Back then Outremont was a nice neighborhood not the snob and chichi place it has become today. My mom would go to the house everyday to supervize the renovations and would bring me along.
We would often go to Rotisserie Laurier for lunch. It felt just like heaven. The moist chicken, the crisp fries....The gravy!
This pic came from the internet, sorry about the poor quality.
As a teenager I would often meet friends on the weekend for fries with gravy and their signature dessert warm moka. It was a squarrish piece of chocolate coffee cake warmed so the icing would run all over. Quite decadent for the time (remember this was the 80's).
It was a really popular place for a late night snack for those who partook in party activities.
The restaurant was opened in 1936. It was a MUST for the chicken lovers. There is no more information to be found on the web, it's like they never existed except for the address. Too bad the McCord museum doesn't 'stuff' on the place....This was the quintesial chicken place. People in the know didn't go to St-Hubert BBQ (the big chain) but to smaller places.
In November 2010 Gordon Ramsay (Hell's Kitchen and other reality shows) bought an interest in the restaurant (????) and only minor changes were supposed to happen.
Just last week all of the employees learned that the restaurant would close (via letter) and that they would ALL loose their jobs.
Gordon THAT SUCKS! I hope you renovate and hire everybody back. Most of them have been working there for 30 years.
We want our rotisserie chicken back! And the warm moka cake! LOLGuess what? Right this minute we have a snowstorm in progress! OMG! It's only wednesday and believe it or not the train has been late twice this week, my boss has been really understanding, I hope I won't be late tomorrow!
7 comments:
Hmm, I quite like Gordon Ramsay and it surprises me to hear that he would do something like that! Doesn't he love old landmark restaurants like that!?
I loved your description of the place, it made me want to have a little piece of that cake. :)
Yum, my mouth watered at the idea of poutine... I wonder why they would try to close the restaurant after 70 years?? You should stage a protest!
Despite being from Mtl, I don't know Rotisserie Laurier, but Montreal does have a lot of great roast chicken places, other than St. Hubert. There's the Bar-B Barn, there was Coq d'Anjou where I lived, to name a few.
I would have loved Rotisserie Laurier I'm sure, by the sounds of it! And that mocha cake too!
I hope the restaurant will reopen! The chicken sounds so good!
Oh V my mouth is watering! I think the thing I miss most about Montreal is BBQ chicken. I miss all of the food but BBQ chicken.... has a spot of it's own. We had a trademark one on the Rive Sud called Benny BBQ. If I could have that right now I would be in heaven. Seriously. Heaven!
Somehow I am not too suprised by this story. Most people have lost many of the personal connections/interest that has kept small businesses operating over the years. A movement like the "Buy Handmade" needs to happen stat! Bloggers unite and encourage your readers (and friends and family) to support worthy, local businesses. I wonder if our modern living conditions encourage us search for uniformity of experience: Tim Horton's coffee, Starbuck's, Wal-Mart, even so-called boutiques are often part of chains.
Im totally going to do retro tuesday again - I miss it.
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