I once wrote a glowing review of The Main, which was my favourite spot in Montreal. But man, have times changed. Unfortunately, the original owner of The Main passed away a few years ago, and it was purchased by a new group. They've made a lot of changes since then, and not necessarily for the best.
What was once a chill environment with a classic Jewish deli vibe, is now a brightly-coloured sports bar-esque joint with large TVs and bright lights. It's tacky and bizarre.
As for the food, the good news is that they kept a lot of the old staff, so the food is somewhat consistent. Although, apparently the smoked meat is no longer made in house, and some feel it doesn't taste a good as the old brisket.
BUT, the big issue is that the food prices skyrocketed while portion sizes have shrunk. I understand that food costs have gone up over the past few years, but everything on the menu is 30-50% more than it was 5-6 years ago, and some items have even doubled in price! That is a massive leap. Couple this with the fact that the smoked meat sandwich and poutine sizes seem to have shrunk quite a bit, makes this place not the value it once was. In fact, it's pretty damn expensive now for what you get.
My friends and I were diehards of The Main and would meet there all the time. Now? I've been once or twice in the past year. I can still enjoy a meal there, but it's just not the same. The old adage persists: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.