I have noticed that Garam Masala and the Tapas restaurants on Monkland and EAST INDIAN COMPANY-corner of Cote des Neiges and Queen Mary have all closed their doors.
I know winter is pretty hard on an all ready hard business.
Any other closures anyone knows about?
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Mar 21, 2007 09:45PM
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The Vietnamese restaurant Papaya Verte on Bernard West has just closed.
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If I'm not mistaken, the tapas location on Monkland has been replaced by a Greek resto, "Mykonos" which I noticed opened back in November/December. BTW has anyone tried it yet? I had eaten at Garam Massala a few times but was very disapointed on our last visit and didn't go back. As we are all aware the restaurant business is a tough one, especially in this city.
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I had a similar experience at Garam Masala - I went for the first time 2 years ago and the food was incredible, but my last visit 6 months ago was very disappointing. I have never worked in the resto business - any opinions on why it is so hard to maintain the quality of the product? Is it the responsability of the chef, or are there outside influences that play an equally important role?
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Discussion of restaurant economics is offtopic for this board. We've moved a response on this topic to the Not About food board, at http://www.chowhound.com/topics/383806
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The new Greek restaurant that opened up has the same owners (at least one of the same owners) as the trying-to-hard-to-be-trendy Tapas restaurant. He also owns a bad coffee/lunch place on St-Catherine’s called Mars/Venus. I don’t like the guy. I didn’t look at the menu yet but I’m assuming it’s brochettes, bla, bla, bla…
I tried Garam Masala a few years ago and was not disappointed but not impressed. I hope they open up something better this time- I was dreaming of snatching that place up and opening a nice breakfast joint….*sigh*
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Arktik, I was going to say, "it's probably just another run of the mill" Greek place, with the typical menu. I was walking by a couple of months ago and stopped to read his menu that was posted in the front window. The only thing that stuck out to me was the overpriced Saganaki appetizer, If I'm not mistaken it was $13.95 or $15.95 (someone correct me If I misread but I do remember some over inflated price).
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Just noticed that the coffee establishment that Carswell recommends in CDN(close by to the former East India Company restaurant location), has closed up temporary. There's new administration, & they're suppose to re-open at end of his month. Can't remember the name of the establishment.
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Thanks for the heads-up, BLM. The name is/was Tentations Gourmets. Sorry to see it go, since they pulled the only halfway decent espresso in the neighbourhood. The failure rate on that block of Queen Mary is incredibly high. Wonder whether it's location or high rent. Maybe both, though Tentations Gourmets didn't seem to be wanting for customers.
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Cobalt on St. Paul which was temporarily closed due to a flood seems to now be closed for good.
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There's a For Rent sign in the window of Caffélix, the cafe on Côte-des-Neiges just around the corner from Tentations Gourmets. Tough neighbourhood, I guess.
www.chowhound.com/topics/98712#1788139
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The Gazette is reporting Area is closing -- bankrupt.
On another note, another board is reporting Cube will re-open in a month or so.
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Wonder what impact Area's closing will have on Halte Urbaine.
edit: The article's online and Halte Urbaine is mentioned in the last paragraph: "For the immediate future, Perreault will carry on as chef at the Outremont restaurant Halte Urbain, which is owned by his wife, Melanie Martin."
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"Perreault will carry on as chef at the Outremont restaurant Halte Urbain"
Should be Halte Urbaine, btw. Does no one at the Gazoo speak French?
www.halteurbaine.com
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Maeve Haldane's reviews Halte Urbaine in today's Hour paper http://www.hour.ca/food/food.aspx?iID...
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another big WTF !!!
What's happening !!!!
ok, I really need to go out and dine out before they all close down.
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"What's happening !!!!"
Two factors, according to the article (see below). Specific to this restaurant was the fact that Perreault was saddled with $300K+ in debt, part of which was related to the demise of Rest Area. More generally, growing competition. Perreault: "When I opened eight years ago, there wasn't that much competition. But these days, every new restaurant coming on to the scene is a small chef-owned establishment like mine."
The article's still online, though probably not for long. www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/a...
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Just finished reading the Gazette article. Maybe there's too many restaurants in Montreal?
