Bistro Laurent

Having something named after you is a sure sign of success, and having more than one thing named after you is a sure sign that your parents named you Mailboxes, Etc. Also joining that elite club: owner of Bistro Laurent.

Bistro Laurent's a new, casual...bistro, gussied up w/ communal tables, low-hanging light fixtures, and pictures of the owner's family, all from the same guy who owns/shares a name with the nearby Cafe Laurent and first learned to cook when he whipped egg whites as a kid in Normandy -- an altogether different experience than the 1992 version of whippin' whites ON Normandie. They're slinging all three daily meals (plus baked goods're made in house); daytime options range from French toast made w/ croissants, raisins, and cranberries, to a quesadilla filled w/ chorizo, Mexican queso, and soft scrambled eggs, to a curry chicken salad sandwich stuffed w/ pine nuts, cranberries, tomatoes, and yogurt, which'll serve as a reminder that the schwartz is with you, and should in no way be put on the sandwich. Dinner starts next week, and includes standbys like filet mignon au poivre topped w/ black peppercorns and finished w/ cognac and creme fraiche, as well as a massive selection of savory crepes including the L'Italienne (prosciutto/ Parmesan/ tomato/ basil/ garlic/ sundried tomatoes), La Saumon (w/ cream cheese/ tomato/ cilantro), and the sauteed mushroom/ bechamel / turkey bacon/ Swiss cheese "La Champignon", which, in English, means "button mushroom" or "I've had too much champagne to spell it".

Soon, they'll also have beer and wine, with the plan being to have a communal, self-poured wine jug that works on an honor system -- a move that could either be considered a sure sign of success, or Mad Dog.