I had the pleasure of sitting down to chat with co-owner Gene Cormier at Clos Restaurant. He and his wife Susan are also the owners of Euston Park Social, which you can read about here.
“Owner feels like a bad word. It doesn’t describe what Susan and I feel about the restaurant and hospitality. We’re a team.” – Gene Cormier
This new chic restaurant, located at 611 Main Street, is nothing short of extraordinary. Clos just won an award as one of the top 10 restaurants using the online OpenTable restaurant-reservation service in Atlantic Canada.
“Everyone who works here isn’t just here as a means to an end. We’re all so passionate and very professional about [this line of work]. Because we want to be, not because we need to be.”
Gene and Susan moved to Moncton to open restaurants; that was one of their goals in returning to Gene’s roots. He has a strong attachment to this community, especially to the downtown area, which is where both his restaurants are located.
Both Gene and Susan have worked in 5-star hotels and restaurants, where they learned a lot about what it takes to open such an establishment.
“We’ve learned so much, and we’re still very passionate about what we do.”
It’s that passion that has awarded them much success with both Euston Park Social and Clos.
When asked what differentiates one restaurant from the other, Cormier smiled and explained, “Euston Park Social is only open seasonally, so we get to celebrate summer and all the great things it brings. We reached a demographic with Euston Park Social that was all-encompassing. People sat down with friends, or even made new friends. People came to hang out and just be, all while enjoying great food.”
Clos, on the other hand, is open year-round and has a certain finesse about it. Its gorgeous architecture makes for a romantic evening, or a great lunch date with friends.
The hours of operation at Clos are as follows:
- Wednesday – Sunday: Reservations from 5:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.
- Monday – Friday: Lunch from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Clos is not a reservation-only restaurant. However, it is recommended during evening hours. Lunch, on the other hand, is more casual; therefore, reservations aren’t required. All reservations can be made on their website through a program called OpenTable. “[This program] allows you to put notes in your reservations, such as dietary restrictions so that the staff can give [you] the best experience based on what [you] can eat.”
When asked about the menu, Cormier shared, “The food we want to offer is based on experience. We have a 5-course tasting menu that changes every two months or so. The purpose is to show the best pairings of food and wine. Everything is well priced so that it is accessible to everyone.”
You can find lots of flavour combinations that you might not expect to find together. Cormier continued that they use classic and modern techniques. “We’re not pigeonholing ourselves into a specific description. We’re a modern Canadian restaurant.”
About the author :
Carmen LeBlanc is a local blogger here in Moncton, NB. She works as a content creator to help local businesses and brands to share their story and to make connections. Her blog Tiny Adventures Journey focuses on supporting local, minimalism, and sustainability. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to her blog by clicking here: www.tinyadventuresjourney.com
