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DOWNTOWN — Alain Creton, the owner of Chez Alexandre, a Parisian-style brasserie fixture for four decades, took his fight with the city's Ville-Marie borough to the next level last Thursday. The restaurateur has stubbornly refused to comply with a new bylaw that limits the scale of sidewalk patios to ostensibly accommodate people in wheelchairs. Creton has vociferously insisted that his terrasse has never impeded anyone's access, and has rejected the city's proposal to move his patio to the edge of the sidewalk, or on a platform that protrudes over the street.
"We're a French brasserie and [the patio] should be along the front of the restaurant. It has been this way for 40 years and we want to keep the Parisian authenticity that people love," Creton told reporters. Ville-Marie officials declined Creton's request for a patio permit this year, but the restaurateur put one up regardless. As a result, a crew of blue-collar workers and police officers dismantled Chez Alexandre's terrasse on Thursday. Creton initially resisted, and attempted to rally his employees to barricade themselves to the outdoor furniture. The standoff swiftly came to an end, however, and the terrasse was removed. Creton will meet with Ville-Marie officials this week to try to peaceably end the impasse.
LITTLE ITALY — Good news, Little Italy pizza fans. Pizzeria Gema will open Sundays for lunch throughout the summer.
MILE-EX — Not so far away, less good news from next-gen general store Dépanneur Le Pick-Up. The Mile-Ex breakfast and lunch gem is closed Sundays and Mondays as of this week.
LAVAL — Café Névé has partnered with Frank & Oak once again, this time inside the retailer's baller new Carrefour Laval store. More here: "With a streamlined shopping experience over 3,000 sq ft featuring our full monthly collections complemented by a Personal Styling bar, a full service barber shop, and third-wave coffee and bites from Café Névé, this location is dedicated to help you step up your life and style." Névé's Gabriel Rousseau and Luke Spicer inaugurated their new mall outlet most appropriately this past weekend.