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I get the debt part, but as far as competition there are precious few restos that hold a candle to the food at AREA---I am beyond saddened by this. Halte Urbaine is excellent, but the atmosphere and service at Area.......*sniff sniff*. Must call to find out the actual closing date...ugh.
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Area closed last Saturday.
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Seriously?? That's it? Are you 100% certain? Waaaaahhhhhhh.
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It's mentioned in today's Lesley Chesterman Montreal Gazette article.
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I read that too. What a shame (that our city can't support such a restaurant) and I haven't even had a chance to go there yet!
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On the weekend I noticed an *à louer* sign in the window of the Daskalidas chocolate shop and cafe on Laurier West, across from the SAQ Sélection outlet. The store had been closed "for renovations" for several weeks.
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Noticed today that the pizzeria establishment Da Pasquale has closed on Decarie Blvd in Ville St-Laurent. Until about 2 years ago, Da Pasquale was for decades located in downtown Montreal on Stanley.
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No wonder whenever I called to order for delivery no one answered. That's really too bad because I found their delivered pizza pretty good. In a previous life I worked on Stanley & Da Pasquale was a once a month (or more) staple.
Very sad to hear about Area. I have had several memorable meals there. Quite a loss!
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When they were still on Stanley in their last years, I'm sure it didn't help business for Da Pasquale when there were constant construction around the area.
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The very long reconstruction of the innards of St-Laurent (The Main), while sorely needed, is making things very difficult for restaurants and other businesses there.
But interested though I may be in food, I can't afford to go to such places more than once or twice a year, and I suspect that is the case for a lof of other people in the creative professions here.
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It seems Da Pasquale on Decarie Blvd, will be replaced by a Russian restaurant at that location.
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The windows of Le Figuier, the Algerian restaurant on the north side of Lacombe in the block east of Côte-des-Neiges, were papered over when I walked by this evening. Pity. The food was good and inexpensive and the owners pleasant people. A spiffy sign with said a crêperie -- with a slick, franchisey-looking logo -- would be opening soon.
Have to wonder if the building's owner didn't jack up the rents, since Le Figuier's departure was preceded in quick succession by those of the neighbouring Algerian butcher, Vietnamese resto and natural food store.
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What a pity, carswell. I studied at Université de Montréal for many years, as I was part-time, both undergrad and master's. I remember all those places. A loss for many people around there, including foreign students.
Nick, I love Montreal Food and am delighted that there is also content in French now. I'd contribute, but the problem is, my budget is very slender and I don't get out to restaurants as much as I'd like.
Foodie sites must not see each other as enemies; montreal food's gain is not necessarily chohound's loss.
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What's up with Côte-des-Neiges this spring?
The windows of Café Couleur, a nicely decorated but otherwise run-of-the-mill coffee bar on CDN just north of Édouard-Montpetit and the SAQ outlet, were covered with newspaper yesterday afternoon, and workmen appeared to be emptying the space.
Even more depressing was the bankruptcy announcement in the window of Boucherie Casablanca and its adjacent resto, Le Saphir. Again the food (including the chicken pastilla and especially the pastries made by the owner's wife) was decent and affordable and the staff hard-working and pleasant. In the last month, the nabe has lost its only Algerian butcher and restaurant and now its only Moroccan butcher and restaurant. Feh.
A couple of months ago, one of the cousins who runs Sindibad, the Lebanese shawarma joint on CDN a few doors north of Café Couleur, was complaining that business was bad of late, though he attributed it to competition from Al Amine, Farhat and a couple of newcomers whose names escape me. Today I'm wondering if it isn't a sign of a broader trend.
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This morning workmen were emptying out La Grande-Mère Poule, the breakfast joint on the corner of Bernard and Hutcheson. Sign in the window said their lease had expired.
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Oh well it wasn't very good anyway!
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Noticed today that the Village Grec location in Ville-St-Laurent at Decarie has now closed. It will be replaced by the chicken/ribs restaurant Coq-O-Bec. I assume the Village Grec on Jean-Talon West is still open.
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It better be or else I'll have to move to Laval.
