Éric Gonzalez Departs L'Auberge St-Gabriel for Les Enfants Terribles

Éric Gonzalez is out at branché Old Montreal restaurant L'Auberge St-Gabriel, reports Thierry Daraize on his Journal de Montréal blog. The French chef, a recent Maître Cuisinier de France inductee, will not idle for long, however. Gonzalez will soon run the kitchen brigade at bistro-cum-brasserie Les Enfants Terribles.

Here, the official announcement.

Les Enfants Terribles welcome their new Chef Éric Gonzalez

On April 28th, famed Chef Éric Gonzalez will make his debut at Les Enfants Terribles as Executive Chef, Kitchen Director and partner.

Gonzalez was educated in Nice and has been at the helm of restaurants in France, in New York (Maxim's and Jean Lafitte) and in some of Montréal's best and favourite restaurants (Laloux, Ferreira, XO, le Saint-Gabriel).

"We're very excited to have such a grand Chef with us. It's quite a move for both our Group and our clientele. We wish to build something unique with Eric. We feel this partnership is the beginning of a great adventure that will be characterized by superb projects." says Francine Brûlé who owns the restaurants with Serge Bruneau.

At Les Enfants Terribles, Gonzalez will add his signature style to the menu's classics, that have become the brand's DNA. "I want new challenges and this new partnership falls right into place with what I consider to be the logical next step in my career." says Eric Gonzalez.

The sudden move took many by surprise over the weekend and prompted this frank tweet from The Gazette restaurant critic Lesley Chesterman.

So @GonzalezEric is going from haute gastronomie to bistronomie. Fine dining is indeed dying in Mtl. RT @tdaraize http://t.co/NXFZIkTXlG …

— Lesley Chesterman (@lesleychestrman) March 23, 2014

The pointed remark stands in contrast to Daraize's unabashed, almost fawning, enthusiasm. How this will all play out, for Gonzalez and both restaurants, remains to be seen.

Watch this space for more news on Les Enfants Terribles and L'Auberge St-Gabriel as it becomes available.

Addendum: Interviews with Éric Gonzalez and Les Enfants Terribles owner Francine Brûlé.

· Le chef Éric Gonzalez, un Enfant Terrible! [JdeM]
· All Éric Gonzalez News [-EMTL-]