We were excited to hear Bastide was being reborn and promised no short supply of drama. Only days later, we’re wondering whether the new Bastide will still be Bastide. First comes the correction that L’Orangerie’s Jerome Voltat will not be the new exec chef, though he was up for the position and probably quite pleased to learn he’d gotten the job, especially if he reads all the blogs who confirmed his hire. Squid Ink is reporting that Voltat will actually not be cooking at Bastide, but that former Sona and 208 Rodeo chef Joseph Mahon is the actual new toque. Meanwhile, we’re wondering what the heck the new Bastide will really be like, and if it’s going to be Bastide at all.
Eater L.A. reports that Joe Pytka’s remodeled vision casts Bastide as a depot and bistro for selling Assouline books. We typically prefer to keep anything dubbed “Assouline” far away from our plates (yes, even if it was a wacky Ludo dish), but its endless elegant chapters sound like an apt fit to grace Bastide’s home library.The report also states that the Assouline addition could prompt a name change for what is planned to be a more casual eatery than Bastide past. Already the initialed archway has seen an A added where an extra B used to be in the restaurant’s signage. Will Bastide by another name and book shilling concept taste as sweet? We’ll have to see come late-November.
Bastide Update: Joseph Mahon Confirmed as the New Chef [Squid Ink]
Bastide to Reopen as a Bookstore [Eater]
