I think we've pretty much been over this, but here's the (un-edited) formal news release about the plan by the Ton Brothers of Doc Crow's and Basa, original owners of 732) to open a French bistro in the 732 Social location with former Oakroom chef Bobby Benjamin in the kitchen:
Bistro Voliere Coming Soon to Burgeoning East Market Area of Louisville, Ky.
New Restaurant Will Offer French Comfort Food by Chef Bobby Benjamin in an Intimate 48-Seat Space
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 27, 2012) --- The restaurant development and management team that opened Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar on Louisville, Ky.’s historic Whiskey Row in 2011 will soon bring a new French bistro to the city’s East Market district. Basa owners Steven and Michael Ton, along with Master Sommelier and veteran restaurateur Brett Davis and attorney Chip Hamm, will open Bistro Voliere at 732 E. Market St. in April 2012. The menu promises French comfort food with entrées priced at $20 or less and a cocktail program that includes wine infusions and French aperitifs. Bistro Voliere will feature seating for 48 in the intimate dining room and bar in the heart of the vibrant downtown arts district. Lunch and dinner will be served Tuesday through Saturday in addition to Saturday brunch and a late night menu.
“With Bistro Voliere, we are looking to fill a void in the Louisville market,” says Brett Davis. “Keeping in mind the cuisine that is already available in the area, we will plan the menu to include dishes that are new to East Market’s exciting restaurant scene.”
The kitchen at Bistro Voliere will be led by executive chef Bobby Benjamin, who was most recently employed as chef de cuisine of The Oakroom at The Seelbach Hotel. The Rhode Island native earned a degree in culinary arts at the Louisville campus of Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies in 2003. In the years that followed, he worked throughout the United States to hone his culinary skills in the field and has worked for and held stage positions for such nationally renowned chefs as Sean Brock, Wolfgang Puck and Gino Angelini.
The East Market vicinity of Louisville, also known as NuLu, has experienced a renaissance in recent years, with several new restaurants and small businesses opening in the area. Bistro Voliere is located in the award-winning Green Building which opened in the fall of 2008. Renovations on the 110 year old masonry structure began in the spring of 2007 when owners Augusta and Gill Holland aimed to create the first commercial building in Louisville to go for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification (the US Green Building Council's designation of a sustainable building).