Au Revoir Cafe des Artistes
Another restaurant bites the dust at One Arts Plaza
Say bon soir to Cafe des Artistes, the Lombardi Family Concepts bistro at One Arts Plaza in Dallas, which is shutting down following a final dinner on December 28.
Open just a year, the restaurant was unable to break what appears to be a bit of a jinx, both in that space and in the plaza overall. The space has already seen two iterations of Screen Door – the original Scott Jones version and then the mop-up version featuring chef David McMillan.
According to a release, the restaurant saw "acceptable business," but Lombardi president Alberto Lombardi has decided on a new strategic direction for his company: to focus on opening more branches of his two other concepts: Taverna and Toulouse. Lombardi plans to expand both concepts throughout Texas, including new locations in Fort Worth, Austin and Southlake.
Lombardi says he intends to maximize the "dual-restaurant synergy" that he's created on Knox Street in Dallas where Taverna and Toulouse are next door to each other.
In addition to Taverna and Toulouse, Lombardi's family of restaurants includes Bistro 31, Sangria, three branches of Penne Pomodoro (Lakewood, Preston and Forest, and Snider Plaza), and Lombardi's Romagna Mia in Las Vegas.
As for what is going into the Cafe des Artistes space, a staffer at the management office said, rather curtly, that no replacement had been announced.
Cafe des Artistes' departure leaves Fedora, The Greek, Jorge's and Tei An. John Tesar, we miss The Commissary!