Bistro At The Maison De Ville
Is Back In Business, Same As Before
The shared-wall architecture of the French Quarter is charming, but there's a reason they don't build them that way anymore.
Chef Greg Picolo can tell you all about it. Back in late spring of this year, the bar next door to his four-star restaurant on Toulouse just off Bourbon suffered a fire. The blaze was just on the other side of the wall the two businesses shared. There were no flames in the Bistro, but there was plenty of heat. And ooze. And water. And firemen, knocking down antique doors to get the critical fire-snuffing job done.
It left the Bistro a mess. At first, they thought everything would be fine by summer. But plastics--of which there were many burning next door--give off fumes. And customers don't like fumes. An abortive attempt to reopen some months ago showed how deep the problem was.
But all that's over. Just as November opened, so did the Bistro. "My propreitary partner Mike Naimone was the real hero," he said. "He came in and got the rebuilding job done. I hope I'm never a contractor!"
So it's back to mussels, foie gras, legendary fresh-cut fries, and the second-best creme brulee in town. (The identiy of number one is part of a long-running shtick that Greg will be happy to perform for you.
An updated review of the Bistro is here.