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Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief...it is still there! :)
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Noticed today(friday), the Italian sub restaurant in NDG Agostini has closed. Their Italian sausage subs were very good, although no as good as the Italian subs just opposite them at Momesso. Agostini will be replaced by a Korean restaurant(scheduled to open June 1st).
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No way... A Korean restaurant on Upper Lachine road???
You can't be serious.... Talk about a fish out of water.
I hope they can also walk on water and perform other miracles.....They might have a better chance if they were Kosher as well!!!
Color me a Skeptic...
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The Korean restaurant will be named Chez Hwang BTW.
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Believe it or not, Chez Hwang was just reviewed by Sarah Musgrave in today's Montreal Gazette. Opened just over a month(Sarah probably ate there last week(early to mid-week)).
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Noticed today(Sunday), that Pines Pizza on Parc Avenue is now closed.
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At the Jean-Talon Market this afternoon, I noticed that Fresco, the Italian resto on the southeast corner of Jean-Talon and Casgrain, appears to be closed.
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RIP Au Cyclo, long the city's best and most individual Vietnamese restaurant. To be replaced by Feuille de Menthe, yet another pan-Asian resto cum sushi bar. Soulless generic trumps ethnic authenticity again.
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Now yoiu have broken my heart. I was very fond of that little resto. :-(
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I had come to have mixed feelings about Au Cyclo. I always enjoyed the food, but occasionally met subpar service. Our final visit was about a year ago.
We ordered a dish featuring what sounded like an intriguing sticky rice preparation -- it was the selling point. The food arrived, but the dish was not as described on the menu: instead of the intriguing preparation, there was an ordinary bowl of sticky rice on the side. Suspecting they'd made the wrong dish, we asked the waiter to double-check. He assured us that it was the same dish, but that it didn't match the menu description because preparing the rice as described was "complicated" and "too hard." Say what?
I can still barely believe a restaurant would leave a dish on its menu if it was too difficult to make, nor warn customers that they were serving a simplified version. And to explain, when queried, that it's too much effort to make it as described? A true Fawlty Towers moment.
There were other glitches, each fairly harmless on its own, but it all added up to a feeling that the place was struggling in every way and had almost certainly lost key people. A shame, because most of the time the kitchen did very nice things.
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I'd originally planned to phrase the announcement along the lines of "Au Cyclo finally put out of its agony," mainly based on a couple of reports -- including yours -- that desperation had set in. Two thoughts made made reconsider. First, speak no ill of the dead (especially when you're inordinately fond of the deceased). Second, I had no personal experience of the downturn. In fact, my last meal there -- slightly over a year ago, IIRC -- was one of the best ever; ours was a party of six and dish after dish had us swooning. Even so, the writing may have been on the wall: the owner told us he was going on indefinite leave and introduced us to a relative (his cousin?) who would be taking over.
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Despite my mixed feelings and reluctance to return -- or perhaps it was a mild dread of what the manager/waiter might muck up -- I too had some sympathy for their struggles.
I guess seeing the news sparked an urge to justify not giving them any business for the past year. The resto could hardly have been more conveniently located for me, so I feel a little guilt over it.
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Noticed the Arahova on Crescent street has closed. The whole structure has been torned down, & at that space will be a downtown location for Madisons New York Grill & Bar. Is the food good at Madisons(currently have locations in Boucherville, DDO & Montreal East)?
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Food at Madison is decent but not great as could be expected from a chain of Steak/Ribs place. High on quality control, low on soul.
Think of it as an alternative to baton rouge with a more modern decor. They are making a push to open locations
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It was started in Boucherville, if I remember correctly.
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The Arahova on Crescent burned down over a year (maybe two?) ago. There is a new Arahova BYO on St. Catherine's, a few blocks west of Crescent. Haven't tried it though...
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Anyone know what happened to the Tree House? It was expensive, but my wife just loved it. We were going to visit this week, but everything looks dark on a drive by.
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It closed a few years back - Chef Tri Du can now be found at Tri Express, 1650 Laurier East. It's a tiny place, and much more casual, but the sushi is supposed to be very very good (I haven't made it there yet, but it's on my list to get to in the next few months...)
