping last summer, Les Premiers Vendredis returned for its 9th edition this month at the Olympic Stadium's Esplanade.The monthly gathering of food trucks at the first Friday of each month normally lasts all season, kicking off in June; but this year only September and October were salvaged. To make up for that, the event was stretched to span all weekend, giving street food enthusiasts more opportunities to experience the festival and its offering.

The Rubs name has had a tumultuous history over its existence in the Greater Montreal Area. The smokehouse's first Prince Arthur Street location opened in 2012, shut down due to a fire a couple years later, reopened eventually then finally succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic for good.Two Laval locations were added in the meantime; one in Sainte-Rose and the other in Laval-Ouest. Having never tried any of these, I gladly accepted a friend's suggestion to check out the Sainte-Rose branch. Yes, the drive was quite long during rush hour on a Wednesday evening; at least we were rewarded with ample parking space and a half-empty restaurant.

While restaurants' fortunes have swayed significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, one group seems to be grabbing the bull by the horns. The Antonopoulos family operation - publicly known as Experience Old Montreal - have not shown any sign of slowing down by adding two spots since last summer to their ever-growing collection of hotels, spas and restaurants.After repurposing a part of their Nelligan hotel for NELLi Cafe + Vin Nature last August, just this month they converted a retail space in Auberge du Vieux-Port to a spanking-new seafood eatery aptly named Pincette. And the timing could not be better!While throngs of Montrealers visited coastal Quebec during the construction holiday, the Antonopouloses decided to bring the Atlantic experience back here. As with their other establishments - some of which are reviewed here - the influencer-friendly group invited me to sample their newest edition on this fine Sunday evening.

Even though I am a Muslim, I do not observe the halal diet when it comes to animal flesh - except for the pork part. However, some of my brethren do; and often leave the choice of where to dine to me, provided I pick a halal joint. Therefore, for tonight's dinner with such a friend, I chose my go-to Indian restaurant in town: Le Taj.Already reviewed here six years ago, this visit would force me to reassess this venerable downtown eatery vis-a-vis the bunch of competitors I have tried since. With restaurant patios busy as can be during this post-pandemic summer, the lack of outdoor seating here meant a table was available for us, even without a reservation.

Celebrity chef Danny St Pierre's journey over the last five years has closely followed the overarching trend of "the death of fine dining". After making a name for himself with Sherbrooke's upscale Auguste, the renowned chef stepped away from his baby in 2015 and graced Montreal with Petite Maison, a bistro with a homely feel. The latter folded a couple years later, after which Mr. St Pierre focused on his media duties, then finally resurfaced this spring with Danny Pan Pizza in Saint-Henri.With this, the chef completed his switch from refined French fare to a casual pizza operation, which was very quickly replicated in the Plateau, but under the name Le Pontiac. So it was that I took my family out for an impromptu dinner on this Sunday evening, hoping to nab a table at this no-reservations hotspot's terrace.

Lately I have been receiving many invitations to try restaurants away from the city core in municipalities such as Laval, the West Island and the South Shore. It is only natural to see such opening activity in these remote areas as they constitute the next frontier for restaurants to conquer given how saturated the scene is in the centre and suburbanites' decreasing willingness to visit it.Being in the opposite situation myself, as a Westmount resident I normally shy away from trying these far-removed locations. However, as a Middle Easterner, I could not resist lunch at Yalla Taouk - a shawarma joint in Laval's Saint-Vincent-de-Paul district - on this blistering Saturday. At least the forty-minute, traffic-laden drive was rewarded by easy parking at the locale's strip-mall setting.

Tonight, my wife and kids surprised me with an early Fathers Day dinner. For the occasion, my better half chose her favorite pizzeria in town: Little Italy's GEMA. The neighborhood was palpably alive on this fine Saturday evening, with locals hanging out at parks, queuing in line at gelaterias and enjoying dinner on buzzing restaurant patios.Owned by the renowned duo of Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione, GEMA has already been reviewed in these pages a few years back. This new writeup will serve as an update to see how the pizzeria is faring seven years in. Seemingly, things have not slowed down, as groups of diners were waiting to be seated outside, where reservations are not taken.

Nothing brings out the crowds like beautiful weather and deconfinement measures. For a couple of weeks now, Montreal restaurants have enjoyed a renaissance, as patios have finally been authorized to welcome diners after 9 months of restrictions forcing them to rely on takeout only.And boy are they busy! Tables have not been easy to nab on short notice. For tonight's outing, where I met up a friend at the Plateau's Josephine, I made sure to reserve a week in advance.

Along with poutine and smoked meat, bagels form the holy trinity of Montreal's most iconic foods. Two names have historically dominated the bagel landscape - Fairmount and Saint-Viateur - but others have managed to carve themselves a little piece of the pie.An example of this is Hinnawi Bros, a collection of bagel shops and cafes which started in the Plateau just under a decade ago. In the years since, three locations were added in the university/office-dense areas around the McGill and Concordia campuses. Today I grabbed some takeout for lunch from the branch on the corner of De Maisonneuve and Mackay streets.

Since the start of the pandemic, a colony of new food businesses has sprouted out of nowhere. With people relying on takeout excessively more, new opportunities have emerged for restaurant workers and passionate cooks to feed these masses. Without incurring the cost of a commercial storefront, some of these operations have set up professional ghost kitchens while others are simply home based.As for the product these services are putting forth, it is as varied and diverse as can be. From crowd-pleasers such as pizza, brunch boxes and desserts to niche items such as samosas, charcuterie boards and even halal (!) charcuterie boards, the options are truly endless.One particular Instagram account drew my attention and looked like the perfect candidate for a Mothers Day treat. It is not often you see a Southern-style seafood boil served in Montreal - let alone delivered to your doorstep - which is precisely what Angie's Buckets specializes in.

The African presence in Montreal is largely composed of French-speaking nationals from The Maghreb, Congo, Senegal and their Haitian cousins from across the Atlantic Ocean. The common language is an obvious draw for these migrants. This diaspora gave birth to a modest pool of restaurants representing the Motherland, but one newcomer is trying to combine all their varied cuisines into one Pan-African concept.Maquis Yasolo joined the Notre Dame Street West restaurant row in Saint-Henri at the very end of 2019. Tonight I picked up some takeout from this unassuming eatery, following an invitation from the owners to try it out on the house.

Although kebabs appear on a slew of Middle-Eastern restaurant menus, none have perfected these skewers of grilled meat as much as one Persian restaurant in particular.Since 1989, Notre-Dame-de-Gr�ce's Tehran has set the standard in Iran's rich and ancient cuisine. Having been a longtime patron, tonight I picked up some takeout from this neighborhood gem to celebrate the first week of Ramadan with my family.

Food trends ebb and flow like any other fad. The last five years have seen a boom of all-in-one bowls, with Venice doing it a la Californian and SpiceBros giving it an Indian twist, among others. Preceding all of this was the appearance of poke, the popular Hawaiian dish with Japanese influences, usually served in a bowl.Montreal has a new player in this field; after opening on Queen Mary Road last summer, Olu Olu Poke has just added a second location at the very edge of The Village on Sainte-Catherine Street East. Today, I drove over to this sketchy part of town to pick up some lunch, on invitation from the newcomer's owners.

While many restaurants are scraping by during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number are sadly closing for good. Others, on the other hand, are going against the grain by branching out and expanding.Take the two-headed Italian caff� operating under the Gentile Moniker. After successfully copying their longstanding Ahuntsic concept into Westmount in 2016 (reviewed here), their next step was to open a pizzeria right next door.In the short months since its opening last fall, Gentile's Pizza Parlour has generated some buzz, not least due to its eye-catching design. As a Westmount resident myself, I figured I would check it out by getting some takeout for my family on this first Sunday of spring.

Readers of this blog may notice that I have recently been splurging on takeout. The last three reviews have all exceeded the $100-mark for my wife and myself. Call it "confinement fatigue" if you may; with restaurants not opening for onsite dining anytime soon, I figured I could check off some entries from my "to try" list.An example of this which I have been putting off for no good reason - although I grabbed a drink there once - is the reputable Tuck Shop. Open since 2010, this Saint-Henri occupant has silently won hearts while spearheading the neighborhood's red-hot dining boom.

The subject of tonight's review is widely considered one of the best Italian restaurants in town; a scouring of the web places Nora Gray in the top three. Founded by a trio of Liverpool House alumni exactly a decade ago - and situated on a retail-scarce stretch of Saint-Jacques road - this ristorante caught the Griffintown restaurant wave early on.A dinner here circa 2015 put Nora in the "gray" area for me - no pun intended; the food was good, but not top-three material. I am a bigger fan of the trio's second operation: Saint-Henri's stellar pizzeria Elena - reviewed last spring. As such, I figured I would revisit the beloved Nora Gray for some takeout on this Thursday night.

When done right, Thai cuisine is hands-down my favourite among Asia's diverse regional varieties. The unique blend of spicy, sweet and sour ingredients has a way of awakening and tantalizing my senses. During my twenty-three years in Montreal, I have sampled numerous Thai restaurants across both ends of the price spectrum.The two sides have seen a changing of the guard over the decades, with Bangkok making way for Mae Sri on the affordable side, while the bygone Red Thai and Chao Phraya have ceded to Pamika and Pick Thai on the upscale end. The latter of these occupies a utilitarian location facing metro Vend�me and the MUHC Glen site; and has quickly developed a local following while charming critics since its opening in 2014.

The last decade saw a vast change in Montreal's sushi landscape, as a slew of newcomers have tilted the balance of power with a fresh take on the Japanese staple. Players such as PARK, Ryu and Saint Sushi have pushed the envelope with elaborate maki creations, touches of fusion and an emphasis on sustainable and responsible fisheries.With all this choice on hand, I have lately given the cold shoulder to our city's older establishments, some of which have been around for decades. Examples abound - Sakura, Mikado, Sho-Dan - but tonight I picked up some takeout from downtown's Takara, which is nearing thirty years in operation!This hidden eatery sits on the fourth floor of Peel Street's Les Cours Mont-Royal, the prestigious shopping/office/residential complex and jewel of Montreal's Beaux-Arts heritage. With the mall presently closed, the only access to the restaurant is through a side door on Metcalfe Street leading to a long staircase.

With confinement measures discouraging travel outside of Quebec still in place, the only "responsible" way of experiencing exotic places is to order their regional cuisine for a meal at home. For my first review of 2021 - after a week-long "detox" following the holidays - I decided to treat my family for Indian takeout on a Sunday night.Going through my list of places to try, I randomly chose C�te-des-Neiges' Masala Palace. While I cannot recall where this recommendation came from, a quick glance across the web revealed this inconspicuous eatery has been around over three decades now!

With all the restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across all sectors had to adapt in order to survive. Restaurants were no exception to this, where the examples are many and diverse. Joe Beef pivoted to a smokehouse, Monkland Tavern became a farmer's market while Lo�c turned into a burger joint.Another example of a restaurant scaling down its offering for a more streamlined takeout experience is Le Uptown. This Plateau grill-meets-cocktails eatery, open just over a year ago, has temporarily reimaged itself as a chicken-and-doughnuts operation. Today I was gifted delivery on the house, to sample this new proposition.

Under normal circumstances, it does not even occur to me to get food delivered from an upscale restaurant. My family's occasional takeout nights revolve around affordable options such as pizza and Asian food. However, with no end in sight to the ordinance requiring restaurants to shut their dining rooms, which further pushes the next date night with my wife, we decided to make an exception and splurge.For the choice of restaurant, I opted for Vago on Westmount's Greene avenue, one of the poshest strips in town. With its little-visible setting due to its elevation above street level, I never gave it much attention despite living nearby and walking in front of it countless times.

It is a funny thing about Persian restaurants where every one of them pushes the exact same menu, even though their homeland boasts a rich and expansive cuisine. Having always lived within walking distance from N.D.G.'s longstanding Tehran - the city's emblem of Iranian food - I rarely veer off my safe path and try someplace else.However, an Iranian acquaintance of mine recently mentioned Khorasan Kabab - also in N.D.G. - as a favorite of hers. In reality, I had already tried this spot a while back, at its previous location a couple blocks down Sherbrooke Street West. Without remembering much from that visit, I thought a refresher was called for.

