While Parc gets l'headlines, Peter Woolsey and his father, John, are wrapping up work on Bistrot La Minette, their bistro on Sixth Street at Bainbridge Streets. When it opens -- and the current target is Aug. 25 -- it will create a wee French Quarter in Queen Village/Bella Vista, as it's across from Beau Monde, around the corner from Coquette and a few blocks from Cochon. (La Minette is in that building on the east side of Sixth Street, across from Shouk, that used to have a Dalmatian mural.)
Peter Woolsey, who did kitchen time at Washington Square, Striped Bass and Le Mas Perrier (after a few years in Paris at Lucas Carton), is married to a Frenchwoman, and decor is full of stuff that he picked up at flea markets. The sign photographed at top is a custom job, painted for him in France.
Construction was a major hassle, as they encountered problems with the foundation and scooped the basement deeper to pour a new one. They're still waiting for PECO to button up electrical needs.
There'll be a bar, a private dining room stocked with paintings by his mother, Peggy, and, later on, what should be a sweet little outdoor courtyard tucked off the street. GM is John Gonzalez, who was the final GM at Striped Bass; his resume also includes Gramercy Tavern.
The restaurant will be open Mondays through Saturdays, says Woolsey -- "no Sunday, no brunch. French restaurants don't do brunch."
Below, a few interiors, if you'll excuse the usual preopening mess of plastic wrap and packing material.