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Thanks, I knew the original Tree House closed a bit ago, and then Petite Tree House opened on St. Laurent. That's the one I was talking about. Can't be closed for a year already???
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yep, closed.
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Katsura on Mountain street has closed at end of June(end of lease).
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End of an era. That place is were I had natto for the first and last time.
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The space(2170 Mountain) that was for decades Katsura, will soon be occupied by Sakura Garden.
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Eden, the gourmet kosher restaurant downtown. (Hat tip to eat2much.)
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The upscale Vietnamese restaurant Ru De Nam on Notre Dame West has closed? The people behind the Joe Beef restaurant have taken over the location(they plan to open a dining establishment called Liverpool House, scheduled to open in September).
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Not that many hounds will feel deprived, but Buffet Maharaja burned down on Tuesday evening. Cooking oil and grease ignited and the fire spread through the ventilation system. No news on plans to reopen.
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Is this still true? I want to go there but I am not sure if it still exists...
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Try calling the number on their Web site: Tel : (514) 934-0655
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I'm pretty sure the place has reopened.
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Hermes on Jean Talon in Park Ex is papered over and Terracotta in Ville St. Laurent looks dark - anyone know what's up?
Also when did Kilo on St.Laurent turn into kg delights?
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Zumaia (on st-laurent) went bankrupt; I don't know if it's related to the never ending ( but necessary) on-going road work on the street.
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Wow, that was short-lived. We only had the chance to eat there once but it was a fantastic meal---and the service was the best that I had had in Montreal in YEARS. I wonder if the road-work did them in--ugh, very unfortunate.
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Driving up Parc this morning, I saw a big À LOUER sign in the window of The John Tea Company.
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Anybody know when and why Le Va-et-Vient on Notre Dame next to Sans Menu closed? Liked going there for nibbles and shows.....
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It wasn't making money. Dont' know why, though. It was often packed.
http://www.ledevoir.com/2007/04/26/14...
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Drove by Legende chinese bakery on Jean-Talon and the windows were papered up.
Also, does anyone know anything about what happened with La Nouvelle Province on Bélanger? For the last few months there's been a sign in the window saying "fermer" and the place looks like they left at the end of the day and never came back. There's still food on the shelves. I've never been to La Nouvelle Province and I'm sure it's not a big loss for Montreal foodies, but I just find the situation very intriguing.
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A restaurant will typically do that when it files for bankruptcy. You have to give the impression it's business as usual until the moment you close; if ever your suppliers and creditors suspect you are planning on closing they will stop deliveries and start hounding you for payment and even try to slap a lien on you.
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That makes sense. Thanks for the info, Venusia.
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Sniff. The Berlin is closed - apparently happened a week ago. Failure to pay rent is suspected. Lawyer's letter in the window... Warum? Now where are we going to get a good Schnitzel, und Bratwurst, und Spaetzle, und...
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Crud. I noticed they were closed and saw the paper in the window, but I didn't bother to read it. I assumed they were renovating or on vacation. I always like the fact that a free shot was included with a meal, it just seemed right.
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Ach du lieber!
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That really sucks. Here's hoping for a speedy return in new digs.
Can it be true that Montreal can't support even *one* German restaurant? (Or are there others I'm not aware of?) It's hard to believe it wasn't good enough -- it wasn't super fancy, but it was solid, honest cooking.
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Isn't this the second time that Berlin closed? It was there in the '80s to early '90s, name of Checkpoint Charlie (right? Which has moved to so many locations that it's made my head spin), then became another resto, sort of like semi-fancy French comfort food, and then opened up again as Berlin.
Thinking about it a bit more, it might have always been called Berlin, before the French interlude.
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Checkpoint Charlie is on Rachel(just east of St-Laurent). Don't know if it's still around. There's a German restaurant in DDO(there's two German restaurants in the West Island).
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Checkpoint Charlie on Rachel closed a few years ago, and I think the closure was permanent, not a move. The location was later home to a really awful Italian place, and now there's a sushi place there.
I don't know whether, as rillettes suggests, Checkpoint Charlie and Berlin were once one and the same. The Berlin space did have some decoration recalling the Berlin Wall (I believe the "East" side was the smoking section, back before the ban), so it wouldn't be too surprising if that was the original Charlie location at one time.
