Nick Koulakis making my mini Mishmash.
The plan: Hit three Montreal restaurants in one day. Patronized two of them as a child with my family in the 1970’s. The third was the focus of a hilarious documentary called, “Man of Grease”. Ensure plenty of time in between meals for digestion and working up an appetite.
The reality: Ate three meals in four hours. One horrid, one good, one delicious.
Stop #1. 10:50 am Cosmo on Sherbrooke and Draper in NDG.
Made famous by the 2000 documentary featuring owner Tony Koulakis. Signature dish: the Mishmash omelet. Calorie count: 1,800. Tony’s kids now run the place. Nick, the son, warned the Mishmash would be too much for me. “I’ll make you a small one,” he said. Fried potatoes, two eggs, bacon, sausage and more.
The verdict: BEST BREAKFAST EVER. Eggs cooked to perfection. Even the coffee was outstanding.
Stop #2. 1:30 pm Pendelis Pizza on Cote St Luc near Decarie.
Ordered a small pepperoni. Might have appealed to my 13 year old self, but the now me was turned off by the (fatty) meat. Crust was like cardboard. Some war flick blaring on the TV. Headache-inducing.
The verdict: Yuck. Some things are best left in the past. Might have been slightly more appealing if I hadn’t had a tummy still full of Mishmash.
Stop #3. 3:15 pm Cote St Luc BBQ on Cote St Luc near Decarie.
Like Swiss Chalet but 10 times better. Ordered chicken breast. Fast service. Chicken was awesome. Not too juicy or dry. Dipping sauce yummy – just as I remembered.
The verdict: I’ll be back. But not after eating at Cosmo.
Not sure how to measure success here. Finished the day bloated, headachy, dehydrated and vowing to never do something this stupid again. But grateful to have secured one of the 11 rickety counter seats at Cosmo.
RIP Tony Koulakis. You were a culinary genius.
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