Les 3 Maria
4886 A Boul. Des Sources/ between Anselme Lavigne
& Joseph Paiement
Dollard des Ormeaux, Québec
H4Y 3C7
Tel: 514-683 1333
http://www.les3maria.com
Cost: $ 41.37
Chef Hats: 4


Les 3 Maria Portuguese Grillades located on Sources Boulevard stands alone in this neck of the woods when it comes to serving authentic Portuguese food. It is the one and only Portuguese restaurant in the West Island that brings you a sample of the authentic flavors of Portugal with its grilled chicken, grilled fish, chouricio sausages and other classics.

The restaurant may be small and unpretentious, as its original intent was suppose to be a take-out counter; but in the last couple of years it has evolved into a full service restaurant with a liquor permit.
Les 3 Maria has been newly decorated in a modern theme that is pleasing on the eye with its white walls, simple wall art of pictures of Portugal, dark wood floors and ample lighting. It is the epitome of clean, in an area where many of the local restaurants have been fined with big contraventions by the city of Montreal that they had to close down this year.

In the last few years Sources Boulevard has been in a sort of decline. Unlike its other main artery St. John’s Boulevard which is booming and keeping many of its restaurants, Sources has been having a slow death in terms of restaurant establishments in the past year. This year we lost some landmark restaurants like Mc Bays, Tutti Giorni, Fu Lam and Pavillon Wong.

Anh Thai closed in January which happened to be a few doors down from Les 3 Maria. On a positive note, Sources Boulevard also has a few remarkable ‘’mom & pop” places that have sprung up over the years that are affordable, original and very good. In March, two new businesses will open in the now defunct Tutti Giorni restaurant, Pizzeria Piccante a take- out pizza place and XO chocolaterie that will serve anything chocolate including crepes.

It is these types of places that make Sources Boulevard original in its own way and Les 3 Maria can fall into this category. It is a quiet place with seating for about 15-20 people. The service is friendly, professional and courteous, the experience is pleasant and the menu though simple covers all the basics at very reasonable prices. On certain evenings you can get their promotional specials which allow you to obtain a second meal at ½ prices. You can enjoy a convivial meal with family, a quiet hassle free evening night out with that special person in your life, or among friends. You can enjoy a glass of wine, an authentic delicious meal that will not break the bank. It is great for the locals who want to grab a quick bite or take out when they don’t feel like cooking. The grilled chicken is comparable and even better than many of the great grilled Portuguese places that occupy space in the Plateau area and other parts of our great city like Romados, Doval and Mavi just to name a few.

Les 3 Maria Grilled opened in December 2012, by Maria Augusta, a 25 year veteran in the field of restauration and hospitality management. It sits in a locale that once housed another Portuguese restaurant called Rico’s Grill for a few years. For the last 3 years it has flown under the radar as many of the restaurants have in this strip mall, unnoticed , unmentioned, but it has grown over the years to become a much needed and welcome spot in the West Island that is filled mostly with generic chain restaurants.

On this particular evening we walked in without reservations and not knowing what to expect to grab a quick bite. We were greeted by our friendly waitress Eva who accommodatingly seated us at a table against the wall. We were given a brief explanation of their specials and a menu. We ordered a glass of white wine Vinho Verde for $ 5.00 and bottle of Sumol -$3.00, a local Portuguese type soda with flavors of grapefruit. We decided to go with their grilled chicken special at $ 12.75 which came with a salad and fries. The second meal was at half price for $ 6.38.

For starters we were brought a basket of homemade Portuguese bread and Piri Piri sauce to spread on our chicken or wherever we chose to slather this spicy pepper sauce. The bread was devoured in an instant. It was so fresh and heavenly soft. We asked for seconds at no charge.

Then the festivities of the palate began, we were amazed at the quality of the charcoal smoked chicken, with its mild spicy kick and marinade of Piri Piri sauce done just right. The chicken was very tender on the inside and its crispy flavors of perfectly grilled but not burned charcoaled skin on the outside gave it that special je ne sais quoi. The dish was further complimented with perfect mix of green salad and crispy fries, which we further, dipped in the sauce. The salad was a mass of very green leaf lettuce, slivers of red peppers, and sliced red onions in a light oil and house vinaigrette base.

Since we were on the run, we ordered two Natas for dessert to take home and have with our espressos after our shopping expedition. Nantas a small is a Portuguese custard cup made with egg that is just heavenly and must be sampled at the end of any Portuguese meal. These were perfect as can be and very tasty.

We left happily content and completely satisfied in our discovery. Another fine establishment to add to our repertoire and just so happy that it is in our back yard practically.