here was once a warm Lebanese restaurant on the Montreal’s South Shore where frozen winter evenings could be spent sucking on a shisha pipe and reminiscing over the Lebanon heat through rich flavors of native cuisine. Alas, the crucial oasis has moved on. Owner Elia Zouki caught a whiff of that oil sand money and moved the whole establishment to Cowtown. Al-Sultan is now Aladdin’s Casbah – the new addition to Avenida Village, flanked by La Piccola Napoli, Kam Han and Boston Pizza.

Thankfully, the menu made the migration unscathed. Zouki’s tried and true charcoal grill still sizzles up the house favorites. Frog’s legs, Lebanese sausage, Armenian-style cured beef, and all the spiced seafood a person could ask for are graciously cooked on command. The usual Lebanese accoutrements like hummus, fatayer, baba ghanouj and tabbouleh also reside on the card.

Although Montrealers must be devastated about the move, Zouki is a sound business man and he smells gold. I only hope those Calgarians realize what a gem they’ve received. – J.T.