Devi Indian Restaurant and Lounge on Crescent
Our waitress called it: “Crescent Streets Best kept secret” and she probably is right. I accidentally went in this Indian restaurant for dinner on Saturday and although I am still suffering from the consequences of the spices, this place was amazing. I have been to some typical “ghetto” Indian couple of times but this restaurant is nothing like that. The attention to detail in this joint is surprising, both from a menu and decor perspectives. The ambiance is borderline mystical, with colors, lanterns, wooden beams and great loungey “BuddhaBar” style music. The food was pretty much your typical Indian meal but the presentation was very interesting, with modern versions of the metal plates and cups you would typically see in India or any hardcore Indian restaurant in Montreal. Overall the experience was great and so was the service, however if you are just hungry and are craving Indian food, there are lots of alternatives in the city that offer the same food for the fraction of the price but if you are looking for a different dining experience, Devi is definitely worth a shot.
My bill: about 130$, tip and a bottle of wine included.
Macaroni – Yeah, It’s A Club
When my friends first told me we are going clubbing at a place called Macaroni, I thought it was a joke. Well, it wasn’t. Located on the corner of St-Laurent and Mont-Royal, it’s been open for a couple of months and has now become a hot spot. It is not a big club, but the vibe was really good mainly thanks to the DJ (I think it was Donald Latour, not sure). I dropped by after 1 am on Saturday and the crowd was really into it. The place is a a modern version of a mom and pop italian restaurant, with pictures of old italians eating on the walls. To be honest, it kind of felt like partying in a newly designed Pizza hut. I guess that’s what makes this place a little more special. Typical supper clubs have club names and try to emphasize on the partying aspect of the night, this place seems to be more about the food, the wine and the good time that can be had afterwards. I guess the next time I go there, I should actually live the whole Macaroni experience.
Marathon Souvlaki – Why are you so good?
If you are thinking of starting a successful restaurant chain, you should probably stop by one of Marathon’s Souvlaki location and take some notes; these people have figured things out. Everything these people have on the menu is a delight from those little round fries to the their special marathon salad dressing and tsatsiki.
Marathon locations are always packed with all types of people all thinking the same thing: I hate you Marathon… because I love you. Why? because every bite of that sandwich is a conscious decision to live with its consequences: the garlic breath, not to be confused with ”garlic bread”.
So here’s some Marathon related advice.
- This is NOT a good place for a first date, unless you are into sometype of kinky disgusting garlic fetish
- Take the marathon salad, its borderline addictive
- Try the Greek beer, it tastes a little weird, but its good
- If you go there at night, after clubbing, expect your bedroom to smell like shit the next day, enough to have your roommate/parents/siblings to force you to open the window.
I guess the garlic references can apply to any greek or even lebanese place, but I thought I would give some props to Marathon since they really are the best. And no they are not paying me… Even if they did, I would take store credit over cash.