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A battle is being waged to win the hearts and tummies of noshers downtown.

What had been deemed to be a downtown culinary graveyard could soon become an epicurean hot spot. On the heels of the launch of Time Out Market two weeks ago in the Eaton Centre comes word that Le Cathcart food court will open in late January not far away in the refurbished Esplanade Place Ville Marie.

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Whereas Time Out Market features 16 top-flight eateries and three bars in a 40,000-square-foot space, Le Cathcart will include nine food counters, three full-service restos, two cafés and a biergarten in a 35,000-square-foot venue — all housed under a 7,000-square-foot glass pavilion.

And whereas Time Out Market boasts a Who’s Who of renowned local chefs like Toqué!’s Normand Laprise, Montréal Plaza’s Charles-Antoine Crête and Le Club Chasse et Pêche’s Claude Pelletier, Le Cathcart has nabbed P.K. Subban’s fave restaurateur, Antonio Park; Nicholas Giambattisto, formerly of Joe Beef and Caffe Un Po’ Di Piu; and Lionel Piraux, ex of Toqué! and now Le Cathcart’s culinary director.