A wonder of world cuisine, the dumpling comes in a plethora of inter- as well as intra-country varieties. China alone lays claim to over a dozen sorts, with variations in casing, shape and cooking method. Today's review will zero in on two of these permutations (xiao long bao and guotie), specialties of downtown's Sammi & Soupe Dumpling.As I drove by this little shop for takeout, I noticed how calm the student-heavy stretch of Sainte-Catherine Street near Concordia University was on this beautiful Saturday night. I could never dream of quickly finding a nearby parking spot on a pre-pandemic weekend.

I normally do not review similar restaurants back-to-back, for the sake of keeping this blog diverse. However, as soon as I declared Caribbean Food Factory the king of jerk chicken in Montreal, I got wind of another fan favorite in this category. Since I was next door to the eatery in question - Pointe-Saint-Charles' Boom Js Cuisine - on this rainy Monday, I could not resist dropping in for a closer examination.

Jerk chicken, along with guacamole and fried calamari, are popular, widely-available dishes which disappoint more often than not. For years I could not find a first-rate purveyor of the former; the smoky, spicy rub/marinade native to Jamaica. That was, until the celebrated Seasoned Dreams came onto the scene in 2015.Seeing that the latter did not deliver to my home a year ago, I took a shot in the dark and randomly ordered from Caribbean Food Factory via the now-defunct Foodora service. I had never heard of the little-known N.D.G. operation at the time, but its jerk was top notch. Not being one to enthrone a spot from a single, isolated experience, today I revisited this inconspicuous outfit for takeout.

Following a weekend which saw the number of new COVID-19 cases in Quebec spike up, my wife and I feared the worst for restaurants. We therefore decided to squeeze in one last upscale meal on a terrace while we still could. A short stroll from our condo building led us to one of our favorite restaurants in town - the acclaimed PARK - on this balmy, early-fall Monday.

Early last year, I was invited to try a new, casual Thai eatery in the McGill Ghetto. Mae Sri's delicious, heart-warming noodle soups quickly struck a chord with me - especially in the cold of winter - landing it on my "best of 2019" list.Fast forward to this summer, during which a second location opened up in the Plateau amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is where I would spend my Saturday afternoon along with fellow influencers for the new entrant's official launch.

While the majority of Montreal dining rooms have fully reopened by now following the COVID-19 lockdown, my handful of outings have stuck to terraces. For starters, it is less risky from a contagion aspect. Moreover, with the turning weather, the days of enjoying a meal al fresco are dwindling.As such, a friend of mine and I set out to pick the most attractive terrace for dinner as we power-walked through Old Montreal on this Tuesday evening. With Saint-Paul Street turned into a pedestrian alley lined with dining tables, the options abound but did not offer enough separation from the nearby foot traffic. Rooftop patios were also out of contention due to the day's abnormally-strong winds.We then walked past Vieux-Port Steakhouse and immediately remembered its courtyard in the back. Surrounded by old stone walls, decked out with its own bar and just about half full, it provided the perfect mix of privacy and conviviality we were seeking.

For tonight's outing, my friend wanted a Portuguese chicken joint close to where I live, the Westmount/Saint-Henri area. Curiously enough, this side of the city seems to lack the iconic Montreal staple mostly concentrated in the Plateau district.The closest thing I could muster up as a suggestion was SudWest Gyros, which was more of a Greek place but also made rotisserie chicken. Luckily enough, the Saint-Henri locale had several tables available for us on their curbside patio running down Greene Avenue.

Wait, what? Another pizzeria review? Another Saint-Henri restaurant? At the risk of being repetitive, I have stuck to restaurants around where I live since the COVID-19 lockdown's beginning. As for pizza, is there a more quintessential takeout dish?Tonight I opted for Adamo to cater a dinner I was hosting at my building's communal garden. The Saint-Henri pizzeria has built a name for itself while being barely noticeable from the street, save for the line of patrons usually hanging around its storefront.

Tonight a friend of mine and I did the unthinkable: we ate out... at a restaurant!We initially had the idea of takeout at a park, something folks have been engaging in lately during the COVID-19 lockdown. After scouring out our options along the Saint-Henri stretch of Notre-Dame Street, the idea of buying our own booze and poking food out of takeout containers while sitting on an uncomfortable picnic bench quickly turned us off.After all, I have never been the type to eat purely for sustenance. Dining out also entails taking in an ambiance while engaging with my party, staff and perhaps other patrons. With that in mind, we decided to ditch the lineups outside of restaurants on Notre-Dame, and instead head to Grumman 78 around the corner for some much-needed terrace action.

Hello, it's been a while! As the entire economy grapples with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant sector has been hard at work trying to stay afloat. Some eateries have focused their efforts on delivery while others came up with novel ways to generate income while keeping their clients happy. From curbside pickups to DIY meal kits, cocktail mixes and curated grocery baskets, the options abound!After two months of self-sustaining ourselves with cooking at home, my family decided to treat ourselves to takeout on this balmy Sunday. For the occasion, we opted for Elena; the best, hottest and newest pizzeria in the Western part of the city core. Since the lockdown started, the sister restaurant to the acclaimed Nora Gray has upped the ante of their regular menu with bottles of wine and frozen pies for takeout.

Few restaurants possess that rare ability to transport their patrons through both space and time. Tucked away on a small street linking The Bay's flagship store and Quartier des Spectacles is Cafe Parvis, known precisely for its instagrammable, retro decor.I have visited this cafe several times over its six-year life span; eventually it became my go-to spot for a dinner ahead of a show at Places-des-Arts. Tonight would be different however; as I randomly dropped by with my wife and kids on this Sunday evening.

Last month, I was invited to sample a Syrian concept called Souriana in the Shaugnessy Village/Concordia Ghetto area. Obviously I could not say no as a Syrian myself; and I am glad I accepted. The two-year-old, fast-casual operation does affordable, authentic grilled meats and broasted chicken like no one else in town.With a few locations already open and a couple more planned, tonight I was summoned to their spanking-new, two-in-one Souriana x Taco Bar venture. For the occasion, a small group of influencers converged at the centrally-located eatery just behind The Bay's flagship downtown store on this quiet Sunday evening.

Montreal sure has its fair share of breakfast-and-lunch operations, a concept which has thrived on the North American brunch explosion of the 90s. One of the earlier players in this scene is Little Burgundy's Quoi de n'Oeuf.Open for over twenty years now, this brunch fixture predated its neighborhood's gentrification movement. Today I revisited the Notre-Dame West address early before heading to work, for what would be my third time here.

Normand Laprise may be Quebec's first star chef, but nobody took that label to the stratosphere reached by the duo of David McMillan and Frederic Morin. Their first restaurant Joe Beef, an institution since its inauguration in 2005, has received countless accolades, made it as high as second place on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list, appeared on numerous of the late Anthony Bourdain's TV shows, and was subject of exposes on Time, The New Yorker and Bon Appetit magazines.Success aside, the two chefs have had an immeasurable cultural impact on the city by catapulting its status as a foodie destination and supporting local farmers along with other causes; not to mention the army of alumni chefs who have graduated from their kitchen to open their own thriving restaurants.With all this said, it is no surprise that a table at Joe Beef is as hard to get as a U2 concert ticket; tonight was the first available date when my reservation was made back in November! To top that off, throngs of diners kept huddling at the door waiting for a table well past 10PM.

The Sparrow is a popular Mile-End bar which has been around for a while now. Known for its Middle-Eastern-inspired brunches, which I have finally discovered and fell for this past summer, tonight I wanted the nighttime gastropub experience.Although the no-reservations policy can be a deterrent to some - especially on a Friday night - my wife and I were lucky to nab a table after a mere five-minute delay. Larger groups were less fortunate though; as I spotted a couple of those wait well over half an hour by the crowded bar or on the staircase across from it.

As much as we are bombarded nowadays with superfoods and their purported benefits, you don't really see an entire spot dedicated to one - and only one - of the bunch. Such was the idea behind Livia, a popup matcha bar within the Westmount location of the Ryu sushi group, which opened last year and was reviewed here.The newcomer was banking on the popularity of the powdered green tea leaves, said to be rich in vitamins, fibers and antioxidants. The tea room would specialize in beverages with matcha as the central ingredient, from shots and lemonades to lattes and teas. Livia would eventually move this summer into its own downtown digs on Peel Street; replacing the Ryu branch there, which relocated a few steps away.

The Bacaro brand may be a household name by now - with nine locations and billboards posted all over town - but it all started as a lone operation in my borough of Westmount. The "urban pizzeria" - whatever that means - opened in 2014 during peak Neapolitan pizza craze and was an instant hit with locals.After many visits over the years, Bacaro has become one of my family's neighborhood standbys. In warmer days, a stroll through Westmount Park will get me there in fifteen minutes; if not, I am guaranteed a parking spot right in front when using my car in inclement weather.

Being an impatient control freak, I tend to avoid any eatery with a lineup and a no-reservation policy like the plague. Yes, I have come to terms with the idea of never trying popular joints such as Olive + Gourmando, Kazu or Kem CoBa; I find the notion of not knowing when or if I'll ever be seated nerve racking. In some instances, I have learned when to show up to increase my odds of securing a table.Case in point; Saint-Henri's Arthurs, a game changer in Montreal's Jewish food scene, draws queues at its peak breakfast and lunch hours. But arrive in between those two - say 11AM - and you won't have to wait much. Such was the case for my wife and me on this Monday morning; as we visited what has become our favorite weekday-brunch spot in town.

A friend of mine recently asked me for suggestions for a celebratory group dinner somewhere downtown; nothing upscale and with good food. Not knowing the size of the group but assuming it was in the 10-15 range, I immediately thought of Balsam Inn. The home-style Italian fare - which I have sampled for lunch and really enjoyed - and moderate price point are sure to have a wide appeal.

This week marks the unveiling of Montreal's first official food hall - a gourmet, less chain-y version of a food court. Although the Queen Elizabeth's Artisans, the Bell Centre's M2 Marche and Rockland's La Cuisine have already opened over the last two years, all three of those do not technically quality as food halls.Today, the centrally-located Le Central has opened its doors at the corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Sainte-Catherine Street, an intersection which has come a long way from its seedy past thanks to urban renewal. The inauguration took form of a celebratory 5 a 7 on this torrential Tuesday evening - luckily the venue is steps away from the Saint-Laurent subway station.

For a handful of years, I've been hearing of a well-received sushi joint in the Plateau called Saint Sushi. While I haven't gotten around to trying it, news came out last year that a second location would open up in my neighborhood of Westmount.After a lunch and takeout sampling over the summer, tonight I walked in with my family after picking the kids up from school for an early dinner at 5:30PM. The place was empty but for two groups at that time, yet we were told we would have to free our table by 7PM. It was a school night and we were not intending on lingering around; so I did not make a fuss over that.

Monday night is the black sheep of the week when it comes to dining out. While most casual eateries are open at the beginning of the week, things get trickier in the fine dining category. Many such establishments opt to take a night off while others open their doors only to draw a minimal crowd - which can be a turnoff to some diners.Tonight a friend and I took our chances with Jellyfish, the fabulous Old Montreal grill I visited multiple times - and reviewed here - during its first two years of existence.

Formally known as Milton Park, the neighborhood lying north of Sherbrooke Street between the McGill University campus and Saint-Laurent Boulevard is more commonly referred to as the McGill Ghetto. During my McGill days and as a resident of the area between 1997 and 2004, dining choices were limited to student-oriented coffee shops, chains and fast food operations.The first player to break out of this mold was Pullman, a stylish Park Avenue wine bar serving elevated tapas-style dishes. After more than a decade in business, the principals behind Pullman opened up Moleskine in 2016, on the very same block.

