After an announcement late last year, the news we’ve all been waiting for is finally here – Cassis (333 N. Water St.), the new restaurant from the owners of Birch, has announced its opening date: Monday, Jan. 5.
The bistro/brasserie inspired by French country cooking is to be an “all-day” restaurant – serving lunch, brunch, apero (before-dinner snacks) and dinner. The menus aren’t posted on the Cassis website just yet, but the press release gods have shared some highlights from the dinner offerings: chilled oysters with mignonette sauce, oeuf mayo (soft-boiled egg, smoked walleye), croque monsieur, éclair filled with foie gras mousse, ravioli du Dauphiné (small pasta filled with a butter-cheese mixture), and crepinettes de pork (grilled pork, mustard sauce, herb salad). Owner/chef Kyle Knall featured potential menu items at pop-ups held periodically at Birch.
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The wine list is also exclusively French and overseen by Birch’s sommelier and GM, Jeff Cleveland. The list will “echo the ethos” of Birch’s wine program in that it spotlights producers whose approach to grape growing and wine making is “responsible and deliberate,” per the press release. Beyond French cocktails such as the French 75, the cocktail menu has several signature cocktails – the fines herbes martini, lavender 75, and the Cassis Royale, featuring, among other liqueurs, crème de cassis.
Now to the setting. Cassis occupies the ground floor of the new 333 building in the Third Ward. No photos have been shared of it yet, but the 179-seat dining room takes its design inspiration from – yes – the French bistro. We’re talking marble mosaic floors, vintage lights, marble tables with brass edges, wood paneling with filigree details, and antique mirrors with brass rosettes.
Cassis is accepting reservations on OpenTable.
Hours: L Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Apero daily 2-5 p.m. D Sun-Thurs 5-9 p.m. and Fri-Sat 5-10 p.m. Brunch Sat-Sun 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
