Clos Will Serve Fine Cuisine In A ‘Modern, Funky Atmosphere’
MONCTON – Clos, pronounced ‘clo,’ will be serving fine cuisine “in a modern, funky atmosphere” starting November 6, says co-owner Susan Cormier.
“Our main focus will be the tasting menu, as well as sharing plates,” Cormier said.
The restaurant is located on 611 Main St., where Italian restaurant Pastalli used to be. Cormier and her chef husband Gene acquired the space from Pastalli owner Gilles Ratté. Pastalli closed in September after 30 years in business.
“We kept the footprint of Pastalli because it’s a beautiful restaurant, but we made it more modern; we made it lighter and brighter,” Cormier said.
The couple also owns Euston Park Social, a container bar and beer garden in the downtown area. They want people to be able to enjoy both of their establishments in the same relaxed manner. Staff at Clos will also be casual to create a “comfortable, approachable atmosphere” for guests.
“We’re going to be playing hip hop music, have a more funky vibe. While we’re serving fine cuisine, we don’t have white linen or anything like that. It’s got more of an art deco style,” Cormier said. “We want people to be able to go for a beer at Euston Park and then walk up here and just have dinner, and not have to think about going home to change before they do that.”
Cormier said the idea of sharing plates came up because they want customers to be able to taste as many items on the menu as possible.
“When I got to a restaurant, there are usually multiple dishes I want to try. In a classic situation, you don’t really have that opportunity,” she said.
“We love food and we want dining out to be an experience, not just a meal. By doing it this style, it becomes more of an experience for the guests where they can really taste as many flavours as possible. That’s why we really focus also on our tasting menu, it gives them a really broad spectrum of dishes that they’re able to enjoy.”
The food will be cooked by two Chefs de Cuisine, Jonathan Morrison in the evening and Manny Brison, who was involved with Euston Park, in the day time.
An example of the items on the tasting menu is a dish Morrison created that includes cod with bread sauce.
“It sounds unsual, but it’s a beautiful combination of food,” Cormier said.
As Clos is set to open, the Cormiers are also planning for a winter market at Euston Park on December 6-8, before the outdoor space closes for the season.
“People can come in and have boiled wine, that kind of a European-style Christmas market, and we’ll have vendors and everything there,” Cormier said. “We’ll be then closing down [Euston Park] the rest of the season to re-open May long weekend next year.”
Clos will start offering dinner service and tasting menu on Wednesday, November 6. Its lunch and other offerings will begin the following week.