Massimo Piedimonte perfected his art at Maison Boulud, then as executive chef at Le Mousso, a table he led to the top. In his case, the word “perfected” is an understatement. The owner of the new Cabaret L’Enfer is one of the most meticulous Montreal cooks around right now.
Posted yesterday at 11:00 a.m.
His restaurant on rue Saint-Denis is nothing less than a life project. He signed a 25-year lease in premises that had been eyeing him for years, next to the ChuChai.
Transforming it into a sleek, modern restaurant took a lot of patience and perseverance, with construction delays and endless material price hikes. But today it is done and the gates of Hell are now open.
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Photo CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, special collaboration
The supply of good local fish is… hellish! But the kitchen managed to get their hands on some beautiful wild striped bass.
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Photo CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, special collaboration
Under this skull hides a creamy black apple.
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Photo CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, special collaboration
Massimo Piedimonte has just opened Cabaret l’Enfer.
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Photo CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, special collaboration
Frédéric Létourneau is in charge of the cellar.
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Photo CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, special collaboration
The room is uncluttered, with almost as many seats at the bar as at the table.
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All that remains is to resolve the situation of the shortage of personnel, in the secondary roles, at least. Because Massimo is very well surrounded, with Santiago Alonso (head chef), Édouard Bélanger (sous-chef), Étienne Charlebois at the charcuterie, Frédéric Létourneau at the sommelier and Émile Archambault (winner of the Laurier Mixologist of the Year 2019 and winemaker at the Fragments estate) to cocktails.
The team is in no hurry and wants above all (very, very) to do things well. This is why the formula is extremely simple, with a unique six- to eight-course menu at a very low price ($80-100 per person) and exceptional wines. The chef did try to play it “à la carte” the first night, but he didn’t like it. “What do you want, I like telling people what to eat! “says the theatrical restaurateur, who honors his Italian roots and his love for French cuisine.
Eventually, there will be a small lounge in the basement, to wait or to digest, but the priority of the moment is to clearly define the identity of the place and to receive customers not as if they were going down to Hades, but rather as if they were climbing to seventh heaven!
4094 Saint-Denis Street, Montreal