Legendary Los Angeles Restaurant L'Orangerie Returns in July as L'Orangerie Bistro

Crazy, but true. LA's iconic and long established haute French restaurant L'Orangerie, which shuttered in 2006 after 29 years of business, is making a comeback. Of sorts. Former GM Stephane Clasquin is helming L'Orangerie Bistro, a more modern and accessible take on the famed fine dining French restaurant, which once employed local talent Ludo Lefebvre (Trois Mec) and Christophe Eme (Ortolan). The 4,000 square foot bistro, moving into The Treehouse/Les Habitudes space on S. Robertson, is projected to debut on Bastille Day, July 14, with a piano bar and lounge attached to the main dining room.

Rodeo jeweler Don Tallarico is working on a French bistro aesthetic that pays homage to the old L'Orangerie with chandeliers, oversized mirrors, and a retractible dining room roof for warm days.

What's great is that anyone who missed out on L'Orangerie back in the day will be able to try some of the restaurant's famed dishes like eggs with caviar, prime rib with potato soufflé and béarnaise sauce, and definitely a chocolate soufflé. But overall the idea here is to go for a more affordable menu and many new plates — perhaps salmon tartare and fish en papillote — with entrees running between $19 and $28. Exciting! [EaterWire]