Southern steak frites, beignets and oysters planned for new restaurant in downtown Tacoma
Almost a decade into their successful Puyallup restaurant, the owners of Bourbon Street Creole Kitchen & Bar in Puyallup will expand to Tacoma with a new concept.
The de Alwis family plans to open Chez Lafayette, a Southern-inspired brasserie, this summer at 1101 Tacoma Ave. South. It replaces 3uilt, which closed at the end of last year, preceded also by Tower Bar & Grill.
In a small space next door with a separate entrance, they will operate a coffee and retail wine shop called Café au Lait. Imagine beignets, baguettes, sandwiches, coffee and beaujolais, said Mikey de Alwis, who is spearheading the team’s second restaurant.
He anticipates creating “a rustic vibe that’s very clean but polished” with a menu of “French brasserie classics crossed with that Southern element,” he explained, pointing to dishes like charbroiled oysters and Chateaubriand with Cajun spices, plus a special Sunday jazz brunch.
Per his years of experience honing the bar program at Bourbon Street, now one of the South Sound’s go-to cocktail destinations, the drinks will also shine at Chez Lafayette.
One of the biggest changes from the space’s former self will be installing a full bar in the front of the restaurant, visible right as you walk in the door. De Alwis envisions tying in some aesthetic themes of their first restaurant, particularly vintage Craftsman five-panel doors underneath the bar-top.
With oversized windows that provide an unexpected view of downtown Tacoma and tons of natural light, the space reminded him and his father of shotgun houses in New Orleans.
“It’s got that same feeling,” said the elder Mike de Alwis, whose time in The Big Easy inspired him to open Bourbon Street in 2013.
Built in 1919, it’s long and relatively narrow but somehow still spacious at about 2,700 square feet. The rest of the two-story building, on the corner of 11th Street near the Pierce County Courthouse, is occupied by law firms.
Mikey de Alwis intends to add banquette seating along each wall, painting up to the high ceiling a peachy hue with white-linen trim and flowing curtains. The kitchen will also be upgraded and expanded.
The admittedly awkward back room, which faces east toward Commencement Bay, was the bar — a very short one, with room for just four stools. De Alwis will split the room, adding a portion of it to the kitchen and reserving the rest for an intimate, library-style bar with its own identity. It will also allow for private dining, he said.
His brother, Jehan de Alwis will consult on menu development. He previously led the kitchen at Bourbon Street before moving to London three years ago, currently working at the Michelin-starred Luca. Bourbon Street executive chef Jacob Thacker will then jump into the day-to-day of the new Tacoma restaurant.
The restaurant will join a spate of ambitious culinary investments in downtown Tacoma, including the few-month-old APIZZA Little Italy and Indita Mia, the recently opened Jin Jin Matcha, and the forthcoming Amor Wine & Tapas and West 122.
CHEZ LAFAYETTE - TACOMA
▪ 1101 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma
▪ Details: French-Creole inspired brasserie with full bar, serving lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch; target opening Summer 2023