The cat’s out of the bag: Daniel Boulud to open restaurant at the new Four Seasons
Back in April, we reported that Daniel Boulud was another in the growing group of Michelin-starred chefs to snub Toronto in favour of Vancouver or Montreal. Not so, apparently: the National Post’s Shinan Govani confirmed yesterday the rumours that the lauded New York chef of Daniel fame will be opening a restaurant in the new Four Seasons hotel and condo complex on Bay Street (there’s an official announcement scheduled for next Thursday). This is the second Canadian hotel partnership in the works for the chef, who is opening Maison Boulud in Montreal in early 2012 to coincide with a $150-million renovation to the Montreal Ritz-Carlton. Previously, Boulud opened and subsequently closed two restaurants in Vancouver, DB Bistro Moderne and Lumière, after only two years in business.
We imagine the Toronto restaurant will likely open in mid-2012, around the same time as the new Four Seasons complex. Boulud himself is already scheduled to be in Toronto next week for the annual Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival, so we’d bet he’ll be present for the big announcement. The sharp-eyed Govani got wind of the news by perusing the latest issue of Leaders magazine (something we vow to start doing), where Boulud’s long-time partner Lili Lynton let the cat out of the bag. One outstanding question: will the mystery buyer of the $28-million Four Seasons penthouse have room service access to the three–Michelin starred chef?
• Shinan: Daniel Boulud headed to Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel? [National Post]
• Setting the Standard [Leaders]
(Images: skyline, Seekdes from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool; Boulud, winestem)
Awesome news. David Chang, now Boulud. Resto scene looks like it’s going to get more vibrant and competitive in near future.
Cheers,
RestosinTO.com
Yeah! Toronto is cool now! Toronto is cool now!
Yes, cheers indeed. Toronto, has graduated to the “also ran”. When will TO. realize that’s it’s Chicago’s younger sibling. It doesn’t have the lakeshore, it certainly doesn’t have the history. It just has the new money. WOW! “Second city” always has been and always will be.
These chefs know Toronto is what N.Y. is to the U.S. culinary scene and don’t want to fall flat on their faces.
and how long will they stay? SC is probably ready to wrap up at the Thompson, will the Shangrila ever open and DB couldn’t succeed where feenie did?
celebrity chefs are CELEBRITY business owners…the true cooking chefs of toronto are around you-celebrate them…we don’t need carpetbaggers
Generally, I think this is good news for Toronto, and more competition should increase pressure on current fine dining restaurants to up their products and services in future. Yet, Boulud churns out far too many [mediocre] restaurants for my liking – I don’t bother to dine at his restaurants in N.Y.C., and I certainly won’t do so in Toronto, either. Too many fine dining restaurants hanging on one apron, is never a good sign…
There are an interesting numebr of very young chefs (cheves?) appearing lately. Newburyport has two. Under 25. I wonder how many seats could be supported by the existing septic systems in West Acton. Thinking small, instead of large I’ve seen lovely restaurants (with less than 20 seats) thrive. TW Foods in Cambridge, for example. They are one of the most exciting new restaurants in the state. We ate at another in Sarasota New York this summer that had only 12 seats. Family run. Been there for years. Everyone seemed happy. It would be great if we saw something like that in West Acton. Not something huge. But sustainable, attractive in-fill