As the number of festivals filling up Montreal summers continues to balloon, I have become more selective when picking those I deem worth my time. And while some have expanded in size, price and annoyance factor, others are less overwhelming in scale and still in their infancy. Enter Mile Ex End; the aptly-dubbed "le plus petit des grands festivals" was back this Labor Day weekend for a third edition.The event's peculiar setting beneath the Rosemont-Van Horne overpass - which makes great use of dead space - makes it quite easy to reach. Situated in a low-traffic zone along the Mile-End/Mile-Ex border, steps away from the Rosemont subway station, the site is accessible to both automobilists and metro users. Myself, I decided to wrap up the festival season with my second Mile Ex End visit on this sunny, late-summer Sunday afternoon.

Late-night menus started their surge about a decade ago, as restaurateurs realized they could fill tables past their peak hours. A special, reduced-price menu past 9PM can draw patrons wanting to eat out while spending less. At upscale institutions such as Moishes, Milos and Ferreira Cafe, a two-course prix fixe formula will cost you $30 or so, a bargain when compared to their regular fare.Now, the Fiorellino duo of restaurants is jumping on the bandwagon. Tonight I was invited to sample the new proposition at the second Laurier Avenue location - the original downtown one was previously reviewed here.

No nightlife story drew as much attention and buzz this year as the Four Seasons' new flagship restaurant. The luxury hotel followed the Ritz's blueprint of signing up a foreign celebrity chef to helm an eatery named after himself. Whereas the latter went with Daniel Boulud, the Four Seasons opted for Marcus Samuelsson, known for running a handful of noted New York restaurants as well as hosting a couple of culinary TV shows.Having missed the media preview I was recently invited to, I decided to drop by for brunch at this much-anticipated, trending spot.

It is no secret that food delivery services have drastically changed the restaurant industry. The ubiquity, practicality and choice offered by foreign giants such as Foodora, SkipTheDishes and Uber Eats have expanded the market like never before. A more recent player in this space is GOLO (TSXV: GOLO), launched by payment company Paysafe.What makes GOLO different, you may ask? For starters, it is born in Montreal and employs a fleet of electric cars; meaning you would be supporting a local, environmentally-conscious startup. Ethics aside, GOLO also offers a wider customer value proposition than its competitors. In addition to the multitude of dining options on hand, daily essentials such as toilet paper, toothpaste and pet food are also one click - or tap - away.

Tucked away from plain sight in a repurposed Little Burgundy church's rectory is a highly-conceptual restaurant helmed by a chef with a vision. After a notable stint at the bygone Van Horne's kitchen, followed by a transient period of pop-ups, chef John Winter Russell eventually opened Candide in 2015.His passion project, which draws on the locavore doctrine, has managed to split the city's critics right down the middle. For my second dinner here, I joined a birthday party of seven on the restaurant's patio overlooking the quiet residential alleyway behind the church.

Today I was invited to test a fast-casual Greek concept which is on the verge of expansion throughout Greater Montreal. Gyro Boutique opened its first location in Carre Lucerne, the mixed residential/commercial development alongside Autoroute 40 in Town of Mount Royal. The strip-mall setting luckily provides enough parking space to not have to worry about walking long distances on this unbearably-humid Friday.

Some locales seem to pose a challenge to restaurateurs. Sandwiched between two retail fronts on the Westmount stretch of Sherbrooke Street is a restaurant space already in its third incarnation since 2014. Inaugurated by the Grinder group as Lea - which was decent - then followed by the Lucille's group as Parm - which was excellent - both of these folded surprisingly and prematurely.Following that, it took all of two years before a new tenant popped up in the Victoria Village space. Open since September of last year, Kavos proposes an authentic estiatorio experience, akin to something one can experience back in Athens. Tonight my wife surprised me with dinner here for Father's Day on this balmy Sunday.

As the conflict in my home country of Syria rages on, so does the influx of immigrants from the Levantine nation to Montreal and its surroundings. With these newly-minted Canadians come entrepreneurship and talent, which have translated into flourishing operations in the food sector. From caterers Les Filles Fattoush and ice cream parlor Bouza to restaurants such as Lylac, Bab Sharqi and Sham, there is much to be proud of as a Syrian Canadian.Another gem in this endeavour is Laval's Beroya, which I was invited to sample soon after its opening a couple years ago. That memorable outing - reviewed here - was shortly followed by another that same year. Tonight I headed back to see how the Chomedey outfit was faring three years in; plus I wanted to distance myself from the Grand Prix crowds in the city and take advantage of the parking-friendly strip-mall setting.

As far as tourist havens go, few parts of town draw more visitors than Old Montreal's Place Jacques-Cartier. Long considered ground zero for tourist traps, the famous square has recently been the target of restaurateurs seeking to change this negative connotation and offer something which would appeal to out-of-towners and locals alike.The Antonopoulos Group are a prime example of this - with BEVO, Maggie Oakes and the spanking-new Jacopo - but they are not the only ones. Today I was invited to sample lunch over at another participant in this effort: pizzeria-and-more Comptoir 400.

As much as I strive to maintain my anonymity when reviewing restaurants, from time to time I will meet or be introduced to a restaurateur or chef. My first run-in with a Mr. Stephen Leslie took place at a charity event - Table of Hope - in 2013, where I found out he was behind two spots I had occasionally visited; N.D.G.'s Monkland Tavern and Westmount's Taverne sur le Square.Stephen's culinary profile, love of fine wines and overall persona would later add to my appreciation for his duo of taverns. Set in the iconic, Mies van der Rohe-designed Westmount Square and hinted at in its name, "The Tavern" was born in 2001.

Today I am partnering up with the Kinka family of Japanese restaurants to usher in their latest addition to the collection. The group which pioneered Toronto ramen shops in 2012 has since sprawled across the GTA and later entered Montreal, Chicago, Tokyo and Seoul.Even with six banners - including Kinton Ramen and Kinka Izakaya - and over twenty locations under its umbrella, the giant is showing no signs of slowing down; with a second downtown Kinton outpost recently announced.

Few nightlife destinations in Montreal get as much attention as downtown's Crescent Street, known for its sun-drenched restaurant patios. Its mixture of old and new dining/drinking establishments and revolving door of clubs is often every visitor or newcomer's ground zero for Montreal nightlife.No address embodies the two-block stretch's allure more than Thursday's. Now in its fifth decade of operation, the three-in-one bistro/bar/club is particularly known for its Easter Sunday brunches - which I have experienced on several occasions in the past.

Always with the aim of crossing off all the dining options surrounding my workplace, today was Masala Cuisine's turn. Following two relocations, this Indian bring-your-own-wine has found its permanent Pointe-Saint-Charles home in 2012. Barely noticeable from outside, the restaurant's banal fa�ade looks - and probably was - residential.

Asian food has come a long way in the past five years or so. Montreal has always had its classic, longstanding fixtures such as Mon Nan and PM for Cantonese or Kam Fung for dim sum. However, a new breed of Chinese and Pan-Asian restaurants have expanded the market. From modern takes at Gia Ba and Orange Rouge to fusion fare at Cho and Thazard, it seems there was no new frontier to conquer - until now!After reinventing the dim sum experience with a creative spin on dumplings, Old Montreal's Jiao has just introduced a spanking-new brunch menu. After visiting and enjoying this spot for lunch last year and dinner earlier this year, I gladly accepted an invitation to sample the new offering.

Indian restaurants are one of a handful of categories where one need not splurge to have a great meal. The Parc Ex area alone is a testament to this, with its multitude of authentic, affordable Indian eateries.Always on the lookout for such an option closer to my home/work axis, today I decided to try Verdun's Nouveau Delhi for lunch. From what I gather, this B.Y.O.W. relocated to Wellington Street at some point after a ten-year-stint in its previous Plateau/Saint-Denis location.

My introduction to Caribbean food was at a bygone hole in the wall in N.D.G. named Bonne Bouffe de Jama�que, circa 2004. I instantly fell in love with this spicy, tropical cuisine and have since tried a handful of other restaurants - including in Jamaica itself. Sitting at the top of this heap is C�te-Saint-Paul's Seasoned Dreams, pioneer of the now-famous jerk chicken poutine.A longtime player in this space is Lloydie's, named for its founder Lloyd Tull. After two decades of operating as a Jamaican patty supplier for supermarkets, Mr. Tull - along with his son - took a crack at the restaurant business in 2017 by opening a bricks-and-mortar outfit in Mile-End. The group shortly followed that with a downtown location on Crescent Street last summer.

Having worked on Nuns' Island for over seven years, I became a regular of Le Petit Sao's first location there (reviewed here). The family-run Vietnamese operation was an easy choice for lunch amid the island's limited, generic restaurant offering; a feeling apparently shared by many, judging from the regular lineups encountered there.My patronage would come to an apparent end when my employer decided to pack up and relocate to Pointe-Saint-Charles at the end of 2017. Fate would prove otherwise; as a mere six months after our move, a new Sao would open just steps away from our new digs. And true to form, there was a modest wait before copping a table at lunchtime on this frigid Friday.

Restaurant fests have become so common, it feels as though there is something to "celebrate" every day of the year and more! Burgers, poutines, pizza, mac 'n' cheese, ribs, oysters and others each have their own week today - reaching gimmicky status - but a first mover was Happening Gourmand. Now in its twelfth year, the three-week festival is the brainchild of the Antonopoulos Group - operating under the moniker Experience Old Montreal.A heavy user of influencer marketing strategies, the restaurant and hotel conglomerate has invited a number of media folks in the days leading to the fest to sample - and talk about - the menus on offer. For my part, I joined a coterie of bloggers over at Taverne Gaspar - the only one of the group's spots I had not tried yet - on this quiet Tuesday evening.

This review is long, long overdue - and lengthier than typical for my blog. My love for PARK started a mere two weeks after its high-profile launch six years ago. As a resident of Westmount and a longtime fan of Kaizen, I was quite saddened by the sushi giant's degradation which led to its eventual demise.When news came out in 2012 that a part of the talent working the kitchen there - a budding chef by the name of Antonio Park - was opening his own eponymous restaurant in a different part of my neighborhood, I naturally had to check it out.The restaurant was booked solid for weeks; leading me to use my "clout" as an influencer to nab a table by tweeting directly to chef Park - that would be the first and only time I resort to this tactic. A keen and enthusiastic user of social media, Antonio obliged and an informal relationship based on mutual respect was born.The dinner that ensued - a five-course feast - would go in my top five of all time. I was blown away by the first-rate skills, artistic plating and gorgeous flavours on display. Since then, over the years, PARK became my go-to spot as I dropped in regularly for family brunches, power lunches and dinners with out-of-towners.Yet, somehow, in over a dozen visits, I never got around to reviewing it. The reasons abound; from camera-hostile lighting, to being with the wrong company to not wanting to pause and take mental notes in the face of food this good...This would all change tonight, as I intended to finally review the Victoria Avenue tenant during my family's annual holiday outing. We wanted something nearby to avoid the Boxing Day crowds; and since my kids have recently become sushi fans, a stroll towards my Japanese neighbor seemed like a great idea.

December is a wildly busy month for restaurants, as coworkers try to end the year with a memorable outing together. Bring-your-own-wines seem to particularly flourish during this period; with the lure of forgoing alcohol markups likely appealing to penny pinchers and cash-strapped employers alike. This year, a colleague of mine chose Verdun's Wellington restaurant - named after the street it resides on - for our annual departmental dinner.

Few stretches in town have seen an explosion in restaurants equaling Notre-Dame Street West's portion cutting across Griffintown and Little Burgundy. From the list-topping Joe Beef, Le Vin Papillon and Foxy to the trendy Grinder, Bird Bar and Makro; the household names abound.Less heralded eateries survive in the shadow of these marquee establishments, managing to stay afloat despite the competition surrounding them. Case in point, Le Bureau Bar a tapas recently celebrated its sixth year in business by inviting a few influencers to sample its offering and announce a series of upcoming weekly events: think jazz + martini Tuesdays and wine tasting Fridays.

Around since 2011, the Ryu brand followed an atypical, slow journey toward expansion. What started as a trendy, Japanese tapas operation on Laurier - reviewed here - turned into a mini empire of quick, casual outposts in Laval, downtown and Trudeau airport.While the inaugural location folded last year, a new addition joined the fray this August on the corner of Sainte-Catherine Street West and Westmount's posh Greene Avenue.

