Comments on Deb Hall's La Coop review

[Robin Garr]

Craving French bistro? Here comes La Coop!



Preview by Deb Hall
Photos by Jesse Hendrix-Inman

This is a report on a pre-opening media tasting. La Coop opens to the public on Tuesday, April 24.

The latest addition to the East Market corridor - La Coop-Bistro A Vins – aims for the welcoming ambience of a neighborhood French bistro, and succeeds very well. They've done amazing things with the former 732 Social space- now transformed from its former industrial vibe into a warm and inviting space that feels very much like the actual bistros in France.

La Coop promises “French comfort food with a modern twist”, and based on my sampling at a recent preview, executes this very well. Corporate Executive Chef Michael Ton (Basa, Doc Crow's) and Executive Chef Bobby Benjamin (late of The Oakroom) have created a menu of approachable French bistro classics. The most expensive dish is the Steak Frites at $20; small plates in the dinner menu top out at $8.

Our favorites included Hotdog Agneau (pictured above, a well-flavored lamb sausage wiener with house-made chowchow, $7), Lard de Maison (crisp and unctuous pork belly served over sweet potato butter, $8), and the excellent Steak Frites (perfectly prepared, and a contender for the best “fries” in town). Cocktails include both classic aperitifs (Kir) and creative concoctions (Yellow Parrot with a twist).

With the addition of seasonal sidewalk dining along bustling East Market Street, La Coop promises to deliver great casual French dining, without having to leave La ‘Ville.

Open Tuesday thru Saturday, La Coop offers both small plates (entrees) and mains (plats) for dinner, plus sandwiches and daily crepe specials for lunch. Reservations accepted;

La Coop-Bistro A Vins
732 E. Market St.
http://www.coopbistro.com

Review on LouisvilleHotBytes.com:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/cravi ... es-la-coop

All,
Note that La Coop does not open until next Tuesday, April 24th. (originally I thought this would not go out until next week's Leo , therefore it wasn't mentioned in the write-up). .
Deb

[Robin Garr]

All,
Note that La Coop does not open until next Tuesday, April 24th. (originally I thought this would not go out until next week's Leo , therefore it wasn't mentioned in the write-up). .
Deb

Oops! I can fix that ...

I am openly jealous. I have extremely high hopes for this restaurant and I am positive Chef Bobby and Team will not disappoint.

I'm looking forward to it as well. Chef Bobby's talent in the kitchen is about to become more well known to the dining public in Louisville.
I've have had the privledge to sample some of his work while he was at the Oakroom and it was most impressive. Most of the people I know don't eat there because it's more of a special occasion place and kind of off the radar, and not to mention, rather pricey.

For him to man the helm of the kitchen featuring French Bistro cuisine that is woefully under represented in this town, in a more casual setting with a significanlty lower price point than his previous gig, people will quickly forget about the establishment that used to occupy the space where La Coop now resides. Chef Bobby will soon be discovered by many more diners as the rockstar of a chef he already is.

What I'm most curious about is the wine list. No mention of that here or in the other thread. . .an Old World inspired restaurant owned by an MS that says "a vins" in the name, and no mention of the wine?

Ken,

I'm sure they have a wine list- likely very good. As you know, Brett Davis ( GM & one of the owners) is a Master Sommelier.
Since we always drink wine and they were serving our choice of flavors of Kir Royale ( Traditional Cassis, ginger, and peach- still or sparkling- to name a few), we started with those and then threw ourselves on the mercy ( or is it Merci? ) of the bar crew to see what kind of talent they had.

Deb

I went for lunch Tuesday and liked it a lot. Very attentive waitstaff - didn't seem like their first day. It is a slower pace, but I enjoyed it. I got the cheeseburger sliders and a bacon and egg salad - both very good.
There are some funny notes on the menu. It looks very formal with the French (translated into English) names, but some are playful, like "Roi de Bierres" for Budweiser and "Roi de Bierres Petit" for Bud Light. No, didn't try those and they have other choices.