The oyster bar at Le Sel
Le Sel, the "New French" restaurant that is the latest venture from the Goldberg brothers of Strategic Hospitality, officially opens tonight in the Adelicia condo tower in Midtown.
Le Sel's kitchen is headed by Rene De Leon, an accomplished chef who has worked at groundbreaking Chicago restaurants Alinea and Next. It's a promising development for the ground-floor Adelicia space, whose previous restaurant tenants (including Miro District and The Tippler) were ultimately unable to make it work.
One way the team is tackling the space is by making the front room the main dining room, while letting the sunken dining room in back serve as a cocktail lounge (open in the evenings only) with a separate entrance and its own menu of bar bites. The third dining area, a mezzanine space a few steps up from the ground floor, will be reserved for private dining and events.
Bites checked out the space earlier this week, and it's striking. The main dining room features both a full bar and an oyster bar offering up fresh seafood. Seating includes swanky pink upholstered banquettes. The cocktail space is more lounge-y, with an amusing logo (a French bulldog sporting an old-timey diving helmet) painted on the wall.
We haven't seen Le Sel's  menu yet, but they're touting a food and atmosphere lineup "created to feel traditional and familiar, yet with a very playful and forward-thinking vibe."
Benjamin and Max Goldberg of Strategic Hospitality are a couple of the more prominent restaurant owners in town. They were nominated as Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalists in this year's James Beard awards. Their other ventures include The Catbird Seat, The Patterson House Pinewood Social and Merchants. The next project is Bastion in Wedgewood-Houston, headed by former Catbird chef Josh Habiger.
Le Sel is at  1922 Adelicia St. in Midtown. The phone number is 615-490-8550. It opens for dinner tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 7).
Once full hours kick in, the dining room will serve lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, along with brunch 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Bar at Le Sel will be open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations are available online via the website.
