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Takes over former Burgers on Main location Sept. 2
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Opens December, inspired by Joe Beef in Montreal
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AUG 22 13 – 9:45 AM — The chef who enraptured Ottawa foodies with his fresh tacos and takeout window on Elgin Street plans a second restaurant in December loosely modelled after the acclaimed Joe Beef steak and seafood eatery in Montreal.
Matthew Carmichael, 41, takes possession of the former Burgers on Main location at 343 Somerset St. W., near Bank Street, on Sept. 2, when he will begin renovations with Jordan Holley, executive chef at Social Restaurant and Lounge, and a third silent partner identified only as someone “in the high-tech business.” Carmichael has a five-year lease with option to renew; the new place is not yet named.
Carmichael’s popular restaurant and take-out window, El Camino on Elgin Street, will remain unchanged. A spartan space with bare concrete floor, walls, open kitchen and characteristic peninsula countertop with bar stools along its perimeter, the 54-seat El Camino has attracted lineups of eager noshers since it opened May 28. By far, taco sales at $4 each outstrip El Camino’s other offerings.
Above, centre frame: Paige Price at El Camino on Elgin Street makes up to 12 trays (that’s 165 taco shelsl each, ready to press flat) a day. Bottom, the wall behind the bar.
Carmichael comes with his own impressive pedigree, winning the prestigious Gold Medal Plates culinary competition in Ottawa in late 2009, then placing bronze at the Canadian GMP Championship early the following year. He was formerly executive chef at Restaurant E18hteen (beginning 2006), then assumed additional overseeing duties at Social (2008), and was a key figure behind the opening of Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen + Bar (2011). He left those dining rooms in May 2012, then launched a brief but successful “pop-up” restaurant at Mellos on Dalhousie Street.
Holley has been at Social about five years, where he became executive chef in 2012.
Chef Matt Carmichael, during an interview yesterday at his incredibly successful El Camino.
Named after the quirky Chevrolet coupe utility vehicle, El Camino sells an impressive number of tacos; on its busiest day last Friday, it served 1,980 fresh tortillas with such irresistible fillings as beef tongue (my favourite), lamb, pork, tempura cod. Also on the limited menu is tuna sashimi, and Mexican corn. Carmichael is sole owner of El Camino. On a typical day, Carmichael says he’ll go through 15 braised beef tongues, each making 10 to 12 portions.
“It’s crazy busy,” says El Camino sous chef Kristine Hartling.
“We have to lock the restaurant doors before we open at 5:30 p.m., otherwise people will just walk in. The places fills instantly, and they’re lined up every night. We do 10 turnovers a night.”
Above top, the lineups never stop from the time El Camino takeout window opens at noon until closing. Bottom right, Paige Price rolls taco balls to be pressed flat, then griddled.
Carmichael attributes the instant success of El Camino to simply prepared quality ingredients, and a neighbourhood demographic between the ages of 25 and 45 looking for fast, fresh and tasty eats. “There are nights we have a waiting list of 50 or 60 people,” he says. “Some will wait one or one-and-a-half hours.
“They’ll leave us their phone number, go away for a drink, then return when we text-message that we’re ready.” He estimates more than 400 takeout customers each night.
“So my news is, I just signed an agreement to take over an existing restaurant on Somerset, the former Burgers on Main [closed in July]. I’d like to push for a Dec. 1 opening, but you know how these things go. The good thing is that all the restaurant plumbing, electrical, etc. is already there, so it’s just front-of-house cosmetics to be done.”
The Somerset location has been home to a number of restaurants in recent years, including Bocado Italian/Greek restaurant, then Friday’s Roast Beef House, and most recently Burgers on Main.
“I’ll continue to have El Camino on Elgin Street where I can do the Mexican/Thai/Asian flavours, and on Somerset Street I’m thinking of something inspired by Joe Beef in Montreal — modern Canadiana. It’s a come-as-you-are place where you go for a great steak, a bottle of wine. I still want to work with halibut, but don’t have the space at El Camino to handle a 50- or 60-pound fish. But I can do that on Somerset Street.
“To me the food is almost the easy part,” Carmichael says. “The challenge is to repackage the food in a way that has not been done in Ottawa.”
He’s looking for fresh, seasonal and local ingredients when possible, including fish, red meat, fresh pasta, and such tried-and-true favourites as authentic Italian osso bucco, rotisserie chicken, maybe pot roast. Architect is Andrew Reeves of Linebox Studio.
Joe Beef has been an iconic darling among food lovers in Montreal since it opened in 2005, named after Irish-born Charles “Joe Beef” McKiernan, a 19th century Montreal innkeeper. It has been applauded by TV food celebrities Anthony Bourdain and David Chang of Momofuku fame, serving generous portions of what’s billed as “old Montreal classics” including, say, lobster spaghetti, steak, seafood.
“We’re not trying to redefine or create anything new, just redeliver and repackage it,” Carmichael says.
“What makes a restaurant special is the way people feel when they’re here. I mean, is there anything better than a perfectly ripe tomato with good cheese, good olive oil and fresh herbs? Hey, that makes me a happy man.
“We’re also looking to achieve a good price point. It can’t be a $50 steak, so we’ll have to walk that line between value and quality. It’s hard being in the restaurant business these days as people want quality but don’t want to pay a lot for it,” Carmichael says.
“When you walk in at Somerset Street the old house has a great feel, it’s like walking into your grandmother’s house with 70 or 80 seats downstairs and about 50 seats on the second level. We’ll highlight the old-world charm, but modernized.”
Lamb taco at El Camino.
Crispy cod is the most popular in sales at El Camino.
Beef tongue taco, second most popular on the El Camino menu.
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Twitter: @roneade
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