Deville Dinerbar adapts to the new normal with curbside pickup

MtlRestoRap 

After months of hunkering down and planning out their steps, The Tzemopoulos family finally pushed the play button on the reopening of their trendy downtown Stanley Street Deville Dinerbar (www.devilledinerbar.com) last summer.

The Tzemopoulos family have also been operating Reuben’s Deli & Steakhouse on St. Catherine Street for more than 40 years now. It remains closed. They work under the RD3 Restaurant Group.

Adam Tzemopoulos at the Deville Diner take-out counter

Founded in 2011, Deville pays homage with a modern feeling to the great diners of yesterday. There is a massive bar where you can order yourself a house cocktail or Alcohol-infused Craft Shake . Deville specialties include Adam’s Beef Back Ribs, Crispy Mac and Cheese Stuffed Wontons” and signature steaks selected from 100 percent premium Canadian grass-fed beef.

Deville is one of the casualties of the Quebec government’s new regulations that have stopped restaurants from having customers dine in, at least until the end of October. “During the lockdown my brothers and I remained active, strategizing for the reopening and changing our business model,” Adam Tzemopoulos told me.

So, while they reopened for diners they also introduced a neat takeout counter called the Double D pop up Shop. This was intended to focus on foot traffic in the area and for those who are more inclined to enjoy Deville’s famous premium burgers and shakes for a grab-and-go experience. It now lends a certain comfort factor for customers who do not need to go inside to pick up their orders.

Adam, Jim and Anthony Tzemopoulos initiated top-of-the-line safety measures. They represented a perfect reason for Quebec not to take the measures they did.

“Anthony was big on the pop-up shop and it has been a big success,” Adam noted. “We were aware that a lot of people like walking around downtown, so why not select some of our premium burgers and milkshakes and let people order them from a window.”

In order to comply with all government mandated safety measures, Deville had made the security of its guests and staff an absolute top priority. From modified and flexible changes within all dining areas, to impeccable hygiene measures and rigorous staff training, Deville was set up and ready for action with the incorporation of digital menus, the restriction of movements without a mask, reservations limited to groups of 10 people or less as well as curfews dictated by the government.

Avocado toast

The Deville curbside pickup option also remains in place and hopefully will tide them over. Just call before you arrive, pull up nearby and someone will bring your order to the car.

Recently I decided to get lunch to bring back and enjoy at the office, but not only for that day. It in fact lasted me three. Those crispy Mac and Cheese Wontons were a great starter. They are an original Deville creation. It took me two sittings to enjoy every morsel. Ditto for the salt and pepper calamari. Lunch number one was the diner club with fries.  I ordered Adam’s famous beefback ribs for day number two. They came with fries and rolled right off the bones. I made sure my office door was closed and plenty of napkins were handy. “The level of research that went into the recipe for the ribs was insane,” Adam says. “In this city when you order ribs it is most commonly pork, but we agreed beef is a much more accommodating protein.”

Finally, as day three arrived the firebird chicken from the pop-up shop menu was my choice. A couple of desserts came with me: the big easy beignets and the apple pie, minus the ice cream and a Little Havana mocktail.

Deville Dinerbar is located at 1425 Stanley Street near St. Catherine. For more information call 514-281-6556, email [email protected] or log on to www.devilledinerbar.com. They also offer delivery via Uber Eats.

Mike Cohen’s restaurant reviews can be seen at www.MtlRestoRap.com.