A bit of construction is underway at Five Bistro that will lead to big changes in the bar area of The Hill restaurant. Chef-owner Anthony Devoti recently shared his plans to add a small, rotating concept restaurant within Five Bistro. He hopes to launch the first concept in mid-February, just after Valentine’s Day.
The main dining room will continue to serve Five Bistro’s regular menu of seasonal offerings, but the bar area will be divided by a newly installed wall to create a more intimate, 600-square-foot space where Devoti will serve a unique five-course menu to 20 diners. The theme of the menu will rotate every 8 to 10 weeks, allowing him to introduce four or five concepts during the course of a year, similar to Grant Achatz’s restaurant Next in Chicago.
“It is like opening a new restaurant without leaving the building, and getting to utilize some of the concepts and ideas that we have without having to get up and go hunt down a landlord,” he said.
The first concept will be a French bistro theme called Mon Petit Chou. That menu could include offerings like a frisee salad with lardons and deviled eggs, fluke in buerre blanc and chocolate bouchons, Devoti said. Subsequent themes might include upscale American-Italian fare or an all-vegetarian menu.
When Mon Petit Chou launches, its menu will be offered Wednesdays through Saturdays, with two, reservations-only seatings. The menu will be priced around $45 and will include dishes prepared with seasonal produce from Five Bistro’s garden and local purveyors.
This article appears in January 2014.