December 8, 2015 – Two of Carmel’s most popular eateries are teaming up to open Lafayette French Kitchen, a new breakfast and lunch spot on Dolores St. between 5th and 6th.
Ben Khader, owner of Yafa Mediterranean Restaurant is partnering on the project with Isabel and Jean Bernard Vial, owners of the red-hot Lafayette Bakery in the Barnyard Shopping Village.
“We started our businesses right around the same time in May 2013 and have become really good friends,” says Khader, who leased the property with the French-born couple in October. It used to be the home of the much-missed Em Le’s Old Carmel Restaurant, which closed last summer.
Khader says Isabel Vial is moving over from the bakery to head the kitchen and will be serving authentic French specialties, like pain perdu (French toast), crepes, oeuf a la coque (homestyle soft-boiled eggs), baguettes and croissants.
Italian Danesi espresso coffee, imported by Gusto and Basil owner Denis Boaro, will be served, along with freshly pressed juices.
The lunch menu will feature Isabel’s homemade soups, salads and sandwiches.
Renovation of the building is currently underway and Khader is hoping to open by the end of the year or early in 2016. He has purchased a 300-year-old French oak bar that will serve as the centerpiece of the 38-seat dining room.
The vaulted ceilings, brickwork, black slate chalkboards, curved glass display cabinets and Isabel’s lace curtains will give it the atmosphere of a French country inn.
Lafayette’s coveted bakery items will also be available for takeout or for immediate indulgence on a tiny 8-seat patio. Lafayette’s Barnyard location will remain in operation.
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