You Can Vote For The Name of Chez Boris’ Doughnutty Replacement — And Other Intel

MILE END — Last week it was revealed that Mile End coffee and Russian doughnut spot Chez Boris would be closing by the end of April. This news came with the silver lining that the café’s workers were planning to resurrect the business in a new location, and with a new name (although it won’t be ready by the time Chez Boris closes). Now they want your input on what the project should be called. You can vote in their poll here, which contains no shortage of puns on the word beigne (French for doughnut).

MILE END — St. Laurent Boulevard salad spot Liv Salades is adding brunch to its offerings starting Saturday March 25. Fitting with the #cleansing kind of approach at Liv, it looks to be a lighter affair than most restaurants in the area. The exact menu isn’t out yet but here are some gratuitous food pics to look at, if that’s what piques your interest.

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• Patricia Brochu
• Patricia Brochu
• Patricia Brochu
• Patricia Brochu

QUEBEC — Just a day ago, the SAQ announced it would stop hanging Quebec’s provincial flag in front of its stores across the province, partly as a cost-cutting measure, and partly because those flags can get pretty tattered and nasty, especially in colder winter months. Then, in an apparent display of fragile patriotism, prodded along by mouthpieces like Mathieu Bock-Côté, the liquor retailer was flooded with complaints, so the SAQ did an about-face and decided it wouldn’t get rid of the flags after all: a win for those who feel the need to gush with nationalistic pride as they shop for imported wine.

QUEBEC — Le Journal de Montréal is killing the alcohol beat this week — they’re also reporting that dépanneurs in the province are lobbying the government to be allowed to sell alcohol through to 3 a.m. in order to compete with bars — that’s instead of the current 11 p.m. cut-off (they’re also asking for permission to start selling at 6 a.m. in the morning, instead of 8 a.m.). The lobby group points to black market liquor sales via social media as proof for why they should be allowed to sell late into the evening.

VILLAGE — Bar, strip club, and sexy bar magnate Peter Sergakis has so far failed in his attempts to get Village gay club Play shut down. Sergakis invoked a 1999 bylaw requiring 25 metres between bars on Sainte-Catherine Street, arguing that Play’s proximity to his multi-storey bar Sky meant it could not operate. But because the building has continuously housed nightlife venues since before the law was put in place, it became a bit murky — the situation wasn’t helped by bureaucratic mistakes in dealing with Play and its predecessors. A judge gave Play a 60-day reprieve, but it’s not over.

VILLERAY — Casse-croûte Le Gras Dur is no stranger to encouraging people to eat large quantities of food, and they’re at it again: almost all burgers there are two-for-one for all of March, Wednesdays through Saturdays.

ROSEMONT — Need to get visiting friends or family out of your hair, but they’ve already done most of the standard tourist attractions? There’s now a Rosemont brewpub tour on offer from a local company.

• Chez Boris re-naming poll [SurveyMonkey]
• Mile End Doughnut Hub Chez Boris is Closing [EMTL]
• La SAQ et le Québec des ticounes [Journal de Montréal]
• Retrait des drapeaux du Québec : la SAQ recule devant la pression de la population [Journal de Québec]
• Les dépanneurs veulent vendre de l’alcool jusqu’à 3 h [Journal de Montréal]
• Bar Owner Peter Sergakis Pulls Sexy Video for Jersey's Saloon [EMTL]
• ​Le PLAY est là pour rester...pour 60 jours, ou pour toujours! [Le Stubbies]
• All-You-Can-Eat Poutine Descends on City, and Other Intel [EMTL]
• La Visite des Brasseries de Rosemont [Montreal Craft Beer Tours]