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Ooof - went by tonight to pick up some schnitzel and spatzel. Sadly disappointed by this closure - it was one of my favourite places to pick some "comfort food". I hadn't even noticed they had closed....
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For your comfort food fix, you can always go to Boucherie Atlantique. I mention it in my October newsletter on my blog (check my profile). Ask any German in town, the'll tell you Atlantique is the real deal.
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Slovinia on Clark has a great Schnitzel...
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Tried to go to De Damas a Baghdad last night.
Gone. Deux Gamins in its place.
Waitress says they've been open for a week. Has no idea where De Damas a Baghdad might be if anywhere.
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I'll be surprised if any new resto can survive in that space. Three floors must be a fortune to heat, never mind the rent.
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There's 3 !! floors of tables? I didn't know that.
Looked like an outdoor terrasse and about 10 tables inside. I mostly went in to look at the menu and talk to the waitress.
Menu was standard low cost French like so many of the places along Prince Arthur. I think the sameness has got to kill the trade, unless they rely on overflow of students.
The whole length of the block or two, with all those cafes, was crawling with students. Totally a party atmosphere.
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Just noticed the large "Fin de bail" signs in the Saum-mom store on Mont-Royal. Not sure exactly when they will close (i.e. not sure when the lease is up) but they will still operate their new-ish location on St-Laurent.
And they are having a liquidation sale, if anyone would care to stock up!
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Sigh. La Nacion is closed. So much for downtown tacos...
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That indeed is too bad. They seemed to have lost their liquor license and after that the place was nearly empty. Too bad: very nice people and honest if simple food.
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La Nacion was gross. I enjoyed it for the first month or so and then it all went downhill. The food never came altogether (as in the rice and beans would show up but the tacos only came another 10 or so minutes later), plus they had a dog in the kitchen. On many occasions the rice was so hard that is was inedible and one time I took a group of six there and everyone received their food at different times (we had all ordered tacos). 45 minutes into the meal and four of us had finished but two still had not received their food (and the restaurant wasn't packed either). Needless to say my two friends cancelled their order and went across the street for Chinese instead and that was the last time I went.
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Les Nouilles Maxi-Pho on Poirier and Marcel Laurin is no more. I passed today and it has been replaced by a place called Sushi Palace.
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Did you ever eat Les Nouilles Maxi-Pho(either their Chinese restaurant or their Vietnamese restaurants, as they operated as two different restaurants next to each oher)? If yes, what did you think of their food?
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No, I never got around to it but had been planning on giving it a try ever since you reviewed it a few weeks ago. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be.
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Considering your interest in Asian food, & you know the restaurants in Ville St-Laurent, what do you think of Chinese restaurant near-by Fu Kam Wah(if you have eaten there)?
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No, I have not tried it. I went to their website and saw their menu and I must say it peaked my curiosity. Definitely a consideration!
They were very well reviewed by the Mtl Mirror recently:
http://www.montrealmirror.com/2007/09...
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I only discovered it several months ago over the summer. I thought it was a interesting find.
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I have recently discovered Fu Kam Wah and so far I am impressed. The food is well-flavoured and fresh, and even the "typical" menu items are delicious. Thanks for the review link, I will definitely try to go off the menu next time.
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Alloro on Laurier w. closed recently.
I don't know what is wrong with that corner, couple of restaurants opened there and all went down quite quickly. It on the sunny side of the street, large area for a terrasse, ...
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The previous restos there had simply terrible business plans. Example:"Au bon panier" - which led patrons to believe it's some sort of bakery/café. This, on a street that already has an established top quality bakery/patisserie and arguable some of the best coffee in the city. And yet despite it's name, it was a middle eastern lunch counter...
Alloro was different - it managed to attract regular crowds. The terrasse often had several customers enjoying meals/drinks, often late into the evening. I thought they were doing ok...
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Mondo Fritz just closed in September after becoming another victim of the renovations on St-Laurent blvd. It's too bad because I preferred them over Frits Alors!
