La Coop: Bistro à Vins to open April 24

[Robin Garr]

La Coop: Bistro à Vins to open April 24

Owners Brett Davis, Chip Hamm and Michael and Steven Ton announce La Coop: Bistro à Vins will open at 732 E. Market St. on Tuesday, April 24. “French comfort food with a modern twist” by chef Bobby Benjamin features entrées for $20 or less and a cocktail program that includes wine infusions and French aperitifs. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

The menu will include some local ingredients, including herbs that will be sourced from the restaurant’s garden. La Coop seats 48 people in the dining room and bar. Outdoor seating for 24 people is available on the restaurant’s sidewalk patio, weather permitting.

Signature dishes include: Pain Perdu Banane with bananas Foster French toast, maple cream and bourbon maple syrup ($7); Daily Crêpe Specials (market value); Hot Dog Agneau with lamb sausage, onion and pear chowchow and fries ($7); Coq Au Vin with braised chicken, salted pork, glazed carrots, mushrooms and braised pearl onions ($14); Coquilles St. Jacques with scallops, fennel and celery root ragoût and blistered tomato ($18); and Travers De Bœuf with short rib, grits and onion confit ($19). The desserts all cost $6 and include items like Crème Brûlée Aux Pistaches with classic pistachio custard, cinnamon, pistachio tuile and cream and Chocolat Aux Noix Popcorn featuring chocolate-walnut popcorn and sea salt.

La Coop: Bistro à Vins
732 E. Market St.
www.coopbistro.com

We've basically seen a tripling of French options in the city in about the last year or so. Previously, there was only Le Relais. Now there is Ghyslain, Louis Le Francais, and now La Coop: Bistro a vins.
This newest addition sounds really cool. It was inexcusable, in my view, for a city of Louisville's size and culinary renomme to only have one French restaurant. Vive le progres, alors!....oh, and good luck!

All,
I had the opportunity to attend a preview for La Coop last night. They've done amazing things with the former 732 Social space- now transformed into a warm and inviting space that feels very much like an authentic French Bistro. (Finally- a real French bistro in town! ) Cocktails ranged from classic aperitifs (Kir) and creative (Yellow Parrot with a twist); Jackie, our mixologist, showed some serious skill and was enjoying adapting our drinks to our personal palates. The food was very good- our favorites were the steak frites ( perfectly prepared and served with a new contender for the best “fries” in town), hotdog agneau (a lamb sausage hotdog with housemade chowchow) and the lard de maison ( pork belly served over sweet potato butter).
Menu has both small plates ( entrees) and mains (plats) for dinner, with the addition of sandwiches and crepes for lunch. I think Michael & Steven Ton, Brett Davis and Chef Bobby Benjamin have another winner on their hands!
Deb