Ratafia, named for the mistelle-fashion fortified dessert wine from the Champagne vicinity, will open in the former location of the Italian eating place Epoca at 6778 St Laurent (close to Dante). Local structure company Lovasi is overhauling the space (see also: food puts Mélisse and Jiao in Old Montreal). It will characteristically be a significant interactive island where chef patissier Valentin Rouyé can be plating his creations; the distance seats sixty-nine interiors with twenty extra on a road-facet terrasse.
Rouyé became skilled as a pastry chef with the aid of his father—he is most these days at Hogan & Beaufort and a former colleague of outstanding pastry chef Patrice Demers at the former downtown restaurant Newtown. He calls the eating place’s desserts sentiment arrosés or gently imbibed cakes. The goal is to create a fashionable, festive, and convivial space with a full wine list for pairings, which includes dessert wines, sakes, sparkling wines, and neighborhood beer.
The menu will be split into three elements: Classics, for extra conventional cakes, artfully plated, and closing at the menu yr-round; Ephemera, for cakes inspired using the seasons (assume sophisticated pâte au chou with unique fillings); and Les Trous, or trou Normand-adjacent palate cleansers: granitas with liqueurs. Ratafia will complement the one’s candy offerings with a plat des Amis, charcuterie plates put together in collaboration with the chef-proprietors of St-Hubert Street’s Épicerie Conserva (who also are Hogan & Beaufort alumni), as well as Mile End’s Falafel Yoni.
Ratafia is headed up by co-proprietors Sandra Forcier and Jared Tuc; each ITHQgraduateds lively inside the Montreal restaurant scene for the past 15 years. They’re targeted at growing space on the way to be “stylish, festive, and convivial,” promising exquisite desserts for those celebrating events along with birthdays and anniversaries.
Ratafia may be open for overdue afternoon cakes and liquids until the early morning. “We need our customers to be comfy at Ratafia,” says”Forcier, “and to” sweeten their life with food and drinks.”
Rata”ia was briefly open as a pop-up over Grand Prix weekend. It is scheduled to start serving on an ongoing basis sometime during the first two weeks of July.
