After being “exiled” to Hudson to become general manager of the excellent Willow Inn, Danny Smiles is making his comeback to Montreal, La Presse has learned, and not just anywhere. He takes over the premises of the Maison publique, whose closure was announced at the end of August.
Published at 11:00 am.
Surely the man we knew on screen in Chuck & Danny’s Road Trip, Top Chef Canada and Iron Chef Canada had already set foot in the metropolis by opening Double’s in the spring The daily management was entrusted to Victor Petrenko (aka Coach Vic). The pub quickly became a meeting place for star musicians such as Dave Grohl and Yves Tumor.
Top of the line
But the new project is more upscale and will allow Montrealers to reconnect with the popular chef’s cuisine. Nowadays it is rare to see white tablecloths covering the tables.
“People ask me what kind of cooking I will do. “I don’t really know how to answer other than to say that it will be ‘my’ cuisine, which has evolved over time, so a mix of French and Italian influences with a Montreal twist,” explained Danny us. Smiles, last week, over coffee in Mile End.
You will have understood that whoever said goodbye to the late Bremner in December 2019 after eight years of loyal service has no intention of reviving Maison publique. He simply bought the company from the previous owner, Derek Dammann. The latter has remained very silent on social networks since announcing the closure of his restaurant, where he said he wanted to listen to himself and end this great chapter on a positive note. The customers and the team were very disappointed to lose their “home”.
Coffee bar
In addition to the cozy dining room familiar to regulars at the restaurant on the corner of Marquette and Gilford streets, Danny Smiles is taking over the adjacent space, where he will likely create a coffee bar open during the day and evening. His partners in the adventure are Mitchell Laughren (head chef at the Willow Inn), Andrew Park (Bremner, Liverpool House) and the artist Dan Climan, whose works can be found in several restaurants in the metropolis.
It is the Zébulon Perron studio that is responsible for designing the space to give it new life. The birth of a promising Montreal restaurant is scheduled for winter.