Plateau Restaurant L’Anecdote Struggles Back to Life After Brutal Fire | Eater Montreal

"Walking up the steps at the corner of St. Hubert and Rachel felt like a Montreal comfort-food pilgrimage, with a nostalgic fifties- and sixties-era interior whose authenticity rivals flashier, pricier tributes to the city's love of beef patties. I learned that the beloved casse-croûte, owned by Catherine Valois and her spouse Eddy Siab, narrowly escaped devastation when firefighters found the source one minute before flames would have overtaken the place; the smoke came from the chimney where the kitchen fan pushes air up through it, and the diner was forced to close for five months while six upstairs neighbours were displaced. Although the vinyl stools and booths were salvaged, reopening required weeks of scrubbing amid insurance disputes, asbestos concerns and a hot summer, and Valois says the insurer still refuses to cover about $150,000 in damages and they're in talks with lawyers. Since reopening three months ago they're still struggling, but the menu remains homey and made from fresh local ingredients—ham slow-cooked eight to nine hours, braised beef and beans homemade—food that makes people feel like they are back in their grandma's basement, and Valois hopes more people will trek out to the Plateau for it like they do for La Banquise." - Cora MacDonald