Ye Old Orchard – More than just a morning pint

The 411

Once upon a time on drunken St Patrick’s Day a bunch of my friends and I got up bright and early and had an Irish breakfast, at Ye Olde Orchard Pub. I had never eaten Irish breakfast before and was very curious about it. We all ordered different dishes but none of us were brave enough for the green eggs and ham. Since then I have a feeling that I failed at something and I needed to step back onstage and show that I could eat it no matter how weird and Dr Seuss-esque it sounds like. So on one of my previous forays into NDG, I saw that the Ye Old Orchard pub served breakfast on the weekends, and since I was meeting up with one of my friends from NDG and we both wanted something new for brunch , the choice seemed obvious.

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Benedicts – An NDG Brunch Champion

The 411

In following with an attempt to give more geographically balanced brunch reviews across Montreal, I returned to NDG with a mission, to review one of the most talked about places in the western end of the Island and seeing if this NDG sensation can compare to some of the better breakfast and brunch places Montreal has to offer. Benedict’s has some good feedback both online and from people who live in the area and a while ago when I was passing through NDG I was in this area and was curious by what I saw. A visit was definitely in order..

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Crescendo – Waterfront fun in Verdun

The 411

I often get challenging requests to find particular brunch places with various menu items, budgets, times of day, all you can eat buffet, and geographic areas. Now, I must say that I’m pretty good with most of these and especially when it comes to various boroughs in Montreal EXCEPT for when it comes to Verdun. Verdun is like a black hole where maps are wrong, addresses are messed up and street signs are flat out missing. While visiting a friend in Verdun, I was able to show her a couple of brunch places and trust me, there weren’t many. I had recently came across this web site called shoestring Montreal that showcases inexpensive and tasty places to go to around Montreal (BTW – check it out). On that site we saw a posting for this place in Verdun that did brunch by the water. We were so curious and excited about this that we decided to check it out.

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Picasso’s Closes It’s Doors

I just found out that the popular 24 hour, never-closes-its-doors restaurant Serre Picasso just did so, citing poor economy as their reason. This establishment was a Montreal landmark, serving up around the clock food and filling the stomachs of hungry patrons, whether they be after-clubbers still drunk from partying or local people living in or working in the area. It was one of those places where you could order breakfast at any hour of the day. Turns out they did the unthinkable and shut their doors on Friday and news of this broke on CTV this Wednesday. Picasso’s was a dying bread among breakfast places; it had simple, no thrills hearty food and it was relatively cheap, not to mention it never closed, well, until now… The owner Peter Sergakis said in the CTV interview that they are looking for someone to take over Picasso’s. I do hope someone does so, but without changing it too much, even though you know they most likely will. If that doesn’t happen then it’s goodbye to a dear old friend who will be missed. You can watch the interview with the owner, an employee and a patron here. As always if anyone finds our more about this or wants to say anything please post a comment bellow.

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As sweet as its name

The 411

One of the better known brunch places in the West End, Orange Cafe has made a name for itself not only in NDG but across the city. Now having heard many good reviews of this place I had never actually been so you can imagine my excitement when two of my friend suggested that we go
there. What came after was quite the culinary experience.

At 1st glance

Once you walk up to Orange Cafe you wonder what is so special about this place since the front is not that assuming nor is the area in general. The inside is a simple setup of banquet seats and some tables, nothing fancy, although they do have wheelchair access which is a nice touch. (more…)

Home of the legendary Mish Mash

The 411

Cosmos is a place that you will likely have heard of as a Montreal Legend, a small 11 stool greasy spoon that serves up some really well priced egg dishes and their famous Mish Mash.

At 1st glance

As you pass by Comos you have to look carefully as the sign is faded. There’s Christmas decorations in the window and the interior looks like a textbook greasy spoon. So why go in, you ask yourself? Well, put your doubts aside and get in line, you are about to experience Montreal Breakfast history. In the summer there are a couple tables outside and during the winter there’s a line-up. This is not your typical go eat, get comfy and read a newspaper place; this is a get in, place your order, sit, eat, pay and leave kind of place. The turnover is quite fast and the line-up is usually 20 minutes.

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UPDATE Feb 11 2009

Serre Picasso has closed its doors, for more information on this check out a special post on it here.

Kicking it old skool

The 411

All the way in NDG on St Jacques street, surrounded by motels and next to a strip joint, Picasso’s is one place you would never consider walking into; unless you are using one of the other 2 fine establishments previously mentioned, or you are familiar with the legend that is Picasso’s. Any Montrealer at one point or another has heard of Picasso’s with its 24 hours, 7 days a week breakfast for a fair price. It is a veritable landmark where people will come in at all hours to eat and it’s one of the few places in the city where you can eat breakfast at 3 A.M.

At 1st glance

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