Montréal en Lumière Adapts with Creativity and Culinary Passion
Like virtually every other festival impacted by the ever-ending COVID-19 pandemic, Montréal en Lumière managed to continue onwards this year by making some adjustments to correspond with safety measures in place. During the month of March, this year’s edition offered an unprecedented, panoramic view of the different gastronomic branches of the incredibly creative culinary ecosystem here in Quebec.
Among the participating restaurants and hotels partnering with the festival this year was Chez Alexandre et fils on Peel Street downtown. Owner Alain Creton was thrilled to be involved. For $45 (before tip and taxes) he offered the duck foie gras terrine from Hudson Valley Farms, 12-hour braised beef cheek with mushrooms, carrots and truffles, or scallop risotto with lobster sauce and chocolate croustillant from Christian Faure at ofauria.com. I was pleasantly surprised when I dropped by for a lunch pickup. All of the food was freshly prepared by the Chez Alexandre chef and placed in vacuum-packed plastic bags. Bravo Alain!
Cavallaro St-Jean: A Pandemic Success Story
Cavallaro St-Jean in Dollard des Ormeaux has been in business for 12 years. Matthew Blanchette and his business partner took over in late 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two knew they had a tough road ahead of them, but both were ready for the challenge. Cavallaro St-Jean is your one-stop shop for European products such as pasta, tomato sauce, cookies, and other rare-to-find items. It has a variety of deli meats — salami, porchetta, smoked turkey, mortadella, capocolli, pepperoni, and others — to make succulent sandwiches at home. They also have eight different pizzas to pick from. Below are the different types that they offer….
New Restaurant Arrivals in NDG and Laval
We all have our dreams in terms of restaurants establishing themselves in our neighbourhoods. For me, my wish was to see Harvey’s and St-Hubert locations return to the West End of Montreal. A few weeks ago, I learned that this was about to happen, but had to keep it to myself.
Groupe St-Hubert has opened a new restaurant concept on St-Jacques Street in NDG featuring a Harvey’s, New York Fries, and St-Hubert. Uber Eats, SkipTheDishes, and DoorDash provide delivery, and a take-out counter will open soon. It is located at 6710 St-Jacques in the same plaza as EggsFrutti, just west of Cavendish. The parking lot is spacious and convenient for customers to eat in their car.
Casa Grecque Gives Back
Casa Grecque in Chomedey, located at the corner of St. Martin Blvd. and Daniel-Johnson Blvd., not only offers take-out and delivery but franchise owner Peter Chiotis has also turned the spot into a food bank. Since January, volunteers have collected groceries and other supplies and packaged boxes that they distribute every Saturday. Please see MtlRestrap.com for more details.
