Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published September 4, 2006 Click here for the current edition Chef Rene Bajeux Blows Town Chef Rene Bajeux, owner of Rene Bistrot in the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel on Comman at Baronne, has changed his mind again. He's leaving New Orleans. He hasn't figured out where he's going yet; he's just leaving. That was the substance of his first announcement after the storm. But he changed his mind and went to work to get Rene Bistrot open again. Which it did, in a different space in the hotel than the one he had been using. No doubt the papered windows in the restaurant's original, very visible space made a lot of people believe that Rene Bistrot wasn't, in fact, open. (However, reports I heard from people who went there were very good.) But now, a press release from the hotel says he's gone, that Rene Bistrot will remain open (as will the other restaurant he supervised, La Cote Brasserie, in the Renaissance Arts Hotel). And that's too bad, because Rene has really hit his stride with the Bistrot. I liked it far better than what he was doing when he was chef of the Windsor Court. (Although the most amazing thing he did was lose over a hundred pounds in a year.) Nice guy. I'm sure he had his reasons, and we can't fault those who decide that New Orleans is more of a challenge than they're ready to face. But we can be disappointed. We wish Rene all the best, and were glad to have him here. Rene Bistrot. 817 Common. 412-2580. Breakfast and lunch seven days. © 2006 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com