Just when you thought a city block could not possibly fit more restaurants, a couple new ones pop up! Sandwiched between two-year-old Marusan and the spanking-new Kupfert & Kim along the Old Montreal stretch of Notre-Dame Street West is Jiao. Today I was invited to sample lunch at this reimagined dim sum bar, open since July/August of this year.

Hidden near the end of William Street in Little Burgundy - a stretch commonly but mistakenly referred to as Griffintown - is a practically-invisible restaurant. Without so much as a streetside logo or a window revealing a dining room, Le Fant�me may be Montreal's hardest restaurant to spot. Its success, however, is not as shrouded in secrecy. The three-year-old eatery has earned itself a couple of rave reviews all while remaining below the radar.

Mile-End's Thazard had been on my radar since it opened in late 2014. What started as an intriguing Japanese bistro resurrecting French-style cart service seems to have changed direction about a year ago. An ownership shuffle also saw the operation turn into a Pan-Asian fusion concept. After a pleasant dinner I had there on the house last month, it immediately came to mind when a friend of mine felt like a fun Asian place for our next outing.

As a fan of live music, what privilege is it to live in a city which hosts one of North America's premiere summer festivals. Now in its 13th edition, Montreal's Osheaga has slowly grown from an alt/indie gig to a massive affair cutting across all genres and drawing acts from local talent to the biggest stars of the moment.Having attended the fest several times - but not since 2012 - I thought a return was in due order. Not only did I find a four-performance stretch in the Friday schedule which suited my musical taste; but for the first time since Osheaga's debut, the food offering has been expanded with a YUL EAT Garden section. The promise of elevated festival fare seemed like a good occasion for a follow-up review.

For as far back as I can recall, the Queen Elizabeth hotel has been the standard for buffet brunches in town; New York has the Waldorf Astoria, Montreal has the Queen E. In an attempt to remain relevant and branche in the face of Airbnb and boutique hotels, the hotel recently went under the scalpel and reopened last summer reinvigorated.The restauration, food and drink spaces have been completely revamped as well - not unlike the Ritz and W - and now comprise a diverse food hall, elegant cafe, swanky bar and Le Montrealais' successor, Roselys. The replacement proved as popular as before, as a long lineup of diners anxiously awaited the opening of the doors for the 11AM brunch service - those without a reservation were sent packing!

I feel silly reviewing an institution requiring no introduction such as Toque. Unless you live under a rock, are new in town or both, you should have heard of this Montreal monument of sorts. And if you're a self-proclaimed foodie, you must have tried it at least once.Owned and helmed by now-famous chef Normand Laprise since 1993, Toque has also become a laboratory kitchen that is pushing the envelope of modern Quebecois cuisine - in the same spirit as Rene Redzepi's influence on Nordic cuisine.

Every neighborhood has a casual go-to spot where locals gladly flock to at any time of day. How these haunts come to be requires timing, savvy and a dose of luck. Gentile Cafe, a half-century-old Italian cafe in Ahuntsic, has managed to create one with their second location set in Westmount.The 2016 newcomer has scored points with every crowd from office workers in the daytime to locals in the evening and families on the weekend. With the air conditioning barely keeping up with the sweltering heat wave outside, the street-side terrace - luckily in the shade of the skyscraper across the street - looked like a safer bet.

One country's misfortune turns to another's blessing. With the waves of immigrants and refugees fleeing war-torn Syria and resettling in Canada comes an increase in both the supply and demand for the nation's savoir-faire and customs.In a matter of a few years, our city went from having a handful of Syrian restaurants to a flourishing scene including a spanking-new catering service in Les Filles Fattoush. One relative newcomer to this space is 2015's Lylac. The ample parking space offered by its Ville Saint-Laurent strip-mall setting sure came in handy on this wet Wednesday night.

With all the restaurant openings taking place, my "to try" list is lengthening at an alarming rate. Some entries will never see the light of day - I do only have one lifetime after all - except when someone else suggests them. Such was the case on this rainy Monday, as a friend of mine picked the Plateau's Chasse-Galerie for our dinner date.Having opened on Saint-Denis Street two years ago, just as the popular thoroughfare's long construction project came to an end, this modern eatery has managed to please critics all while remaining under the radar.

For over four decades, Gibby's has provided Montrealers and out-of-towners alike a reliable destination for a steak dinner. Open and busy every night of the week - Sundays included - a reservation is a must at this institution. Located in the city's parking-challenged historic birthplace, the complimentary valet service is a godsend.

One restaurant group's misfortune turns into another's opportunity. It did not take long after Jeff Stinco-backed Shinji's mysterious folding before its coveted Little Burgundy locale was boarded up in preparation of a new tenant.Posters of neighboring Grinder's mustached "mascot" and a fish logo seemed to indicate the meat-centric brand - also behind its own butcher shop and Hachoir - was testing the waters of the seafood business.

What does the path of a cooking show contestant look like? For Les chefs! finalist Hakim Chajar, several stints at renowned kitchens and TV shows were followed by higher-profile stops at Laurea and Chambre a Part. With both restaurants shutting down prematurely, it felt as though the promising chef never realized his full potential.It wasn't long before Mr. Chajar resurfaced in mid-2017 with a more personal and low-key project, setting his sights on under-the-radar Pointe-Saint-Charles. Having heard of the young talent so much, I decided to visit Miel with a friend for lunch on this mild Thursday.

The last few months have seen some movement in the Spanish restaurant space; Iberica and Cordova were born while beloved La Sala Rosa has cut back on food, turning into a cocktail bar.Albeit not exactly spanking new, the Plateau's eighteen-month-old Ibericos - not to be confused with the aforementioned Iberica - has recently expanded its kitchen team with a former Tapas 24 chef.To showcase the changes brought on by this addition, members of the media were invited to a cocktail hour followed by a tasting event.

I discovered Mon Nan back in 2015 and raved about it after immediately falling in love with it. Since then I have returned at least a dozen times; open 365 days a year, it is now my family's de facto spot for any occasion from birthday celebrations to holiday dinners.So here I was thinking a reservation was not needed on this Easter Sunday night when, lo and behold, a small huddle of people was crammed by the fish tank at the entrance of the packed dining room.

In late 2016, a team of seasoned restaurateurs joined forces to give the Concordia University area an all-purpose Italian cafe (which I duly reviewed). Later around the one-year mark last December, Parma Cafe introduced a full breakfast menu to go with its pizza/pasta/panini proposition. Today would mark the second time I accept an invitation to sample the snack bar's morning fare.

With spring approaching - and the weather slowly becoming more conducive to walking - I have recently started to explore the area surrounding my new workplace. With a dearth of options for lunch on a Monday in slowly-gentrifying Pointe-Saint-Charles, the nearby Cafe Cantina came to mind.

I find myself repeating the phrase "international flair" a lot in my reviews of late; as more and more eateries incorporate Asian/Mediterranean/Latin touches into "white people" food. What was once exclusive to inventive fusion restaurants has found its way into the fast casual sector.Today's lunch invitation to sample Frais & Fresh is a case in point; the prEt-a-manger counter suggests a healthy, "ethnic" twist on staples such as soups, salads and sandwiches.

Although located in one of the city's hottest neighborhoods, Griffintown's newcomers to the dining scene have achieved varying degrees of success. A perfect example of this polarisation can be found at the corner of Peel and Wellington streets, where glitzy Mediterranean restaurant Doca made way for Moretti Pizzeria after a short, eighteen-month stint.The latter is clearly not struggling to fill its seats the way its predecessor had, as made evident by the groups of diners anxiously awaiting a table at the entrance on this Friday night. Reservation or not, a fifteen-minute wait was to be expected it seems.

For years I had been hearing about Bouillon Bilk, an acclaimed under-the-radar restaurant bizarrely situated along Saint Laurent Boulevard's unsavory stretch between de Maisonneuve and Sherbrooke. I gave it a shot a few years back and concurred; the modern French fare prepared by chef Fran�ois Nadon was spectacular.Word followed in early 2016 of a second, more casual eatery by the discreet chef just one block up The Main. Critics were quick to give Cadet their seal of approval, which piqued my interest enough to send me here on this cold, January date night.

For my first review of 2018, I found myself at Old Montreal's BEVO following a viewing of Moment Factory's AURA show at the Notre-Dame Basilica nearby. What better option in the area when accompanied by children while trying to avoid an all-too-common tourist trap?And although I have already reviewed this Neapolitan pizzeria in its first year of operation both on its own and as part of a multi-stop pizza crawl - not to mention a handful of other visits since - I do feel an update is warranted as a lot can happen in five years.

You may have noticed a dearth in lunchtime reviews on this medium. Having worked on restaurant-challenged Nuns' Island for the last seven years, a worthy midday outing was near impossible. That is all about to change as my employer recently relocated to the once-troubled, gentrifying neighborhood of Pointe-Saint-Charles.While not exactly a restaurant haven either, the proximity to Little Burgundy and Griffintown right across the Lachine canal opens up a sea of possibilities. Today's excursion targeted urban microbrewery Brasseur de Montreal; because - you know - BEER!

I first reviewed Saint-Henri's Cho in these pages three summers ago. My two visits in its first year of operation turned me into a fan of its fun, pan-Asian fusion fare. Tonight I headed back for a refresher to see how things were shaping up. My lack of a reservation would not be an issue as things were quiet on this Sunday night marking the season's first snowfall.

Just as the outside temperature starts to dip below the godforsaken double-digit below-zero mark, our bodies respond by demanding hot, comforting and salty food. Our invitation to sample a new-ish Mile-End ramen joint on this frigid Monday night could not have come at a more opportune moment.

Let it be known that I consider myself a novice when it comes to dim sum; I can count on a chicken foot's fingers the number of times I have sampled these Chinese tapas of sorts. As such, I felt like more of a spectator than a (wannabe) critic as I visited South Shore powerhouse La Maison Kam Fung for brunch on this windy Sunday.The mild gusts outside did little to prepare my party for the whirlwind of people squeezed into the restaurant's vestibule; all hopelessly waiting for their name to be called so the feasting can finally commence.

Southern-style barbecue options abound in Montreal's present-day restaurant scene; look back a decade ago and all we had were rotisserie chicken joints. Bofinger pioneered the movement in 2007, followed by Le Boucan in 2010; then the genre exploded with Blackstrap, Diablos and Dinette Triple Crown.While not the most hyped of the bunch, Le Boucan has quickly gained a foothold in its Little Burgundy neighborhood. With its diminutive dining room filled on a nightly basis, the only option at expansion was to add a second outpost - which took place in January of this year on Rosemont's Masson promenade. Today I was invited here to sample the newly-introduced brunch menu; a first for either location.

Ten years feels like an eternity in the volatile restauration business. Some spots reach this milestone amid much fanfare; others manage to do so under the radar. Then there's Old Montreal's Graziella, which will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary later this year while keeping a relatively low profile yet drawing critical acclaim.

As much as we love eating out, the thought of lining up indefinitely keeps us away from popular restaurants with a no-reservations policy such as Schwartz's or Kazu. Add to that list Agrikol, whose leave-your-number-we'll-call-you-back approach kept us at bay until tonight. We were hoping that, eighteen months in, the initial buzz would have settled down and we would be able to nab a table immediately.

The enclave city of Westmount has witnessed a nightlife boom over the last half decade, from casual eateries such as Bacaro and Gentile to fine dining establishments spearheaded by PARK and Central.Then there's Greene Avenue's Chez Nick, a restaurant as old as the early-twentieth-century building housing it. As a Westmount - or adjacent - resident for most of the past twenty years, I must have walked past this fixture countless times, but somehow never gave it a chance until this Tuesday morning.

Here in the West, the weekend daytime meal tends to consist of a reinvigorating brunch meant to see you through the day. As a Middle Eastern by origin, I am more used to an all-out eating frenzy with extended family members followed by an unproductive afternoon - ahem, food coma.With the intent to acquaint my kids with this ritual (trial by fire!), three families converged over at Concordia area Lebanese eatery Garage Beirut on this showery Sunday for a celebratory brunch.

