Photos: Bonnee Waldstein
It was a soft grand opening of Le P’tit Laurent, under the new ownership of local restauranteur Manhal Jweinat. It was a low key affair. Despite the plan to reopen the restaurant tonight, as of this afternoon, there was no sign in the window and the shades were tightly shut. But those who know Manhal know he’s not a splashy guy. He just does it. So true to form, dinner was served. This despite a snafu with Open Table which meant no reservations were taken online. Manhal’s friend Kendra was dealing with the situation as a scattering of diners were enjoying a quiet meal.
Manhal says he’ll be a hands off supervisor and rely on the excellent staff he inherited from Laurent. He doesn’t plan to make any changes for sometime, while he figures things out. That means we’ll still have Happy Hour oysters and the neighborhood menu.
Later in the evening things got busier, but the opening hours were a pleasant way for friends to meet up.