Montreal’s ‘Salads Based on Your Personality’ Counter Shutters — and Many Other Closures

PLATEAU — In a sign that there is, in fact, a threshold for frivolous business ideas on the increasingly bourgeois Plateau, “salads based on your personality” comptoir Hillary’s Salad appears to have closed — its Facebook was recently deleted, and a for-lease sign appeared in the window of the very pink premises after less than a year in business.

Hillary’s was one of the more, uh, enigmatic restaurant ideas to appear in Montreal in recent years, promising a menu of salads that was based around the Enneagram theory, which posits that humans typically fit into one of nine personality types (this theory is not widely accepted in academic psychology circles). This resulted in menu items like the “Angry Salad” (with aggressive ingredients like “Angry salad dressing”, black beans, and cheese), and the “Peacemaker” (with romaine, mozzarella, parmesan, and tortilla chips). It also offered an $800 salad with gold leaf and caviar, but no apparent connection to a personality type (unless “being rich” is its own personality).

It’s not really clear how the ingredients lined up with these personality types, but one rather awkward video does attempt to explain it, complete with some definitely natural and not scripted flirtation. Those who are curious to dig deeper can still take the “what type of salad are you?” quiz, which mercifully lives on at the not-yet-defunct Hillary’s website.

PLATEAU — St-Denis Street beer and mussels haunt Brasserie St-Denis announced its closure last weekend. An article in Journal Métro indicated that a possible bankruptcy was the cause, although the story is no longer able to be found online, and a post on Facebook from the restaurant did not make any reference to this. The concept lasted three years, or twenty, depending how you measure it — it was previously Bières et Compagnie up until a rebrand and relaunch in 2015.

POINTE-ST-CHARLES — Wellington Street bar Wellington Ash poured its final drinks last weekend (January 26, to be precise). On Facebook, the owners write that the bar had been for sale since September, but nobody took up the offer, meaning that the lease will lapse, and it’s the end of the road for the neighbourhood drinkerie. The bar was in business for around five years, first as cocktail spot Chez Dallaire, before an ownership shuffle and a reopening as Wellington Ash, late last winter.

VERDUN — After eight years, Peruvian grill spot Augusto Al Gusto has closed its doors, with no explanation given publicly.

VILLERAY/DOWNTOWN — Poutine and burger spot Le Gras Dur has sort-of closed, sort-of moved: its Jarry location, known for copious eating challenges like all you can eat poutine has shuttered. But the kitchen has partially moved over to Bellechasse Street bar VV Taverna (near Little Italy), serving weekend brunch. The same owners’ downtown restaurant Vladimir Poutine is also closed, although its website suggests ths possibility of reopening. The Gras Dur food truck appears to be still up and running (or rather, it will be in the warmer months).

CÔTE-DES-NEIGES — It seems that fish and chips spot Brit & Chips has closed its CDN location — an announcement on Facebook from December calls it “a small break”, implying it will reopen, although the address has disappeared from the restaurant’s website. The Old Montreal and de Maisonneuve locations are still very much open, though.

LITTLE ITALY — St-Laurent tiki bar Snowbird has closed — sort of. Owner Anthoni Jodoin split off from the bar in 2018, taking the name with him, and effectively reopening a smaller version of the bar on St-Hubert (renamed Snowbird Tiki Room). The original location, which opened on St-Laurent in 2017, was meant to take a new name and continue business, but has been in a lights-off state almost ever since.

PLATEAU — Back on St-Denis, longtime coffee nook Aux Deux Marie has closed its doors, as the street continues its slow shift towards bigger, glossier (and sometimes, more corporate) establishments.

DOWNTOWN — Stanley Street Italian eatery Cibo & Vino is no longer.

DOWNTOWN — Also on Stanley, Chinese-but-kind-of-everything buffet Kalohin (sometimes written as Ka Lo Hin) disappeared from business at some point in recent months.

Seen any bankruptcy notices or papered-over windows in your neighbourhood? Tell us about it.

• This Upcoming Comptoir Will Do Salads Based On Your Personality [EMTL]
• Pointe-St-Charles Just Welcomed a Smooth New Neighbourhood Bar [EMTL]
• The Plateau’s Bières et Compagnie Becomes La Brasserie Saint-Denis [EMTL]
• A Petite Tiki Bar Has Surfaced in Petite Patrie With Mai Tais and More [EMTL]