610's Ed Lee to open at actors?

A friend just shared actors theater of Louisville post that says Ed lee is opening up a new place there. Anyone have more news?

http://actorstheatre.org/2012/08/13/act ... rtnership/


Louisville, KY – Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Managing Director, Jennifer Bielstein and Artistic Director, Les Waters are thrilled to announce that nationally recognized Executive Chef and owner of 610 Magnolia and farm-to-table pioneer Edward Lee has selected the theatre’s downtown location as the site for his much-anticipated new restaurant. Housed in the lower level of Actors Theatre of Louisville’s theatre complex, the restaurant is situated in the heart of Main Street, an area that has seen rapid transformation in recent years into a vibrant quarter for dining, socializing and culture. Chef Lee will take over the lease of Actors Theatre’s in-house restaurant and bars immediately with the restaurant scheduled to open its doors to the public in January 2013 and a renovated Mezzanine bar in late November 2012. Temporary bar service will be available for patrons beginning in September when the Theatre’s 2012-2013 performance season commences. The restaurant will hold tables for reservations by Actors Theatre Season Ticket Holders in advance of the opening date, more information to be provided. ...
The concept including menu and name behind Lee’s latest culinary venture are currently being finalized, but it promises an ambiance and décor that is communal and convivial and will seat around 110 patrons. The menu will be priced accessibly for the theatre going audience and competitively with neighboring downtown restaurants. Award-winning Manhattan-based architecture and design firm, Andre Kikoski Architect, PLLC renowned for their work on The Wright in the Guggenheim Museum have been appointed by Lee to oversee the design.

[Robin Garr]

I hope this works out well, but I can't help remembering that Edward's last expansion venture, that short-lived noodle house on Baxter (can't think of its name) was a spectacular failure, giving the appearance that he lent it his name and some start-up advice but very little else.

On the one hand, I hope he's more hands-on with this venture; on the other, I'd hate to see him distracted from the excellence of 610.

I hope this works out well, but I can't help remembering that Edward's last expansion venture, that short-lived noodle house on Baxter (can't think of its name) was a spectacular failure, giving the appearance that he lent it his name and some start-up advice but very little else.

Potstickers? I really wanted it to be better than it was.

On the one hand, I hope he's more hands-on with this venture; on the other, I'd hate to see him distracted from the excellence of 610.

He'll be very hands on, Robin, from all that I understand. Lee and the staff at Actors spent a considerable amount of time and effort on this, as it's so important to a theater the size of Actors to have a good food and drink experience for its guests. Hopefully he will find that balance between the two radically different concepts (the Actors space will be small plates, mid-pricing).

[Robin Garr]

Potstickers? I really wanted it to be better than it was.

Potstickers it was! And me, too! I was sorely disappointed, and went back twice because I couldn't believe it was so lackluster on the first go.

I reviewed it the week it closed, and then joked that I never saw a bad review close a restaurant so fast.

It's no longer online, but here's a copy of the (short) review. This is why I was wary about the Intermezzo announcement, but I'm more hopeful after seeing T.P.'s reassurances.

Potstickers: Good concept, needs work

When I heard that Chef Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia was behind a new fast-food noodle shop that opened last autumn in the midst of the club zone on Baxter, I was excited. I’ve got a lot of respect for Lee and his work, and 610 has been one of my favorite Louisville restaurants for 25 years, under Lee and his predecessor, Ed Garber.

After a couple visits to Potstickers, though, I’m puzzled and bemused. If Lee is really behind it — and I have no reason to doubt that — it’s got to be a hands-off operation.

They’ve done a great job of repurposing a tiny Baxter Avenue storefront as a fast-food noodle shop with an artful Asian sensibility. The concept — something like an Asian spin on Quizno’s or Moe’s — is inventive. The ingredients are quality, counter workers are friendly and helpful, and pricing is more than fair, with most meals in the $5 range.

But the food? Alas, Potstickers presents an unexpected culinary equation in which the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

A ginger soy pork noodle bowl ($5.45) was bountiful but sloppy, and the flavors spoke mostly of salt, with hints of ginger and spicy heat.

The namesake potstickers ($4.15 for eight) were even more disappointing. Pre-made, small and flat, they were reheated in something that looked like a toaster oven and sent aloft a cloud of smoke and a burning smell. Drowned in a mix of heavy sauces, they were crunchy, scorched and indeterminate in flavor.

Presentation was lovely, and the price was right: $10.18 for two plus $2.50 for the tip jar. But despite its lofty heritage, Potstickers, I’m sorry to say, needs work. If you go, I suggest sticking with noodles, with firm instructions to go light on the sauce.

Potstickers
938 Baxter Ave.
618-4500
Robin Garr’s rating: 73 points

Bingo! I knew I had seen a review somewhere. That was close to my experience, too.

Having waited tables and Cooked at Actors, the new place will have to be a happening bar scene and a go to destination for food. The theater crowds are anxious, picky, and in a big hurry to get done with dinner and on to the show!! It was hell trying to feed the entire crowd in such a short space of time. They get there late and expect to get out early. You can't relax in that kind of atmosphere. The whole tenor of the place will have to change, and I hope that Ed can figure out how to do it. I'm sure he will give the best he has.
P.S. The Shady Lane is on vacation this week. See you on Monday. Thanks for the eight years of support from our awesome customers way out (about 1O minutes from anywhere) in the east end. Really has been a joy and as a ex local burger chain employee said the other day, "You kick our ass"
"Best I've ever had" are the words we hear every day, and what keeps us going. Thank You. Bill and Susi.

The theater crowds are anxious, picky, and in a big hurry to get done with dinner and on to the show!! It was hell trying to feed the entire crowd in such a short space of time. They get there late and expect to get out early. You can't relax in that kind of atmosphere. The whole tenor of the place will have to change, and I hope that Ed can figure out how to do it. I'm sure he will give the best he has.

Well, yes, it has been a "landlocked" restaurant in a theater that never has attracted non-theater customers. They've been trained to respond to the manner in which they have been served, in many ways.

Our whole thing with Ed is hopefully draw an outside crowd - it will be healthy for everyone, and he gets to try something new.