Open from 7 AM to late evening. Wheelchair access is difficult (one set of stairs) but decent once inside. Tel.: 484-0005
Once upon a time, very long ago, there was an Upper Lachine and a Lower Lachine. (“You take the low road, I’ll take the high road and I’ll get to Momesso’s afore you.”) Both roads started from the west end of Old Montreal and ended up in Lachine. The low road became La Salle boulevard. La Salle, in 1667, thought that La Chine was a pit stop before sailing westward to, where else, China. The search for the North West Passage, et al. He was wrong.
La Salle took the low road. I take the high road, as did a generation of Italians about 60 years ago, and end up on the top of a magnificent escarpment looking over the southwest section of the city. There are still the remnants of an Italian community here. Mass at St. Raymond’s on Sunday is in Italian, there are several decent Italian grocery stores, a few restaurants, a very good bakery, bocci court in the park, a great Italian hardware and cooking store. The entire area is worth a long stroll, before you get to the real reason for coming—Momesso’s—named after the family of Sergio Momesso, the itinerant hockey player.
This is a great Italian sports bar with superb espresso, decent grappa, a large non-smoking section sandwiched between the bar and a larger smoking section. A couple of big TV screens set to the sports channel of the day and, oh yes, the best submarine sandwiches in the city.
Did I mention the subs: chopped sausage, hot off the grill, is the specialty with tomatoes, onions, good coleslaw and a dynamite homemade green pepper sauce. Steak and sausage is also good. There’s a vegetarian sub, a chicken sub and that’s about it. 7”and 14” with prices ranging from $3.50 to $9.75 depending upon the ingredients and size. What else? French fries are good, hamburgers too. Draft beer at $2.50 but I go for a can of Brio.
The pizza is a knockout. Amazing how good nothing can taste when it’s done well. Small (hand-sized) with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Great as an appetizer with a some of that homemade hot sauce dabbed on top and maybe a little of Momesso’s sausage on top too. If you’ve got a heavy date, consider splitting a pizza and one large sub. Basta!
—Reviewed by Barry Lazar
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