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Bombay Palace is closing this Sunday, purportedly because of the dismal surroundings that have meant less business.
But it's reopening on Bishop on October 15 or thereabouts.
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Don't know whether it's closed for renovations or just gone, but Gourmet Hot & Spicy in the Faubourg Ste-Catherine was emptied out and shuttered yesterday evening. Though Cuisine Bangkok continues to be a draw, the Faubourg itself is more depressing each time I set foot in it. Even GH&S's former neighbour, the SAQ outlet, has turned its back on the "urban mall;" to visit the store, now ensconced in its new digs, you have to leave the Faubourg and enter through a door on Ste-Catherine Street.
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Bombay Palace is very soon moving to new bigger digs on 1172 Bishop. Gourmet Hot & Spicy on Decarie blvd(corner Jean-Talon) seems to have reopened now following renovations(went by there last week early in the morning).
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I was a regular at GH&S and am quite distressed by its closing. While the gutting of the Faubourg was marching west and increasing shops were closing, I was reassured by the staff that they had no plans to close or move. Their closure was pretty sudden two weeks ago, though the resto seems pretty untouched inside. Phone calls are redirected automatically to the Decarie resto who says that they have no idea whether the downtown resto will reopen. The bagel shop next to GH&S has also been shuttered for the same time, so I suspect they were shut down by management rather than elect to both close at precisely the same moment. In any case - very sad. It always seemed quite busy in there so is hard to imagine unless the Faubourg management is simply trying to move everyone out into street frontage (like the SAQ has done). If anyone has any info, I'd appreciate it.
Also, if anyone has a suggestion of where I could find comparable quality Chinese takeout downtown, I'd really appreciate it. I've been pretty disappointed with the cheap noodle places I've tried along there...
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I would suggest Pret A Manger, which just reopened. It's just west of the Faubourg, on the north side of Ste Catherine. It's far better than the noodle joints that abound in that area. They do takeout, although they haven't printed up their takeout menu yet.
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I wonder if GH&S could have relocated to the Faubourg's third floor where all the food joints are? Would they have had to pay higher or lower rent, relocating from first to third floor of Faubourg(I would guess lower rent)?
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Didn't see any sign of that last Friday. And now that they scrunched all the remaining third-floor stalls into half the space, there's not much room for a GH&S-size operation, despite Le Wok's having also bit the dust.
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Anyone know what's up with Au Bistro 2 on St. Denis? It's all papered up.
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There were "À VENDRE" signs in the windows La Loïe, this morning. Too bad I never got to try it.
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Darn it!!! It was really a delightful place - not only was the food good, the wines were well-chosen and reasonably priced, and the service was among the best I've had in this city. I'm guessing their location wasn't ideal, although apparently they were busy at lunch because of their proximity to CBC, but the area is a bit of a wasteland later in the evening.
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passed by what used to be Map last night (the restaurant owned by the Pintxo people). It's now a Mexican restaurant.
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The Krispy Kreme in Marché Central is closing, today. I think everyone is over Krispy Kreme, by now. On to the next crappy food fad.
If you read french: http://lapresseaffaires.cyberpresse.c...
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OMG There has been ZILCH in the English media about this. Up until recently I was there once a month to fetch donuts, at someone else's request.
On one hand I am not surprised: Timmies and Dunkin are much cheaper. If you want to make money you have to SELL donuts at some point, not just give them away for free! And the Holes were frequently stale.
I will miss the caramel and strawberry creme donuts. And how bright and sunny the interior always looked. And how nice the employees and managers were -- to everyone.
Note to La Presse: Laval and Greenfield Park, the KK locations in the 450 area code, are not "in Montreal".
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Actually first heard about this on CJAD...no surprise considering the prices and they didn't offer anything like decent coffee or lunch specials that bolster the sales of TimmyHo's and DD. Will they still be delivering to PetroCan and other outlets?......And wonder who will take over that big space.....
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Good riddance to Garam Masala, in my opinion, but Messoub d'Or, the Ethiopian place on Monkland closed earlier this year, and my heart is still aching.
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Anyone know what is happening in the space formerly occupied by Le Va et Vient on Notre Dame west of Atwater? Used to be an artsy cafe/ bistro with all kinds of different cultural events...