Mostly known as a hub for ristorantes, pizzerias and trattorias, Montreal's Little Italy also houses a bunch of non-Italian neighborhood eateries. One example of this diversity is Salvadoran fixture La Carreta, which I have sampled a couple times over the last decade.Seeing as how my wife hails from the Central American republic and our last visit dates back to before the birth of our two kids, the time felt right for a return on this late-summer Friday evening.

You may have noticed a dearth of vegetarian/vegan restaurant reviews in this space. The rationale behind this snobbery has nothing to do with vegetables and legumes - in fact they make up a major part of our diet - but rather with our rejection of the term "vegetarian" becoming a cuisine. We see it more as a lifestyle choice or a subsection of several regional cuisines such as Middle Eastern or Indian.Be that as it may, we felt compelled to give the red-hot LOV - short for local, organic, vegan - a shot. Since opening late last year, this Old Montreal tenant has made a lot of noise; contending for enRoute's Best New Restaurant of 2017 list and opening a downtown offshoot. This popularity was made evident when we found ourselves waiting for our reserved table to clear up on a busy Thursday night.

It does not take an industry insider to discern the prevalence of small, affordable, shareable plates in our city's fine dining landscape of late. This "tapasification" has cut across most cuisines from French and Greek to Indian and finally East Asian. Look no further than the Plateau's brand-spanking-new Kozu, a self-described brasserie asiatique, for the perfect embodiment of this trend.

I only discovered the Mount Stephen Club near the end of its previous incarnation as a private club in 2011, and was instantly wowed by the historic landmark's grandeur.I could not think of a finer setting for dining with my parents when they're in town; so did not hesitate to book a table for brunch during their current visit, a mere two months after it re-emerged as Bar George.

Our random restaurant picker found us stepping into Old Montreal's Stash Cafe on this breezy Wednesday night. We only tried this longstanding Polish eatery once over a decade ago, so a return was in order.Our eternal search for a parking spot caused us to show up thirty minutes late for our 8:30PM reservation. Luckily the Saint-Paul Street locale was only about half full, so the prospect of losing our table was off the table.

The scene takes place along De la Gaucheti�re Street in downtown's Quartier International, as we found ourselves squeezing by a film crew and its street-gobbling equipment - as if this area wasn't parking-challenged as it is.A group of restaurateurs known for cinematic drama made an addition to this stretch's dining scene at the end of 2015. Following conflicts with several levels of law enforcement, the Buonanotte owners made positive headlines with the opening of Fiorellino.

Reinvention is paramount in the fickle nightlife business; the alternative being to fall out of relevance and ultimately close shop. Following a couple minor tweaks over the last half decade, the twelve-year-old Suite 701 has just rebranded; emerging with a new identity.Enter Brasserie 701; Hotel Place d'Armes' supper club turned lounge has finally settled into a French brasserie. Owners The Antonopoulos Group threw an all-out media affair on this balmy Tuesday evening; unveiling the new concept by way of a cocktail hour followed by a sit-down dinner service.

Mother's Day is an occasion to pamper and treat one's mater to a meal she truly enjoys. With our own moms living halfway across the globe, tonight's outing would instead involve a gathering of two young families; which includes our Cambodian friend celebrating her first Mother's Day.Who better to arm one's self with at Saint-Michel's B.Y.O.W. no-reservations Kim Hour on this busiest of Sunday evenings? The Indochinese native would prove instrumental in helping us navigate her homeland's cuisine, something we have not had significant contact with.

It was during an oyster/mezcal popup at Westmount's Central Brasserie in 2013 that we first met chef/mixologist Matthew McKean. The enthusiastic spirits importer gave us our first taste of the Mexican agave liquor - tequila's smokier cousin - which he has turned into his raison d'Etre.The itinerant restaurateur has been involved in a slew of projects - Cartel, Joverse, Rosewood, Marche des eclusiers, Liv Salades, a speakeasy/club in Monterrey - before finally landing with Taqueria Arturo, a venture right up his alley given a prior stint in California.

When one thinks of Montreal's Jewish restaurant scene, landmarks such as Schwartz's, Wilensky's & Snowdon undoubtedly come to mind. As much as these icons have popularized the deli angle - smoked meat, pickles, lox, etc. - there is much more to the Eastern European flavor of this cuisine that feels underrepresented in these establishments.Enter Arthurs, a self-described Jewish nosh bar open since last summer on Saint-Henri's restaurant-heavy stretch of Notre-Dame Street West. The daytime-only, no-reservations bruncheonette recently appeared in a Tourisme Montreal feature of restaurants serving weekday brunches; so we naturally thought of it on this rainy late Wednesday morning.

A close friend and ex-Westmount neighbor of ours recently relocated his family to Laval's Chomedey district. It wasn't long before he informed us of - and raved about - a new Syrian restaurant that opened in the area right before the end of last year.When a couple weeks ago we received an unrelated invitation from the owners to sample their offering, as Syrians ourselves we couldn't say no. Luckily the suburban setting offering ample parking space came in handy on this snowy Friday night.

We initially reviewed Deville back in 2012 - not too long after it opened - so we'll invite you to read our recap from then for the 411 on this American diner redux. Since then we've returned a dozen times or so, having fallen for the reimagined deli fare - a feeling seemingly shared by many, as made evident by the huddled pack of diners waiting at the entrance for a table to free up tonight.

Tucked away in a hidden section of the big-box store mecca known as Marche Central is a little-known breakfast-and-more spot conveniently named Bistro du Marche. A relative of ours recommended this eatery about a decade ago; since then we've been hitting it up occasionally for some pre-shopping morning grub - be it in the same car-friendly complex or its neighbor the Rockland Centre.

For years we've been drawn towards Peruvian cuisine, considered one of the world's earliest forms of fusion due to its long multicultural history � starting with the land's indigenous Incas later adding influences from European, Asian and African immigrants. Tonight we wanted to delve deeper into this vast treasure � beyond the ceviches, empanadas and tamales we are all familiar with.Our destination would be Solymar, a seafood/charcoal grill outfit we've driven in front of countless times. The stretch of Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Villeray that houses the eatery happened to be desolate on this particular Thursday night, reflecting the quiet dining room inside; and easily securing us both a parking spot and table for our visit here.

Numerous restaurants opt to take a break and close on Mondays. The ones that don't are likely to face a slow night. This would not be the case at Grinder, as our attempt to book a table on Boxing Day was foiled when we were told the happening steakhouse was fully-booked for the evening service.Luckily for us, we would regroup and nab a reservation the following day in what turned out to be another packed house for the Little Burgundy hotspot � mistakenly marketed as located in Griffintown, which lies further east.

Jamaica gave way to Italy as the relocation of Concordia area Caribbean fixture Mango Bay saw the introduction of Parma Cafe in the same locale on Bishop Street downtown. The one-month-old cafe/deli � from ex-Euro Deli and Macaroni Bar principals � promises to bless Shaughnessy Village with authentic Italian comfort food at an affordable price.

Restaurant turnover is a fact of (night)life. Many concepts will never reach the all-important one-year milestone. Old Montreal's McGill Street row in particular suffered its share of premature shutters in recent years � think of Racines, 155 Fahrenheit... A relative newcomer to the area, Le Jellyfish just celebrated its first anniversary after receiving mostly favorable views from the city's top critics.

Tucked away in downtown's Concordia University area just off the beaten path on de Maisonneuve is a four-year-old Korean eatery with no apparent name. Sandwiched between a dry cleaner and a greystone, without so much as a sign or window sticker up front, the only thing giving it away is the perpetual lineup of diners outside. We gave GaNaDaRa a try two summers ago and have not looked back, returning a handful of times since.

The suburban restaurant refinement movement in Greater Montreal probably traces its roots to Brossard's DIX30 complex, the country's first � and region's only � lifestyle centre. One group in particular, Restos Dix30, secured itself a foothold in the quartier's birthplace centered around the etoile Banque Nationale performing arts venue. Its latest addition, Le Cafe du The�tre, opened in that very building; occupying the space that last housed the defunct Kabana.Our first sampling of this self-titled brasserie fran�aise took the form of a media breakfast just prior to launching at the end of 2014. Today we came back to see if things were shaping up two years later while fueling up for brunch ahead of a shopping excursion � we normally avoid the 'burbs but the convenience of free, abundant underground parking is hard to overlook on rainy days.

The year 2013 saw the founding of a restaurant empire when seasoned chef Michele Forgione joined forces with TV's Stefano Faita, introducing Little Italy's acclaimed Impasto. The duo's flagship ristorante was shortly followed by GEMA across the street, a Neapolitan-style pizzeria that also garnered rave reviews. Our party of nine converged here for a birthday celebration; marking our first visit of this two-year-old pie slinger.

Longstanding Casa de Mateo's closure late last year left a gaping hole in Old Montreal's dining scene; the historic borough's regulars had to go elsewhere for their Mexican fix. That void was quickly filled in June with Emiliano's, a newcomer attempting to revolutionize the city's conception of the North American nation's cuisine. A tasting event was held this Monday evening to showcase this original proposition to some of the city's influencers.

Before the term "third wave cafe" was coined, there was Toi, Moi & Cafe. The original Laurier Avenue location has been roasting specialty fair trade coffee beans since 1995 - way before hipster baristas, cold brewing and oxygen-bleached filters became du jour.Today we hit up their second outpost - on Little Burgundy's restaurant-heavy stretch of Notre-Dame West - for an early weekend bite. This would mark our first jab at a meal here; we normally come for afternoon tea and cakes - which are awesome by the way. Luckily most people tend to sleep in on Sundays, so finding both a parking spot and a large table to accommodate our group at 9AM was no bother.

Gone are the days when one had good odds of securing a last-minute table at a happening restaurant in town - even on the weekend. With a dining scene that's hotter than ever and a relentless yuppie/foodie culture unfazed by a weak loonie and slow economy, we were faced with rejection and "sorry, we're booked" responses as one hip eatery after another turned our party of four away.Our fortunes finally turned upon nabbing a reso at Le Richmond at the eleventh hour, a feat unimaginable as recently as a year ago. Trendy as hell since opening in late 2013, the swanky supper club may have fallen on harder times as the dining room was just over half full upon our arrival. The requisite valet service outside came in handy with the sudden monsoon-like rain, which might explain the slow-ish night.

Our city has yet to fully latch onto the "fast casual" current that other areas in North America have embraced in recent years. Yes, we have Mandy's, Uniburger and M4 Burritos; but Toronto has the edge in this space with Fancy Franks, Banh Mi Boys, Burger's Priest, etc. One such concept - MLT DWN - has recently crossed the border from Ontario to Quebec, landing a spot on the Plateau's busy stretch of Mont-Royal Avenue.

Reliable backup plans are a must in the absence of reservations. Such was our story on this late-spring Tuesday night as our first choice, the popular Sumac in Saint-Henri, was filled to the brim. Not wanting to linger around praying for a table to free up, we headed to Raso� next door for what would be our second visit. We were pleased to find both a parking spot in front and several tables readily available for the grabbing.

Back in 2014, L'Gros Luxe landed on the scene with the promise of "luxurious" comfort fare that's accessible to all. With an initial outpost in the Plateau, the chain-that-doesn't-feel-like-a-chain concept quickly expanded to Mile-End, Longueuil, Sud-Ouest and Quebec City.Tonight we hit up the one-year-old Little Burgundy location for a latish bite and drink. Motorists will be happy to know that parking is still attainable on or around this competitive, happening stretch of Notre-Dame Street.

When a restaurant occupies a massive space spanning two floors on student/tourist-heavy Crescent Street, it is natural to try to draw as wide an audience as possible to fill so many seats. With a plethora of features already under Wienstein & Gavino's belt - 5 a 7 special, prix fixe lunch, late night menu - the twenty-year-old Italian juggernaut recently expanded its repertoire with a gluten-free menu. Tonight we accepted an invitation to sample the latter while enjoying the first genuinely warm weekend of the season on the busy street-side terrace.

