danny smiles restaurant le violon maison publique

Photo by Jeremy Dionne

Food & Drink

New Danny Smiles restaurant Le Violon to open June 17

by Lorraine Carpenter

“Le Violon is just that — a place of kinship and thoughtful, ingredient-driven cuisine.”

Work on the space formerly occupied by Maison Publique is nearly complete, and le Violon, the new fine dining restaurant manned by Montreal chef Danny Smiles, is due to open on June 17.

Following the closure of Maison Publique in last summer, Smiles revealed in an October interview with La Presse that he had bought the business from Derek Dammann. The new restaurant at the corner of Marquette and Gilford will feature white tablecloths, while its menu will draw from French and Italian influences “with a Montreal twist.”

The project by the man behind Mile End’s Double’s and Hudson’s Auberge Willow Inn — voted Best Chef in this year’s Best of MTL readers poll — is also backed by partners Mitchell Laughren (Willow Inn’s former executive chef), Andrew Park (formerly of le Bremner, like Smiles, as well as Liverpool House) and the artist Dan Climan.

As seen below, Smiles shared a photo of le Violon’s team on Instagram this week.

New Danny Smiles restaurant Le Violon to open June 17

For more on Le Violon, please visit on Instagram.

For more on the food and drink scene in Montreal, please visit the Food & Drink section.

Posted in Food & Drink

by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.