Boston eats’ star rises
Fancy foreign restaurants see opportunity
By Donna Goodison | Monday, November 23, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
International restaurateurs are starting to see Boston in a different light.
London-based Marlon Abela Restaurant Corp. has partnered with Boston’s Himmel Hospitality Group to debut Bistro du Midi today in the Hub. The Provencal-inspired restaurant and bar will open in the former Excelsior space in the Heritage on the Garden with MARC managing it.
“We always felt that Boston - although it’s a maturing market when it comes to restaurants, because there’s a lot more choice - is still one of the markets that’s been overlooked,” chairman Marlon Abela said. “At one time, you didn’t have many groups from outside Boston looking at it as a market to open in, but that’s changing.”
Abela points to two recent imports to Boston, both from French Michelin-starred chefs, as evidence: Chef Guy Martin opened Sensing at the Fairmont Battery Wharf earlier this year, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened Market by Jean-Georges at the new W Boston Hotel last month.
Wagamama, a UK chain of Japanese noodle bars, paved the way in 2007 with the opening of its first U.S. restaurant at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. And next year, Vapiano, a fast-casual chain based in Germany that serves Italian food, will open a restaurant at the Transportation Building.
For his part, Abela says he had been interested in entering Boston for a few years, and a second Hub restaurant could be in his company’s plans down the line.
“We think Boston is a dynamic market with a lot of potential,” he said.
The 8-year-old MARC’s lineup includes two A Voce restaurants in New York, Morello Bistro in Greenwich, Conn., the Michelin-starred London restaurants Umu and The Greenhouse, and Morton’s, a private members’ club in London.
Bistro du Midi is MARC’s second partnership with Himmel, whose other local eateries are Grill 23 & Bar and the new Post 390 in Boston and Harvest in Cambridge. MARC and Himmel also partnered on A Voce Columbus, which opened in September at New York’s Time Warner Center.
“Bistro du Midi is a MARC concept, and it’s MARC’s approach to dining,” said Abela, who plans to open a second Bistro du Midi in London in the first half of next year. “Provence, to me, means more than just the food. It’s about a comfort level, too - a style of service and approach to dining.”
Abela says MARC has been “very careful” about the bistro’s menu prices, with $6 to $9 “small bites,” $9 to $14 appetizers and main courses running from $15 to the high $20s.
“If someone wants to go all out, one can, but if someone wants to have a light meal, one can do that,” he said. “We want to be a really good value for the money.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1213887
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