Chef Daniel Vézina to Close His Montreal Restaurant This Fall

Prominent Quebec chef Daniel Vézina appears to be checking out of Montreal’s scene, as the chef is closing his downtown restaurant Laurie Raphaël this fall.

A press release went out Tuesday afternoon announcing that the restaurant, open in Hôtel Le Germain for over a decade, will shutter when its lease ends in September.

Laurie Raphaël Montreal has consistently racked up good reviews over the years, so it’s not an issue of any kind of trouble at the restaurant, it seems. Rather, Vézina says the move is to allow him to focus on other projects, many of which are centred around Quebec City. There’s the original Laurie Raphaël, but also La Serre, a healthy-eating casual counterpart to the chef’s fine dining destination in the provincial capital.

The statement from Vézina notes that he wants to work on “brand development” for La Serre — that appears to mean turning his comptoir santé concept into a chain, as a second location is planned for the Pyramide de Ste-Foy shopping mall for later this year, as is a third outlet in an unspecified locale.

Vézina also reportedly plans to work more on media commitments, and his partnership with airline Air Transat, amongst other projects.

• All Laurie Raphaël coverage [EMTL]
• Montreal Fine Dining is Alive and Well at Laurie Raphaël [EMTL]