Few occasions call for impressing and pampering someone in broad daylight as much as brunch on Mother's Day. This year we sought out Mile-End's Lawrence, often heralded as a top brunch destination in town. This high praise was confirmed upon arrival, as we stepped into a packed dining room - not to mention a small lineup of diners - for our first visit to this five-year-old eatery.

Montreal's culinary scene has much to thank its Jewish community for; starting with smoked meat and bagels, followed by the institutions - Schwartz's, Fairmount and St-Viateur Bagels - that brought us these staples. Another example is Beauty's, the landmark Mont-Royal Avenue luncheonette popular for its breakfasts and brunches.If, like us, you refuse to line up for food, be sure to show up early on weekends; we aimed for 9AM and were seated immediately. Otherwise, you can expect to be squeezed into the fishbowl at the entrance, waiting with other hungry and possibly hung-over patrons.

We recall a time when nightlife spots were easily categorized into buckets; you went to bars to drink, restaurants to eat and clubs to party. Back in our twenties, we would hit all three in one night, in that order! Today these demarcation lines are blurrier, owing to several bars and clubs - e.g. Brasserie Harricana and Soubois - serving food that would give good restaurants a run for their money.With this in mind, tonight we sought out both a drink and a bite at Ludger in Saint-Henri. Having previously dropped in for oysters and libations only, it was high time we delve deeper into this self-described buvette gourmande's food proposition. Be sure to reserve if you plan a weekend outing here, as we had to snatch a rare table in what turned out to be a very busy night.

When we heard about Montreal's first Mac + Cheese Week last year, we felt generally nonplussed by the whole thing. We didn't believe this side dish had enough meat on its bones to hold its own amid the city's outbreak of food festivals. Lo and behold, the weeklong celebration of the comfort food staple returned this year with more adhering restaurants spread across more cities.

In keeping with the subject of hotel restaurants from our last review, today we were solicited to try brunch at the W Montreal's EAT (short for Etre Avec Toi). Otto's replacement opened last December with an all-out splashy affair, which we also attended. We saw enough that night - glitz and glamour aside - to make us want to come back, making it that much easier to exceptionally accept the comped meal.

Our city is not particularly known for its hotel restaurants. None of them appear on "best of" lists save for the Ritz's Maison Boulud and the Queen Elizabeth's brunches perhaps. A notable exception is the Sofitel's Renoir, a versatile restaurant that draws locals (ourselves included) and hotel guests to its upscale breakfasts, brunches and thematic events (such as the Vietnamese dinner we reviewed in 2013).Another recurring affair is Renoir en Rose, the brainchild of executive chef Eric Perret. Now in its third year, the charity dinner has Olivier along with guest chefs create a tasting menu paired with wine preceded by hors d'oeuvres and champagne. Tickets go for $290 per person; beneficiaries are the Quebec Breast Cancer and Cedars Cancer foundations.

Walking out of the Scotiabank theater downtown after watching the new Star Wars "The Force Awakens" chapter, we found ourselves gravitating towards M:BRGR (a standby of ours) on this extremely gusty night. The long flick had managed to awaken our hunger, plus we got wind of a menu change at Moishes' burger offshoot since we last reviewed it for Burger Week in 2012.

We first reviewed Satay Brothers in early 2013, a few weeks after setting up their small Saint-Henri outfit on Saint-Jacques Street West. Fast forward to exactly one year ago and the boys had expanded to newer digs, one street down on Notre-Dame. Still as popular as ever, on our second visit of the new domicile, we had to wait about ten minutes before being seated on this busy Saturday night.

A couple of weeks ago, Toronto startup Hurrier expanded to Montreal with the promise of quality food delivered fast. In a nutshell, the young company employs a network of "couriers" that pick up and drop off food from restaurants not typically engaged in delivery. Early participants include hits such as Burger Royal, Le Boucan, Romados, Uniburger and finally Brigade Pizzeria, subject of the current review.

As Syrians that grew up in the Middle East, we naturally have a weak spot for a fine, authentic falafel sandwich, something surprisingly elusive in our current homeland. Earlier this year, Sumac quickly won us over with its impeccable rendition of the iconic Levantine chickpea patties. Tonight we finally got to try the rest of their offering by way of a mammoth-sized takeout order that we feasted on at home.

A couple of months ago, we were approached for a comped meal at Old Montreal's Communion, a restaurant we have tried for brunch and drinks in the past. For various reasons, we could not free ourselves until this cool fall weekend, which is a pity as Communion's spacious, attractive terrace had by now closed for the season.

Brossard's DIX30 complex: a shopper's paradise? Perhaps. A gourmet destination? Not from what we've seen so far. Amid the big-box chains and typical "suburby" eateries was a gleam of hope in Mile Public House, a self-described neighborhood gastropub emphasizing craft beers and elevated cocktails. A couple years ago, we were impressed with one of their bartenders during a RISE Kombucha mixology event, but didn't get to try their food until today.

The pair of us started exploring our city's dining scene in the mid-90s. Back then, in order to eat well, we had to splurge, as cheap eateries consisted of chains, casse-croutes or noodle joints. Things have evolved since with the likes of Icehouse, Satay Brothers and Sumac to name a few. Earlier this year, La Capital entered this "affordable quality" space with the promise of genuine, street-inspired Mexican fare.

Our city is currently witnessing an explosion in outdoor food festivals. Oysterfest, Lobster Clam Jam, First Fridays, Poutinefest, BBQ Bonanza... it seems a glutton can feed his hole all throughout the warm season! This past Labor Day weekend, YUL EAT returned to Old Port for its second edition, and we were on site to check it out. Among the many food trucks on hand, the menu at Zoe's appealed to us the most.

Why bother reviewing an institution that's been around since 1928, a beloved Montreal landmark and Canada's oldest deli, you may ask. Who cares what we have to say, right? Our feeling is that a guide to the city's dining scene is incomplete without mention of this smoked meat pioneer. We tried to avoid the permanent lineup outside by showing up late on a Monday night but lo and behold, it was there despite our efforts!

The backdrop was a quiet stretch of Fairmont Avenue in hipster-heavy Mile End, as one two-syllabic restaurant replaces another. This marks the second time we accept a one-on-one invitation from a restaurant outside of a private event. With the recent heatwave finally subsiding following the heavy rainfall earlier today, we made the easy decision of grabbing one of the communal benches flanking Keste's exterior.

Our random review night took us to Tripolis in Park Ex's residential parts, an area well outside of our comfort zone. We had never heard of this place, plus we fail to recall how it made its way on our list; talk about trying new things! We took advantage of the ample parking space offered by this desolate stretch of Saint Roch street, and hastily grabbed a table on the tiny, elevated street-side terrace.

We first visited Bottega just over a year ago when we crowned it winner of our three-legged, city-wide pizza crawl. We went back soon after to find out the rest of the menu fares just as well as those fabulous pies, earning it a spot on our "faves" list. Tonight we finally got to enjoy its charming, street-side terrace on this beautiful Sunday evening.

Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants must be witnessing a spike in late-night dining this June, seeing as how the month of Ramadan fell on the longest days of the year. Such was the case on the evening following summer solstice, as flocks of fasting Muslims filled up Le Taj for iftar (break-fast) right at sunset; a pleasant surprise given we were expecting a slow Monday night.

Saint-Laurent Boulevard's downfall over the last decade saw a wave of chefs and restaurateurs close up shop and relocate looking for more favorable conditions. Riding that wave in 2013 were the people behind Ginger, for long The Main's best kept secret and trendy pre-party spot. A few months later in early 2014, the boys resurfaced with Cho, taking over Caffe Mariani's place in burgeoning Saint-Henri.

When chef Antonio Park opened his namesake Westmount fixture in 2012, we quickly became big fans, as did everyone else from critics to celebrities. Since then, the sushi sensei has kept himself busy as a judge on Food Network's Chopped Canada; then expanded his portfolio with the likes of Marche Park, Flyjin, Jatoba and finally Lavanderia last year, after taking over Tao Restaurant's lease next door to PARK.

We seldom make group plans at popular spots with a "no reservations" policy; there's always a risk of ending up with nothing. We rolled the dice with Le Vin Papillon on a Thursday night, and were lucky enough to snatch a table after a short wait. This would be our first time at team Joe Beef's latest addition, open since 2013 on Notre Dame in Little Burgundy, steps away from their other landmark eateries.

Early last year, notable chef Joe Mercuri opened his eponymous restaurant on the western fringes of Old Montreal. This would mark the end of Joe's hiatus following the surprising closure of his acclaimed, enRoute 2004 winner Bronte. After driving around in pursuit of a parking spot for what felt like an eternity, we finally took advantage of the much-needed valet service before walking in for our first visit here.

It recently dawned on us that we haven't reviewed a single Mexican restaurant three years into our blog! Although we enjoy the cuisine, we have yet to find a noteworthy spot amid the handful of generic, mediocre Tex-Mex places we've visited over the years. In an effort to reverse the situation, we decided to hit up La Hacienda on Van Horne in Outremont for the first time.

Following a year that saw two longstanding, old school bistro closings in Le Paris-Beurre and Le Continental, we were left wondering if such would be the fate of other landmarks in the face of the never-ending streak of trendier and edgier restaurant openings taking place all over town. It was in that nostalgic state of mind that we decided to revisit the 35-year-old L'Express in the heart of the Plateau.

Chinatown is a tough cookie for us; although we love Chinese food, our frame of reference was the American variation we grew up eating in the Middle East. With so many options in the area, we never knew where to go for a good, authentic meal; the disappointments were frequent and the gems rare. That all changed when we heeded the call of the aforementioned friend and hit up Mon Nan (twice actually).

Now in its third edition, the week-long celebration of Quebec's most iconic dish has grown considerably to include fifty restaurants in Montreal alone, not to mention four other cities. With so many options, we aimed to turn things around this year following the (mostly) passable poutines we got to sample and review two years ago.

'Twas on a bone-chilling day that we walked into La Queue de Poisson seeking a hot, comforting meal for lunch. The chippy-cum-poissonnerie has been open on Verdun's Promenade Wellington for about a year now. We haven't heard much about it asides from critic Sarah Musgrave's less-than-enthusiastic review for The Gazette. Either way, we warmed up to the thought of battered fish, deep-fried chips and beer.

Our previous review having all but ruined burgers for us, we wanted to close out the year on a higher note. We had never been to Burger Royal before, but heard very good things from a few friends. The promise of "farm to table" and everything prepared fresh and in-house kept our hopes up...

Joining the ranks of homegrown resto/bar chains (e.g. La Belle et la Boeuf, Jack Saloon) that started out in the suburbs then invaded the city is Windsor Hyper Bar. Following Brossard, the owners of this sports bar/grill decided to try their luck with an outpost on the volatile stretch of Saint-Laurent above Sherbrooke. We walked in sans reservation on this chilly Tuesday night with beer and grub on our minds.

Amidst the Japanese and Italian brasserie explosion taking place all across town, it's actually refreshing to see something different join the McGill restaurant row in Old Montreal. The latest addition here comes from the team behind the defunct Tasso Bar a Mezze, in the form of a modern Greek/Mediterranean mezze restaurant. We figured what better way to discover this place on MTLaTABLE's opening night.

For those of you that follow us on social media, you may have noticed our excessive use of the hashtags #MTLaTABLE and #PressTrip lately. Fret not, for today we will shed light on what went down. In a nutshell, Tourisme Montreal paired us up with Toronto blogger Girl About Toronto to spend the better part of the day with chef Guillaume Cantin from Les 400 Coups, a participant in this year's MTLaTABLE.We met up with Guillaume, the winner of Les Chefs!'s first season, in his neighborhood of Villeray, where he usually starts his day. After quick stops at boulangerie Le Pain dans les Voiles and Cafe Larue & fils, Guillaume took us on a tour of Marche Jean-Talon, picking up whatever was missing for tonight's dinner service from his favorite farmer stalls and suppliers.At this point, we went our separate ways to partake in other activities scheduled for our press trip; namely lunch at Bar Bounya, which we already covered, followed by a private first look at Les 7 doigts de la main's new circus number, Cuisine & confessions, at TOHU. Premiering October 30, the piece tells a story through choreographed cooking and acrobatics set against the iconic family kitchen.

