Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published October 21, 2008 Classic French Market-Area Bistro Restarted By Vega's Glen Hogh Cafe Sbisa Reopens We learn yet again that we can't give up on restaurants that still haven't reopened since Katrina. We have another return from the supposed dead this week: Cafe Sbisa. As is usually the case this long after, a new owner is involved. It's Glen Hogh, who took over Vega Tapas Cafe some years ago and has turned it into an even more interesting place to eat than it was under its founder--who was pretty good, at that. He opened Cafe Sbisa quietly, but a grand opening bash is planned for this weekend. The building was not terrible damaged in the storm, but sitting there so long has made getting it back in action less than easy. It's a great space. The second floor was largely removed to form a mezzanine with tables looking down into the bar. A large, classic George Dureau painting--which for a time was lost--is still there. The restaurant was founded in 1899, one of many Italian restaurants in that part of the French Quarter at the turn of the century. It was a hangout for businessmen in the French Market, then declined into a rather raffish eatery over the decades. It finally stopped serving food altogether and became a bar, then closed for an extended time in the 1970s. Then it had a rebirth. Dr. Larry Hill, one of the original partners in Marti's, performed a brilliant renovation of the restaurant and reopened it in the mid-1970s as a stylish, avant-garde Creole restaurant. With a charcoal grill in the kitchen, it was the first modern New Orleans restaurant to grill fish--which alone brought it an enormous clientele. They also served raw clams and mussels as well as oysters in the bar. The chef was Jason Clevenger, son of JoAnn Clevenger, who would later open the Upperline. Cafe Sbisa closed again in the 1990s, reopened under the Napoli family's ownership, but never recaptured its chicness. It closed again when the storm hit and has been sitting there ever since. It's great to have it back. They're planning on opening for dinner only, Wednesdays through Sundays for now. I hope they return the old tradition of late hours in the evening and Sunday brunch future. Here's a sampling of the menu: Appetizers Sbisa Crab Cake over Whole Grain Mustard Butter with Mixed Cabbage Slaw Stuffed Eggplant with Confit of Duck, Foie Bechamel, Creamy Brie, and Basil Pesto Oysters Sbisa: Lightly Crisp Gulf Oysters over Pernod Creamed Applewood Smoked Bacon & Spinach Steamed Mussels in White Wine Butter, Capers, Shallots, & Fresh Dill with Pommes Frites Shrimp Remoulade Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Rhubarb-Apple Chutney, Green Tomato Marmalade & Croustades Duck Pastrami: Cured Duck Breast with Fig Mustard and Accompaniments Sauteed Veal Sweetbreads with Wild Mushrooms & Crispy Prosciutto over Sherry Butter    Entrees Seared Diver Scallops with Wild Mushroom Ragout & Roasted Corn Grits  Gulf Shrimp Épicé: Jumbo "BBQ" Shrimp in a Spicy Pork Sausage Cream  Smoked Soft Shell Crab over Broiled Potatoes with Vegetable & Green Onion Aioli  Pan Roasted Gulf Fish:Today's Daily Catch over Black-eye Pea Ragout with Vegetables Bouillabaisse  NY Strip with Broiled Potatoes, Stilton Mornay and Vegetables Mushroom Vol-a-Vent: Exotic Mushrooms Sauteed in Madeira Cream with English Peas in Puff Pastry Roasted Quail: Glazed Semi-boneless Quail stuffed with Pecan-Chorizo Wild Rice over Sweet Potato Mash Roasted Leg of Rabbit over Applewood-Smoked Bacon Spinach & Broiled Potatoes   Cafe Sbisa. French Quarter: 1011 Decatur. 504-522-5565. Contemporary Creole. © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com