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I think Sans Menu is expanding into their old local. Not sure, but looks like it.
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Is Sans Menu worth trying? I have been living around the corner from it for 3 years and have never mustered the guts....
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I went once early this summer with my boyfriend and my parents, and we quite enjoyed our evening. The waiter suggested divine wine to pair with our meal and it was overall a great experience. It seems quite packed every other night also whenever I pass by. I will definitely go back.
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Gasp!
According to an article in today's Gazoo, "After 4½ years in business, one of Montreal's top restaurants, Brunoise, will close after tonight's dinner service. The contents of the restaurant have been sold and the lease has been turned over to another restaurateur."
The full article isn't yet online for some reason (the lede comes from a thumbnail of the digital edition).
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Bad news indeed! Any idea if Brasserie Brunoise will stay open?
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You know as much as I do. Looks like the Gazoo has forgotten to update the online Weekend Life section (all the articles are last week's). If the new material isn't up when I go on my grocery run, I'll try to remember to pick up a copy of the rag.
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Brasserie will stay open..... location was sold (so they say) and a drop off in business, the extra hours required for Brasserie, family life and a lack of tourists is to blame. Tonight is the last night and I wish I did not have a wedding to go to.
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From the article in the Gazette, it seems the restaurant really never made any money--mostly due to the intense competition for similarly priced menus. I cannot for the life of me figure out the Montreal restaurant scene. It seems common that people rave about a resto for a year or so but then are always on the look-out for the 'next best thing'. Obviously with the sheer number of restaurants in the city, many are bound to go out of business, but Brunoise is/was not a run-of-the-mill resto--its a shame to see it go.
I also wonder why restaurants don't announce this stuff sooner---I mean, we were there last week, and if one of the waiters had of whispered that closing was a possibility, we would have spread the word as I am sure others would have done, in an effort to fill the seats again. Sad stuff.
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It seems that Vasco de Gamma on Bernard has just closed its doors.
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Too bad, but at least their downtown location is still open.
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that's disappointing as I never had a chance to try it and all reviews of the brasserie are pretty lacklustre.
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Walking home from the Jean-Talon market, noticed that the signs were gone from Spice Safar at the corner of Casgrain and Shamrock, it was empty, and there were little signs announcing 50% off all the non-food merchandise. I don't know whether the other Spice Safar is closed as well.
We are all still wondering what the defunct Sami Fruit will become - it is quite a large location, probably for some kind of food-related business, whether a shop or a restaurant.
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Sami Fruit at Jean-Talon is closed?
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Yes, it has been closed for some weeks now, after rumours following its reduced hours - it had been closed Mondays and Tuesdays, which didn't improve the already dodgy freshness of the fruit and veg. The premises are still empty, as far as I know. Wonder what it will become?
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In my opinion, this place was the temple of turning people off fresh produce - so hopefully they can put something more palatable in it's place
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Fresh and Sami in the same sentence is a bit of a stretch, especially in its last years. But it remains to be seen whether it will be a restaurant, food shop or something else (though no doubt food-related). If memory serves me well, long ago it was a big ugly tavern, then brasserie. Sami wasn't as bad when it started out.
I'll keep my eyes peeled for any developments at the former Sami and the former Spice Safar...
Whatever the Sami premises becomes, I hope it has a facade on Jean-Talon as well as on the market side...
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Sami Fruits is now open in Lasalle at 400 Lafleur. I have not visited it yet; I wonder if it will be as chaotic as at JTM.
I will miss it at JTM, although I did not really like it to actually shop there, its chaotic nature and low prices were a nice counterpart to the market's ongoing gentrification.
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I could never handle the place: too noisy, too dirty, and too many fruit flies!
But it was an institution at JTM, and will be missed for that.
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Well, much closer to JTM, they also have a new outlet in Saint-Michel - but I don't have any burning desire to go there - unlike a good merguez place a chowhounder pointed out on Jean-Talon near Iberville, and of course the Asian market on Jarry E. (still haven't been there). I had an odd attraction to Sami as well, although the last few times I went there I bought perhaps an item or too so they wouldn't think I was trying to steal rotting vegetables.I miss the polyglot crowds - brought back the working-class immigrant neighbourhood I lived in when in Paris, though the veg was nicer there. I do hope it will be something accessible for neighbourhood people, but more salubrious - though only time will tell.
