For many in this area since it opened in the 1940s, dining at starry La Crémaillère in Bedford’s Banksville section has been a rite of passage, a sign that you were mature enough to sit at a grownups’ table in elegant surroundings, eating sophisticated French food and engaging in – or at least listening to – intelligent conversation.
Le Crém is gone now, though clearly not forgotten, having closed appropriately enough on Valentine’s Day. In its place is another French restaurant, Le Poisson, bowing March 15, with Thomas Burke once again at the helm of the kitchen as executive chef and now also managing partner and owner.
Le Poisson means “the fish,” and seafood and surf and turf is what you will find at the new establishment, including dishes like tuna carpaccio, hamachi tartare, Maine lobster, porterhouse steak, shrimp cocktail and an over-the-top seafood tower.
“I’m excited to open my first restaurant in our current space and work with my talented team on offering our guests a new experience they will love,” said Burke, who led the reopening of La Crém in 2022, with recognition by the Michelin Guide two years in a row.
“We are staying true to our fine French dining roots,” said the man who cut his teeth at Le Bernardin and Aureole in Manhattan, Boulevard in San Francisco and The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, “although making some necessary changes to the interiors of the restaurant and updating the menu with dishes our customers really want.”
To that end, Le Poisson will also include a bar/lounge with a more easygoing atmosphere for light bites and after-work cocktails. General Manager Alice Burke has enlisted the help of a design and floral expert to bring new life to the property. Antiques from France inspired by Normandy’s coastline and lush green countryside will be worked into the updated design. The bar/lounge area will accept walk-ins and feature martinis, premium oysters with caviar and top-shelf whiskeys.
Salut!
For more, visit poissonny.com.
