Lacroix alum opening Cerise in Bryn Mawr
Ben Thomas, who got to Philly six years ago through a job at Le Bec-Fin, is about two months from opening Restaurant Cerise in the former Main Line Grill/Brgr Joint space at 1011 W. Lancaster Ave. in Bryn Mawr.
Ben Thomas, who got to Philly six years ago through a job at Le Bec-Fin, is about two months from opening Restaurant Cerise in the former Main Line Grill/Brgr Joint space at 1011 W. Lancaster Ave. in Bryn Mawr.
Thomas, 32, working with his Villanova-raised wife, Elena, envisions Cerise as a contemporary European BYOB with dishes from France on down to Spain and the Mediterranean. But true to their roots - "not that fusion confusion."
They are going the prix-fixe route Wednesday to Sunday: four courses with five or six options for each for $35 on weeknights and $45 on weekends. The weekend brunch will be European-style brunch - a self-service salad (pates, terrines, cheese), followed by two set courses (one breakfast-y, like shirred eggs, and the next more on the lines of lunch/dinner).
Thomas says the planned interior will have soft colors, charcoal gray accents, and a few dark red touches (cerise is cherry in French) - "not full of salvage chic and not quite farmhouse. I'd call it new bistro, sophisticated but not formal."
The two-tiered dining room will seat 25 seats on the bottom and about 20 seats upstairs by the open kitchen.
Soft opening is planned for Aug. 20.