Marc-André Jetté and William Saulnier, the erstwhile chef and sommelier at Les 400 Coups, respectively, are less than a week away from cutting the ribbon on their new restaurant in Rosemont's Technopôle Angus development. Named for the men who sold a parcel of land to the Canadian Pacific Railway to create the famed industrial Angus Shops site in 1879, Hoogan & Beaufort opens on December 22. When Eater photographer Randall Brodeur captured the space last week, workers were putting the finishing touches on the project from Jetté, Saulnier, and a small group of behind-the-scenes investors. The restaurant's chef first spoke about Hoogan & Beaufort last September, saying of the 3,000 square-foot former factory: "The space is magnificent. We have huge windows, wood beams, and a lot of interesting industrial features—there's a five or six-ton winch, for example, that will remain. It's an old factory where trains and tanks were built. The kitchen will be open to everyone. We'll also have a wraparound bar, a fire pit, and a large, exposed wine cellar."
As the photos above demonstrate, architect Kim Pariseau's firm, Appareil, has done well to preserve much of the space's industrial character. Jetté's enamored with his freshly built fire pit (fire pit photos courtesy Alison Slattery Photography), which will bolster a cuisine the chef calls "even more accessible, and easier to understand" than what he created at Les 400 Coups. "Rosemont is a different environment. It’s a big restaurant that can accommodate a lot of people. It has to cater to families. I’m a father now—my daughter is nine months old—so I want to create a space where everyone feels welcome."
