Hi
Just saw on the news on 12 that they want to demolish Ben's..
Any thoughts?
Lad
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
23 comments:
I would imagine the property is extremely valuable,.and the owners may build something decent there,.. Ben's mystique has long since been gone,..they weren't even that good the last time I tried them,...but I do think it would be a good idea on the City's part to try & save many of the old signs (commercial signs) and perhaps designate one street where all these famous landmark signs could be on display,..a short street closed off to vehicular traffic,so pedestrians ( tourists & some of us ex-pats) could walk and Remember a lot of Montreal's old history,....sort of like that 'boneyard' fro old signs in Vegas. Vancouver set out many years ago to save many of the old flurescent signs ,..that dotted much of Vancouvers landscape in the early 60's & 70's,.......I believe they did save quite a few,... but imagine being able to take a leisurely stroll down a wide street,that was loaded with say the old milk bottle on Guaranteeed Pure Milk,.or the Five Roses / Ogilv'y 's old sign on top of some new boutiques, and the Ben's sign,.and How about those old '3d' cows heads from the old Elmhurst Dairy (Sealtest )Boeden's whatever................If this were done then business's wouldn't have to worry about public outcry ,when they want to renew their property.and the public wouyld know that the sign is destined for a sort of sign heaven.......a new tourist destination sort of..............???Who Knows... or just Junk the friggin thing........hahahahahaha HF&RV
I know this is not the store in question but I had to put it in.Steve
Ben's closed in part due to the strike that was going on. The other contributing factor was the family that owned Ben's was offered a large amount, much more than they thought it was worth, for the site.
I liked Ben's. On visits back to Montreal, I'd always make a visit. In the early 70's I worked at Simpson's down the street and often went for lunch to Ben's one time I really really got into their Potato Latkes with sour cream. I'd have them every day. One time, the waiter took my latke order, looked at me and said, "We have smoked meat too!" . Loved the attitude.
BobB
Hi I'm sorry this has some relevance to the thread,.but I just had to post them.................................hahahahahhaha Hmmmmm On Strike ,.then Closed ,.......Greed kills all business from either side of the equation......... a sense of entitlement seems to have possesed the employeee's and te owners ,finally said 'asta la vista' Now they can sell & make a bundle,.the family was tired & certainly tired of strife as well,.a smart bunch of employee's would have made a deal to purchase or particiapte in Profit Sharing,...................these were not a group to ,be Forward Thinking,......many had been there for many years,.and Unfortunately for both sides they couldn't see the forest for the trees,.......now they are out of work,...& the building is sold .............and I stand by my previous comment ,.they really weren't that good anymore ( not to say they never were,because I did enjoy their products ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but just not the last time I was there) too bad another Montreal Mainstay goes by the wayside....................... HF&RV Sorry for the relevance to the threaf Btw:..........hahahahahhah
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Les, The last I heard was that the owners of Bens got 10 million for that property. Sounds exagerated but thats what I read in the paper. Of course they could have sold the business or opened elsewhere but I guess it all came down to money. Guy
I'm sad about Ben's. I loved it. Great at the end of the evening. Or for lunch. Dunn's was the other one. Is it still there? On St. Catherine St. And does anyone remember the name of the steak house just up from St. Catherine (I think on Mountain), called .......... ???? Carol
Carol Could it be the Alouette Stk House? Dunn's is just down from the Sun Life Bldg..just before Ste.Catherine.. Lad
No, it was between St. Catherine and de Maisonneuve, on the east side of the street. Great steak. Open late, too, 'cause I used to work afternoons. carol