Answering the call of Tourisme Montreal, we went on an expenses paid press trip to promote MTLaTable, the city's "restaurant week", now in its third year. Kicking off on October 30, the festival is a great opportunity to revisit an old favorite or discover a new place at a reduced price. We stopped for lunch at restaurateur Edward Zaki and chef Fisun Ercan's Bar Bounya on the posh Laurier avenue.

Tonight we were invited to celebrate L'Orignal's reboot following a hiatus of a few months during which it welcomed a new chef and an update to its interior. Our earlier visits to this (husband-wife-brother-in-law)-run restaurant mostly involved late-night drinking, so this would be our first full-on dining experience.

Burger Week, in its third year now, has expanded over to five Canadian cities and one Caribbean spot. With almost 50 restaurants participating this year, we tried to visit ones that we have not tried in past years; giving a fair chance to all Montreal eateries while not overwhelming our stomachs.

What better way to spend a late-summer Thursday evening than with a drink outdoors in this city? With fall approaching, we decided to hit up Rufus Rockhead on the busy terrace row of Notre-Dame in Little Burgundy. We don't remember much of this spot from our first visit a few weeks ago, one of many stops on a bachelor party crawl, asides from it belonging to Jeff Stinco's growing nightlife empire.

It's no secret anymore that Saint-Henri is the city's hottest neighborhood right now, with everything from cafes, restaurants and bars opening on a weekly basis. One addition from last year is H4C, a contemporary French bistro that quickly drew rave reviews from critics and bloggers alike. We came back today for a third visit in need of a post-wedding-hangover brunch fix.

Named after the Aegean island that is home to the statue of Poseidon (god of the sea), Milos has served as the city's premiere Greek restaurant for over three decades now. With locations in New York, Athens, Vegas and Miami, Milos is a rare Montreal export that has achieved international success.

The term BYOW (bring your own wine) does not evoke the greatest dining memories to us. Traditionally associated with mediocre, generic eateries a la Prince Arthur and Duluth, several more ambitious restaurants have popped up in the last decade, such as a l'Os, Grenadine and Le Pegase, to name a few. Joining these ranks in 2012 is Le Smoking Vallee, which didn't leave its mark on us when we first tried it then.

While most Montrealers are reveling in the start of the FIFA World Cup, the rest of us basketball fans have to struggle to find a decent place to eat and watch the NBA finals. After being refused by several places all over town, we struck gold with Burger Bar minutes before tip-off, where the manager was more than willing to accommodate us.

For the second year in a row, we were asked to cover Table of Hope, the city's premiere gastronomic event, benefiting Share the Warmth. Obviously we couldn't say no, given it's for a great cause, not to mention the culinary smorgasbord we would miss out on. For a little more background information, you can read last year's recap here.

Does anyone recall a time when Kaizen and Soto reigned supreme over the city's sushi scene? Now relegated to history, the two have been succeeded by Jun I and PARK (funnily enough, run by the same chefs as the former two). As such, we haven't felt compelled to try anything else in the sushi realm in years, for fear of disappointment in comparison. That changed tonight, as we attended a media event at Ryu to sample the new summer menu.

Some time last year, Moonshine BBQ opened on a dreary stretch of Decarie at the edge of Cote-des-Neiges. The concept and offering is reminiscent of Blackstrap BBQ, minus the fanfare that the latter generated upon launching. Given the heavy traffic along highway 15 (what else is new?), we were lucky to find a parking spot right in front for our lunch break on this rainy Friday afternoon.

We have long had an appreciation for chef Junichi's work dating from his Soto days well over a decade ago. As for the eponymous Jun I, which we haven't been to in years, our consensus is that the sushi offering fared much better than the more inventive fusion side. What brought us here tonight was a one-time collaboration with chef Nick Hodge from Icehouse, our favorite casual eatery in town.

Earlier this year, acclaimed chef Junichi Ikematsu from Jun-I decided to join the Japanese cuisine rejuvenation movement that's sweeping across the city by opening his own ramen bar in the Plateau. We showed up on a Tuesday night sans reservations (they don't take any) and had to wait a good fifteen minutes before sitting at the rich, red wood bar that twirls along two of the dining room's walls.

Following two somewhat unsuccessful pizza crawls of downtown and Old Montreal, tonight we completed our trilogy by visiting the popular Magpie, Napoletana and Bottega. We were hoping the high praise these places receive was well-warranted so we can end our pizza quest on a high note, and move on with our lives...

Late last year, the dull Nuns' Island dining scene received a little spark of freshness with the opening of Le Petit Sao in the small Le Village mall. The mother and daughter team behind Brossard's Sao Sao came up with a creative Vietnamese concept served out of a fun, bright locale. Today we checked it out during the midday rush with the hopes that the island finally has a good lunch option.

We're not regulars of the "strip mall" dining scene with its typical lineup of junk food and big-box chains, but sometimes an easy parking spot is hard to dismiss, especially at the end of a nippy week. Such was the case on this Friday night, as we met up a couple of off-island friends at Marathon in the Decarie/Jean-Talon shopping complex for some comforting souvlaki and more.

At a time when nightlife venues on Saint-Laurent Boulevard revolve on a monthly basis, the fun and casual SuWu Neighborhood Bar has actually defied the odds and survived almost a full year now. Not only that, but it is expanding its food offering by adding full courses to its existing bar food repertoire. Tonight we were invited to sample this new menu during an evening of cocktails, mingling and hip hop music.

It wasn't that long ago that comfort food was reserved for diners and cheap eateries. Today, a slew of trendy restaurants are revamping classics like poutine and mac n' cheese; but back in 2009, Greasy Spoon was one of the early adopters of this trend. What was an innovative concept back then piqued our interest, but for one reason or another, we never got around to trying it before tonight.

Over the last few weeks, the #DiscoverArem hashtag came into being, as a select group of bloggers, including yours truly, posted pictures of an invitation along with a mysterious key that will unlock the doors of Arem, a new Ottoman restaurant in Griffintown. Tonight we attended the media launch of this unique and mystical place, among a very stylish crowd of fashion and nightlife aficionados.

With the freakishly arctic temperatures we've been experiencing, we wanted a quick outing that still offered that warming homey feel. After realising our first choice, La Carreta, was closed, we opted for Omma (meaning mom in Korean), a cosy Korean spot close by, for a "mom" cooked meal.

Any time we try to combine brunch, a large group and kids, Les Enfants Terribles' Nuns' Island location invariably comes up. The ample parking lot in front is an added draw, more so with the bone-chilling cold we have been subjected to lately.

We've already blogged and tweeted extensively about how much we love Icehouse, easily our favorite casual eatery in town. We also enjoyed chef/owner Nick Hodge's holiday brunch last year at Kitchenette, which he has since sold. This year, Nick decided to move his (hopefully) annual tradition to Icehouse, serving Texas-style brunches on the two weekends preceding Christmas.

Late last year, the popular, 32-year-old burger joint La Paryse shocked the city by announcing it was shutting down. It wasn't long before the same locale was replaced by another (you guessed it) popular burger joint. Open less than a year, Uniburger quickly received rave reviews from a host of bloggers. Having missed out on La Paryse, tonight we decided to see what all the fuss is about.

Given that the two of us work at opposite ends of town, it is rare that we meet up for a weekday lunch. Today we made an effort and met halfway at Cafe Pave, a daytime-only sandwiches "and more" joint in Old Montreal.

We've been pondering the question of whether or not to review a franchise/chain for a while now. While we certainly do not do fast food chains, we couldn't come up with a reason not to review a franchise with more ambition, especially if it was born right here in Montreal. Enter Sesame's fourth location, which happens to be the closest one to where we live.

Food snobs have a tendency to dismiss our city's downtown core and label it a tourist/student haven. Having lived in or around the area for over 15 years now, we share no such prejudice and have our share of regular spots here. One such place is Reuben's Deli, which we've been frequenting for years, be it for brunch, lunch, dinner or even breakfast, as was the case on this Thanksgiving weekend morning.

Anybody familiar with the Montreal bar scene knows that Thursday is THE 5a7 night. After attending the fall season 5a7 launch party at New City Gas, we needed some serious grub to soak up the alcohol and bring us back down to earth. We let our hunger guide us along the short walk from Griffintown to Rue McGill, to find ourselves at Brit & Chips (our 2nd time here).

Tonight we were invited to the opening party of a new restaurant in Sainte-Marie, a small neighborhood on the fringe of the Gay Village. Les Coudes sur la Table offers French bistro fare inspired by local products in a quaint neighborhood setting.

For last year's first-ever Burger Week, we only visited a favorite of ours, M:BRGR, and were impressed with the creativity on display. For this year's "Avec Fromage" edition, we decided to do something different; we hit up as many participating restaurants as our busy schedules can accommodate, and our stomachs can handle, in one week.

We've always felt it was a daunting task to open a new restaurant at a location where several predecessors closed. The folks over at the Tom Nacos Group don't seem to share our trepidation, opening L'Atelier d'Argentine in Old Montreal, at the corner that last housed DNA and California Dream before it. Tonight we accepted an invitation from the owners to dine at their latest joint and review it (honestly, of course).

Continuing our elusive search for the city's best pizza, tonight we set our aim for Old Montreal (read about our downtown pizza crawl here). Our regular crawl "committee" started out at Dolcetto & Co., then headed East on Saint-Paul street towards Mangiafoco and finally BEVO Bar + Pizzeria.

For our 50th review, we needed a last-minute option downtown that allows you to just grab a drink without having to eat (part of our group had already dined). We were lucky to snatch Dominion Square Tavern's last free table; both the dining room and outdoor terrace were full on a Tuesday night. Make sure you reserve if you want to hit this buzzing spot.

Rapido is the kind of place you only go to late at night after an evening of heavy drinking on Saint-Denis. This wasn't the case for us tonight, as we try it for the first time; we were just wondering "how bad can it be?"

What do you do after conquering steakhouses, French restaurants and pizzerias? The Antonopoulos Group went in a radical new direction with their latest venture, opening a Japanese izakaya in the space that housed the late Aix Cuisine du Terroir. Tonight we attended a media tasting event to sample their menu.

The Montreal restaurant scene is notoriously short on refined or ambitious "ethnic" food, save for a few exceptions such as Su, Raza and Damas. Open just over a year ago, Mezcla seems to fill that hole, serving nuevo latino cuisine using "produits du terroir". Following Lesley Chesterman's positive review and a bit of social media buzz, we decided to check it out for ourselves.

Just as the weather rolled in with its soothing warmth and (a-little-too-much) humidity, La Champagnerie opens up in Old Montreal offering refreshing bubbly with some flair. We were lucky to attend the pre-launch, alongside industry insiders, and experience the unique dramatic art of popping a bottle of Champagne with a saber, a.k.a. champagne sabering.

When we were asked to be one of the official blogs for this year's Table of Hope gastronomic charity event, we accepted in a heartbeat; for once 514eats would serve a bigger purpose than filling our bellies. Since 1994, Table of Hope has raised over $2M for the Share the Warmth foundation, which benefits 50+ schools and helps graduate 3,000+ students in need.

Is there a better way for Montrealers to celebrate the end of the cold season than an outdoors 5 a 7? Add to that a view of the downtown skyline, original drinks, good-looking people, and you have Thursdays at New City Gas. Today we were invited to the exclusive media lounge at the official launch for the season.

Monday nights are made for quick bites. Yes, several finer establishments now open their doors on this once-forsaken weekday. But, to be honest, we're not fans of empty dining rooms when we're plunking down big bucks. So we decided to take it easy and satisfy some chicken craving at Coco Rico on St-Laurent, a place we're familiar with as a take-out option, but never actually sat at prior to tonight.

