If you're craving some french cuisine in the city, you'll have to look someplace other than popular French restaurant Chantecler. The Parkdale restaurant caught fire at about 5 a.m. on November 19th and the fire was "controlled but not contained" by about 7:30 a.m. according to Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg. It was a 3-alarm fire that yielded significant damage to the building and interior.
According to news sources, there was visible smoke from the first floor of 1320 Queen St. and this smoke eventually spread to the second and third floors of the building. Thankfully, no one was hurt or injured as a result of the fire.
As for details about the fire, the restaurant posted this message on their Instagram in the days following the fire: "There’s been a fire at 1320 Queen. Everyone is safe. We don’t believe it was a kitchen fire." They announced they'll be closing for renovations to repair the damages as they were quite extensive and it will take some time to get the restaurant back up and running. Hopefully their renovations go smoothly and they'll be back and running sooner rather than later. We sure can't wait to get a taste of their steak frites.
But, you know the saying "when one door closes another door opens"? In the meantime, the owner Jacob Wharton-Shukster is opening up a pop-up restaurant across the street at 1263 Queen St. West. It will run for about six months while the restaurant undergoes renovations over the next few months. It is called Le Phenix and is open as of January 16th. You can check out their Instagram for more information and to make reservations.
This is what we like to call making lemons out of lemonade.