I never realised Dunn's had so many locations...... http://www.dunnsfamous.com/en_location.htm .seems they have added quited a few since the old days (when there was only 1) I don't Remember the Alouette Steak House...was it around in the early 70's? .I guess you guys were the rich ones,.I could only afford Magnan's ( and rarely at that )............hahahahahah HF&RV
Les, there was also a Dunn's on Princess St in downtown Kingston for a couple of years, 2-3 years ago. Ron
the best is dun's cheese cake back then on st catherine, the smoked meat was so so. dun's had the best cheese cake with the straw berries on top
Hi Ron I didn't know that either,.but Dunn's website sure has a lot of info on it,..........theym seem to be pushing franchise,...but sometimes that's a problem waiting to happen,.... and Walter ( metalman) I think your right with ther Smoked Meat only being so-so,.even years ago,.So was Ben's the last time I was there,.I actually get most of my smoked meat ,these days from Quebec Smoke Meat ( Center St in the Point) vacuum packed bags ,sliced properly,.......etc etc ....at one time this place supplied many of Montreal's area restaurants...... I had a smoked meat in Dunns a long time ago,.and it was awful(not even so-so,..big line of grissel in it) ........ I'm not so sure about Schwartz's anymore ,as it's been too long since I ate there,they used to spice all their own meat,and it used to be very good,.........but as I say ,I like the Quebec Smoked Meat place now,.and it's easy to ship out here ....... all in all Montreal brings to mind many great meals over the years,..........maybe even better Remembered than the actual meal..................................................................... hf&rv
I agree, Les that their product deteriorated from what it was in the 60's and 70's over the years. When I'm in Montreal, I enjoy Chenoys on the West Island. Does anyone remember Adam's Smoked Meat at 4th ave & Lasalle Blvd in the 50's - 70's? - Pretty good for a small operation. Ron
Adam's was in Ville Lasalle, not Verdun.
les i find all foods pizza. smoked meat, ribs, chicken, etc isn't the same quaility. even look close at the steamie, the hotdog wiener is thinner than a wooden pencil. the new generation living in verdun call pizza pizza, dominos, st hubert even the spruce beer tastes not the same better off cooking your own food,
yes i remember adam's smoked meat, went there lots of times
chenoys had smoked chicken, smoked turkeys, cheeses cake like dun's every xmas i order a smoked turkey from chenoy's plus a cheese cake
Adams was a good spot to hang out,.they never really bothered you ,with us teens sitting around having a coke & fries and the odd time a smoked meat,..I Remember thinking it was good,.but it didn't stand out as fantastic,.but we liked them,...... of course in those years the food was most likely enhanced with products from Afghanistan ,Pakistan,.etc etc ,.,,,,,,,,,,hahahahah maybe Morocco.............Yikes !! ( so I've been lead to believe,via the grapevine of course)
I have to agree Walter ( Metalman) Our memories remember a lot better stuff,than we get today...... cost is a big factor,easier & cheaper to buy generic stuff from large food suppliers,.....Most restaurants these days are all part of a chain.franchise deal,.and they all buy the same stuff,from the same suppliers ( with minor exceptions,..) We saw the start of franchise places with te beginnings of McD's ,..and then places like the Ponderosa Steak House ,....(that was it wasn't it? at Dollard & Newman on the SW corner ,,,,,,) .........too bad cause small Mom & Pop type joint made better food,.and the small Restaurants made better Pizza,.Smoked Meat or whatever the 'Specialty of the House ' was,........ gotta go ,.got company arriving right now ,.for dinner,..... have fun everyone & remember Verdun
My visits to Montreal always included lunch at Ben's. I remember when the last of the "old" owners was still there sitting on his stool greeting all of the patrons. I also have wonderful memories of the incredible chicken (no silverware) at the Chalet Lucerne on St. Catherine Street near Guy. Never have had better chicken and, of course, the Montreal french fries! I tell my friends here in Los Angeles that there's no french fry like a "Montreal french fry". Walking home from Verdun High School with a newspaper cone filled with fries with lots of vinegar was my idea of a gourmet meal. Loved growing up in Verdun and Crawford Park.
Just below Bens, there was Joe`s Steak House, then came Curly Joe`s Steak House. Cheers Dan Flynn
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