After a few disappointments with our recent Indian outings, we decided to reach out to our fans for their favorite spots to sample the subcontinent's cuisine. Among the suggestions was Thanjai, a South Indian restaurant in C�tes-des-Neiges with a very unusual menu. You won't find any Tikka, Tandouri or other Northern and Anglo-Indian regulars here...

Following our crawl for Poutine Week, we decided to start a crawl tradition with our good friends @RyanBuena and @j_promero. For our first instalment, we went on a downtown Pizza crawl starting at Il Focolaio, then heading west towards Arlequino and Rosalie.

In a continuing trend of old businesses shutting down and new ones springing up on The Main, the longstanding Cafeteria is no more; making way to a new neighbourhood bar, Suwu, with a new concept and design. We were invited to the media launch this evening before the bar opened its doors to the public later on.

Many places were closed on Easter Monday, so we decided to go to one of our regular spots, Al-Baghdadi. This Middle Eastern bakery and shisha cafe, popular with the Concordia student crowd, serves solid manakish (a.k.a. Armenian pizzas) and sweet pastries.

We haven't been to Gandhi since before they expanded into the space next door many years ago, so a revisit was long overdue. We've also both been making a lot of Indian food at home lately, and thought we could try "restaurant" Indian for a change.

Over the last few days, Sofitel Montreal hosted the head chefs from Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi for a week of Vietnamese cuisine at Renoir restaurant. We like to think of this as the only time you'll see chopsticks at a French restaurant, so we HAD to go!

Montrealers are spoiled when it comes to Greek cuisine, thanks to the Hellenic community's long presence here, particularly in Mile-End. Fresh on the scene is Namos, a former mom & pop restaurant that just underwent a major transformation at the hands of their son, new chef/owner Peter Christopoulos. Tonight we attended a media dinner to sample his fresh take on Greek mezzes.

The "flashy" Apollo Group was making some noise last summer with its new Buvette and eclusiers ventures. Their BYOW French/fusion bistro Apollo Concept is also participating in this year's Argentinian cuisine edition of Montreal en Lumi�re, so we figured we would give it a shot.

Following Griffintown and Little Burgundy, Saint-Henri is currently subject to the widespread gentrification taking place in the entire Sud-Ouest borough. It seems a new restaurant and condo project are announced on a monthly basis. A few weeks ago, the popular Satay Brothers food kiosk from Marche Atwater opened up a permanent location on a dreary stretch of Saint-Jacques Ouest.

We finally got to try this much-hyped BBQ joint during Poutine Week. We really came here to sample their "Burnt Ends Poutine" as part of our poutine crawl, but were disappointed to find they had run out of it (a recurring theme apparently, Poutine Week or not ... read on). We therefore decided to make a separate review out of our visit.

This February marks the city's first ever Poutine Week. The week-long event features a number of participating restaurants battling it out to win the title of best poutine maker in the city. Obviously we had to be a part of this: what Montreal restaurant blog would be complete without an all-out poutine-eating city crawl?

This January marks the 6th edition of Happening Gourmand, the annual month-long festival organized by Experience Old Montreal (a.k.a. Group Antonopoulos). Throughout the month, the group's eight restaurants offer three-course menus at a reduced price. Today we were invited to a lunch tasting for the media at Restaurant Verses, to sample dishes from participating restaurants' menus.

Our "random restaurant" night took us to Da Vinci, an upscale Italian ristorante in downtown's Concordia Ghetto. We hadn't been to this longstanding "oddball" establishment in over ten years, so a visit was overdue. We say oddball because it is surrounded by otherwise casual, student-friendly bars and eateries.

A couple weeks ago we realized that we still hadn't reviewed an Italian restaurant. For our last review of the year, we decided to rectify this situation, which proved a little tricky, as many of the more established, older addresses were closed for the holidays. We knew we could count on BEVO as a last-minute option. Given its tourist-magnet location, it would HAVE to be open.

Lately we've been complaining about how the brunch scene was getting really boring. Everybody's charging you $15-$20 for some combination of eggs, potatoes, bland fruit and toast. Been there, done that! When we heard that chef Nick Hodge was doing a special, pre-holiday, Texas-style brunch at Kitchenette, we didn't think twice about being part of this experience.

It seems there is no end in sight to the Griffintown boom, both on the condo front and the restaurant/nightlife scene. The latest additions here are Grinder Viandes et Vins and Le Bureau Bar a Tapas, both of which opened this week. Tonight we were invited to attend the opening/media launch of the latter.

We hadn't been to Andalos since they moved into their newly-constructed digs right down the street from their old location. They did an amazing job with the new layout; the customer flow experience has been completely redesigned and streamlined (something we Arabs are not known for usually). They even added a large seating area, both indoors and outdoors.

For Montreal's first ever restaurant week, where 100+ participating restaurants offer 3-course menus for either $19, $29 or $39, we wanted to go to a familiar place that's usually unaffordable. The choice of Ferreira Cafe was easy: when else can you sample a full dinner for $39 before 10PM at this bastion of Portuguese gastronomy?

We're already fans of the original F+F Pizza in St-Henri and consider it a solid takeout/delivery option. Tonight we got to eat in at the new location in The Village, as we were invited to the soft launch.

Wanting to try something new and different for dinner, we headed out for Imadake, Westmount's happening Japanese pub/izakaya. It is safe to say that we are newbies when it comes to izakayas, as we've only been a couple times to Big in Japan so far. Needless to say, due to our lack of experience, the food critique will be highly subjective here.

Waking up late on a Saturday after a long night often means we're too lazy to make anything at home and brunch outside calls for it. Since winter is slowly creeping in with its chill, we wanted to go somewhere that doesn't have long line-ups for brunch. Vallier fit the order since they have a huge space and, if you need to wait, it'll be inside.

Tonight we revisited Barroco for its fourth year anniversary celebration. For the occasion, there were to be only two dinner services (6PM & 9PM), something we're not very fond of, but are getting accustomed to as more and more restaurants seem to be doing nowadays. The dagger, however, is when they actually make you wait for your table upon arrival for the latter service (2nd time this happens to us here). Our party did get a round of cocktails on the house, so that lightened up the mood a bit...

Today we wanted to grab a quick lunch somewhere midway between downtown and the West Island, for logistical reasons, so we decided to pay a visit to Dunn's Famous deli on Decarie. One of us was also using public transit, so the fact that this longstanding mecca of smoked meat is right in front of Namur metro station on a rainy day helped.

Tonight we headed out to Central Brasserie with the hopes that this latest addition to Westmount's restaurant scene would reverse the years of mediocrity that this address has witnessed when it housed Mess Hall and the late Well House.

Tonight we decided to venture outside of our downtown/Old Montreal comfort area and head out to chef Martin Juneau's latest venture, Pastaga, which opened last year on a (previously) forgotten stretch of Saint Laurent in Rosemont/La Petite Patrie. Make sure to reserve ahead of time if you want to try this buzzing place, as it was fully-booked on a couple of our preferred nights.

Tonight was the closing night for Burger Week Montreal, the city's first, and hopefully annual, week-long burger contest, where Montrealers vote for their favorite burger at participating restaurants. We thought "burgers, fair prices, social media ... How can we miss this?". We chose M:BRGR since we really like it and knew we would find a couple empty stools at the bar to fit us at the last minute.

We realized we haven't blogged in a month! One of us had a baby while the other was in Germany over that period, so we think we're excused. During our "hiatus" we decided we should cap off the busy summer festival season by attending our first Montreal Oysterfest (what other food blogger wouldn't?).

We're big fans of Osheaga, the city's annual music festival that keeps getting bigger each year. We decided to make a review out of it upon hearing that the likes of Grumman 78, Nouveau Palais and other innovative food trucks were taking part this year.

Tonight was the last night of Le Souk Gastronomique, the much-hyped-about gathering of street food trucks and stands in front of Place des Arts as part of the Just For Laughs comedy festival. Given all the hoopla going around in the city's foodie blogosphere, we thought we HAD to give the Souk a shot before its trucks drove away.

I think it's time we explain how we pick a restaurant to review. To keep it fair for everyone, we employ a random system of picking three candidates, with picking and veto rights exchanging hands between the two of us (don't try to understand). Sometimes, we also pick places based on buzz, a recommendation, or simply because we like it. Tonight Kitchenette came up as one of the random candidates, and since we like the restaurant's concept and its chef, we decided to review it.

Upon hearing that La Queue de Cheval was moving, we thought we had to give its old location one last visit. We love this steakhouse, with its American-style extravagance and its grandiose setting. So we reserved for what was supposed to be the Queue's last weekend, but were surprised to find the place already had the new name and logo outside (enter Douze Vingt et Un).

Tonight we wanted to eat somewhere well-situated to experience Montrealhenge. Damas came up because it is perfectly-located at the intersection of Park and Fairmont (although this did not matter in the end due to the cloudy skies). Also, we've been wanting to try this place for a while now. A word of warning: this review will be VERY biased, since we are both Syrian!

It's Grand Prix Weekend in Montreal, which usually translates to sitting at home to avoid the crowds (and striking students) all over town. Tonight I decided to order myself a pizza from F+F Pizza, which I have been eyeing for a while now as I drive in front of it regularly.

Tonight we went to watch the Avengers movie at Cinema Banque Scotia and wanted to first grab something quick nearby, so we had booked a table at iBurger next door. However, after the day's heavy rain, we found out that the latter was closed due to flooding in their basement. So we decided to walk over to Deville Dinerbar and give it another shot.

The weather is finally picking up, so I decided to take my wife and daughter to have lunch at one of our favourite kid-friendly terraces in town: Panos. This long-standing family-run establishment is as safe a bet as can be: tasty Greek food at a reasonable price on popular Duluth avenue.

On Thursday we decided to grab a drink and a bite at Drinkerie Ste-Cunegonde; it was raining and we didn't want to venture too far. Despite all the spots mushrooming on this busy stretch of Notre Dame, it seems we are always able to find a parking spot steps away from our destination.

Today I had about 20 minutes at most to grab lunch in between errands and family activities during a particularly busy weekend. La Foumagerie in Westmount presented itself as a viable option, given their delicious sandwiches, quick service and proximity to where I live. What sets this place apart is the quality and freshness of their ingredients, particularly their cheeses (it is also a cheese store after all).

Thursday night was one of those nights I really did not feel like cooking anything. Having gone to Icehouse the previous night, where I downed half of a Bourbon Hard Lemonade pitcher, and after a full day's work, I really couldn't muster up the energy to spend any kind of time in the kitchen. Tao Restaurant is right next door to where I live, and can have the food at my doorstep literally 15 minutes after I hang up the phone. So I decided to order a couple of my regular favourites, along with a new item...

After a few mediocre outings, tonight we decided to go to one of our favourite places. We've been to chef Nick Hodge's Icehouse 3 times in its opening year of 2011, and wanted to make sure it still had the mojo that made us fall in love with it, one year later. This little "hole" does not take reservations, but we were lucky enough to find an empty spot. As a side note, our camera unfortunately crapped out on us tonight; therefore we apologize for the lack of images in the review.

Last Saturday it looked like the weather would be warmer than a typical spring day, but enough wind kept things cool. After the sun set, it was yet again another late-winter chilly night, so we decided to warm ourselves with a couple of drinks and some English grub at Burgundy Lion. They don't take reservations on the weekends so be prepared to wait for a table, especially on busy nights. We're sure you won't mind a 10-15 minute wait while enjoying a drink at the lively bar.

In keeping with the theme of sticking to familiar places, we decided to go to Bistro on the Avenue, a place one of us has been to many times while the other hasn't yet. We're trying not to be too adventurous at first, while we get our site ironed out. Not surprisingly, the restaurant was very quiet on a Sunday night, as only a handful of tables were occupied. Don't be fooled though, this place does get busy during the week and for weekend brunches.

For the first meeting we held to discuss our new blog, we decided to grab a very quick bite around the area where we live. Joe's Panini came to mind right away, as our city's downtown is mostly filled with fast/junk food joints or eat-in restaurants. Lazy as we are, we still decided to take the car, which of course is a bad idea in this part of the city. After a few minutes of circling around, we were lucky enough to find a spot right in front of this 24-hour panini "stand".