One place by the market that is doing excellent business is Kitchen Galerie.
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It actually broke my heart to see Sami Fruits closed. I stopped buying fruit there because of it's poor quality, but the place was a real gem in some ways. When I was really broke last year it was great to be able to go and fill up four shopping bags for only $13.00. I went to the market today and was trying to figure out which shop or stall will replace Sami as my main location, but honestly, I think I'll just shop at Marche Lobo from now on. Making the trek up to JT doesn't seem worth it now, knowing that super cheap red peppers and eggplants no longer await me. Sigh.
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I agree, kmccrea. There were times (when clients were slow to pay, especially) that it was a lifesaver - and you could always tell whether the red peppers and certain other produce items were edible.
If you look around the immediate vicinity, the East/Southeast Asian places on St-Denis seem to be taking up the bargain-hunters' space - especially Thai Hour, which has cheap things that aren't necessarily Asian.
Where is Marché Lobo? I don't recognise that name.
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Marche Lobo is on Parc and Milton. I find it *slightly* more expensive than, *sniff*, Sami, but worth the extra because the quality of their produce is generally good. It's small though. Thanks for your tip about Thai Hour.
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Hooray! The McDonald's on the corner of Mont-Royal and Park closed about two weeks ago. Windows are papered over and all signage has been removed. A major source of litter on Mount Royal is now eliminated, even as the neighbourhood reasserts its foodie cred. What with the work on the Park-Pines intersection, the Mount Royal-Park Avenue nexus has been ameliorated in ways unimaginable even a year ago.
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I love your optimism, but let's hope it doesn't get replaced with a Burger King or Wendy's....
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Maybe Pizza Pizza is moving back in.
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Oh dear. That whole block from Mont-Royal to Villeneuve remains a bit sad, despite the new condo building and Massilia, the Marseillais bar (which also serves tapenade, sausages etc), where we go sometimes to watch soccer matches. There are so many independent cafes (and a couple of chain ones) along av du Parc all the way up to Bernard, but not in that block - except that lively bar. And yet there is such a great view onto Mt-Royal there. I fear that the rent, which must be high, might be an impediment for a lot of more interesting food-related businesses.
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I think some the problems down there might be the lack of pedestrian traffic in the non-summer months and the problem with parking in that area. One of the few businesses that seems to be thriving down there is the Dairy Queen and I think that the fact that they have a parking lot contributes greatly to that. In fact, if there is a place where the city should enforce the 3-minute idling by-law it is there. It irritates me to no end to watch people sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of their idling cars, eating their iced modified milk ingredients while other clients have to breathe in their exhaust fumes. Most of the time it's not even hot enough to justify keeping the car running.
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Yes, but just a couple of blocks farther north, certainly from St-Joseph northwards to Bernard, there is lots of pedestrian traffic, as people had to PA supermarket and fishmonger's, the SAQ and other businesses on Laurier, Renaud-Bray, etc etc... If there were more things to go to, people in the neighbourhood would certainly head there. There is also lots of pedestrian traffic on Mont-Royal W nearby (Provigo, other SAQ, boulangerie at corner of St-Urbain etc).
Eliminating the Parc-Pine exchanger mess was a good first step (though I think something should be done with the area to make it stand out more). The Petro-Canada station is a bit of an eyesore - not the fact of having a filling station (there was one there before and it is an obvious intersection for one) but the design that does not suit its environment. Some businesses on Parc HAVE improved their design to suit the neighbourhood - the Jean-Coutu farther up is one.
I think local residents have reason to be hopeful about what could open there, though it can't be something that relies too heavily on car traffic.
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I noticed that Le Fournil on Maisonneuve has closed
as well as La petite terrasse de Provence corner Cathcart and Mansfield
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Hiya, could you please use the Restaurant Closures - 2008 thread for places that have closed this year - thanks!
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/476309
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