Moishes to close on the Main
After 83 years, Moishe’s is closing its restaurant on the Main. Bill Brownstein says they intend to reopen somewhere else, but a plan to move to Victoria Square is off. He also says the building was sold and the resto’s lease was up, so it’s not only the pandemic – but are you telling me that, after 83 years, an outfit like that couldn’t’ve bought the building?
Joey 11:01 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
The real reason seems to be that the new owners wanted to expand to lunch service, which is dicey on the Main (at that price point/style of cuisine). Hardly a ‘renoviction’ type situation… The late-evening special they introduced in recent years was a fairly good deal.
Kate 11:07 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
Joey, I know, I saw multiple mentions of the late evening special, but never got around to trying it.
Also, I never could figure out how that restaurant fit inside that building, I was mildly curious to see how it worked, and now I never will.
Ephraim 11:35 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
The Sunday Dinner special is also a great deal. And Costco has/had discounted Gift Certificates. The decor was definitely very old school and not really i tune with a modern dining room experience, even for a steak house. But still one of the best rib steaks in town.
Blork 11:56 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
An entire Bill Brownstein article that doesn’t mention parking even once!
Zeke 11:59 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
Howdy!
So the question is: When Lenny and Larry sold Moishe’s to SportScene, was the building included in the deal?
Judging by the mailed in hack job by Bill, it was not.
In which case it is evident that the Lighter brothers could care less about the city’s and their father’s “heritage” and more about making sure that their children and grandchildren move from the 1% it into the 0.1%.
Meezly 13:09 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
Moishe’s has a line of steaks, ribs, burgers etc. sold at supermarkets. Does anyone know they’ll continue with that? Hope that’s the case, as it’ll be better than nothing!
jeather 13:15 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
Moishe’s had valet parking, so that wasn’t an issue. I really hope they continue to sell their pickles, which are the only brand I buy.
CE 13:35 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
“Sportscene’s major interest in initially acquiring Moishes had more to do with the retail side of the operation. More than 30 Moishes products, including pickles, coleslaw and steaks, are sold in Quebec at IGA and Costco as well as in other provinces, representing a far larger share of revenues — estimated at about 75 per cent — than the restaurant itself.”
Often when the brand becomes more valuable than the restaurant, the restaurant is kept around to add authenticity to the brand and its associated products. The restaurants of celebrity chefs, for example, often lose money.
jeather 13:41 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
As long as I get my pickles I am happy.
mare 14:59 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
Did Moishe’s ever had a second location? I remember going there after my Canadian Citizen ceremony, it was somewhere near the Olympic Stadium. I don’t eat meat so maybe I’m just misremembering, but I know the brand from their coleslaw.
Meezly 16:03 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
Thanks CE. I obviously did not read the article in its entirety.
Mr.Chinaski 20:09 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
The Three-martini lunch days are far over, it’s amazing that Moishe’s survived being on a 2nd floor for that long. It’s like Ty-Bretz or other old restaurants/institutions in the center of MTL, how can they survive in Covid times?
Ephraim 20:23 on 2020-08-19 Permalink
Have you been to Ty-Breiz in the past decade? Ugh!
Kate 08:58 on 2020-08-20 Permalink
Mr.Chinaski, did you mean “far from over” or “over for a long time”?
Old restaurants have been folding gradually, as is inevitable. The Bar-B-Barn closed up not long ago, and it too had an old-fashioned façade and interior (at least, as far as I’m aware). When an old place like this goes away, the chorus of comments almost always indicates why: “Oh wow, the Xxx closed. I haven’t been there in years!”
I’ve never been in the Ty-Breiz, Ephraim. What’s wrong with it? Or have crepe restaurants simply gone hopelessly out of fashion?
CE 09:28 on 2020-08-20 Permalink
Ty-Breiz is one of those places I’ve passed a million times but have never even thought to try out for some reason. I had no idea what it was by name until I Googled it and immediately knew where it was. I rarely think to try these institutions which are “hopelessly out of fashion” but I should, especially if they’re disappearing (I’ve never been Moishe’s for example but often buy their pickles).
Ephraim 10:01 on 2020-08-20 Permalink
I’ve been there. The first sin and the most telling is that the menu is excessively long…. you can’t stock fresh ingredients for a long menu, especially when you have seafood on the menu. So basically expect frozen ingredients. The music is old as well. It felt like I was in a place that hasn’t updated since the 1940s and really needed someone to come in and update it, from the decor to the menu.
If you really want a galette and un bolée de cidre, try Breizh Café on St Lawrence near Duluth. But if all you want is the galette, Juliette et Chocolat has a small menu with only fresh products.
Crepes are particularly out of fashion, but Americans who visit always want them, because well… Tourisme Montreal keeps on telling them that we are Paris in North America. UGH! And the worst part… they aren’t Parisian either. And of course, they don’t know the difference between a crepe and a galette anyway. It’s in there with questions like “Where can I find frog’s legs on the menu?” You know, the way that some people think that french fries are named after France, when french is simply a synonym for julienne.
Kate 10:35 on 2020-08-20 Permalink
Ephraim, I looked at the menu, and Ty-Breizh has some really classic “French” stuff on the menu – exactly as you say, the sort of thing American tourists probably ask for. I was in a small café in Quebec City a few years ago when some Americans came in – nice enough people, but grievously disappointed that the menu didn’t include onion soup gratiné. I think they imagined every restaurant offered it in francophone parts of the world.
Bill Binns 10:42 on 2020-08-20 Permalink
I think Moishe’s is the only old school restaurant in the city I have never been to. The fact that they advertise heavily at the airport was always a red flag to me.
FWIW – Ty-Breiz has been deemed authentic by my born-and-raised in Vannes wife. It’s the only place in town that I’m aware of where you can get galletes. The service is umm….brusque. Their servers all seem to have been there for 50+ years and are well past taking any crap from customers. Very similar vibe to Ben’s at the end.
MarcG 11:02 on 2020-08-20 Permalink
Read the ingredients on those pickles and you won’t want to eat them again.
Ephraim 12:08 on 2020-08-20 Permalink
Bill – Breizh cafe is run by people from Brittany.
Kate – You should hear the inquiries. Things we haven’t seen on menus in years. French onion soup, beef bourgignon, Coquilles Saint-Jacques and of course, escargot. And then there are the “funny” inquiries… like asking for Chocolate croissants (with the T well pronounced) and having to explain chocolatine/pain au chocolat.