In Frenchified news of a continental bent, the recent loss of Le Café Miche left a baguette-sized hole in Downtown’s culinary heart. The good news, though, is that yet another French restaurant is slated to take over the building at 228 Gold SW. Chef Jean Pierre Gozard, owner of Cafe Jean Pierre (4959 Pan American West Freeway NE), plans to open a bistro this spring. If all goes well, it will be the third after Le Café Miche and P’tit Louis Bistro to sling moules-frites from the pastoral blue building. For those who prefer their French-derived cuisine to carry a bit more cayenne and creole, and maybe involve alligator meat, N’awlins Mardis Gras Café has recently taken over the space formerly occupied by Serafin’s Chile Hut (3718 Central SE) in the eastern Nob Hill district. With Ragin’ Shrimp only a few blocks away, maybe we should consider renaming that stretch of Central “Little Bourbon Street.”
The Mouthful All Aboard For The Rail Yards Market
After a surprisingly contentious scheduling battle, the popular Rail Yards Market is all set to resume a four-Sundays-a-month spring and summer season at 777 First Street SW. The market operated with great success last summer, attracting thousands of visitors every weekend, but in December the City announced that it would both raise the rent on the space and limit the market to three Sundays a month. Supporters of the mostly-volunteer-run market rallied against the plan, filing a petition and offering public comment at City Council meetings. In response, the City offered a compromise: allowing the market to run most Sundays except for two dates, and asking for less rent per date than the original plan called for.The Rail Yards Market is set to open May 3 and run every Sunday (except for May 31 and Aug. 30) through October.
The Mouthful Mixing It Up
Since the restaurant space at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 Fourth Street SW) currently has no permanent occupant, patrons of the NHCC’s performing arts programs might feel a little starved for nearby options. Fortunately, M’Tucci’s Kitchina (6001 Winter Haven NW) is stepping up to the plate with a series of menus custom created to sync deliciously with the performance of the evening. The next such event is Friday, March 13, when the cuisine of Argentina is partnered with Latin jazz stylings of Sofia Rei. $25 for the meal (seating begins at 5pm), $22 for the music (show begins at 7:30pm). Make your reservations in person at the NHCC box office, or phone 724-4771.
