Grille-Nature: Dave McMillan & Derek Dammann's West Island Bet

Hotly anticipated since the announcement was made at the end of this summer, Grille-Nature opened on November 26 in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, an up-to-170-seat restaurant alongside Marché de l'Ouest that reunites David McMillan with Derek Dammann for what both chefs describe as an end-of-career project focused on accessibility over accolades.

After years of running some of Montreal's most celebrated restaurants between them—Joe Beef, Liverpool House, Vin Papillon, and Maison Publique—the duo is betting that the West Island is hungry for chef-driven food sans price tags or pretension.

The West Island location offers more than just parking and lower rent—it puts McMillan and Dammann at the centre of a supplier network impossible to replicate downtown: Air Canada Cargo sits minutes away for fresh fish shipments from across the country; Midland, which transports seafood, operates out of Dorval. Centre des viandes F. Iasenza and Boucherie Al Khair supply everything from pintade and Cornish hens to chevron and milk-fed lamb. Sami Fruits operates right behind the restaurant. Combined with what they're growing themselves at Hayfield Farm and Saintweed Acres—plus honey and garlic from McMillan's neighbours in the Eastern Townships—the restaurant has built-in access to quality ingredients.

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