Three’s company for Agricole’s EaDo project
Agricole Hospitality group — which owns Revival Market, Coltivare and Eight Row Flint in the Heights — is expanding to East Downtown (EaDo), with three new dining and drinking projects in the buzzed-about East Village development.
Agricole partners include chef Ryan Pera, Morgan Weber and culinary director Vincent Huynh. All three concepts are expected to open at 1201 St. Emanuel before the end of the year. A few details about each:
• Indianola: Named for the Texas town that in the mid-1800s was a port of entry for thousands of European immigrants, this 100-seat restaurant (with 30 outdoor seats) will celebrate classic American dishes born from the immigrant experience. Weber’s German/Czech ancestors on his mother’s side came to Texas through Indianola in the 1870s. Pera’s immigrant connections are via Ellis Island, and Huynh’s family arrived in San Francisco. Those threads of American convergence inspired the partners to think about classic melting-pot staples. Pera describes the 3,000-square-foot spot as a neighborhood restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, using locally sourced foods.
“We’ve learned so much about what our guests want through Revival Market and Coltivare,” Pera said. “We’re taking that knowledge and bringing it to EaDo.”
• Miss Carousel: Attached to Indianola by a corridor, this 5,000-square-foot bar is named for a Townes Van Zandt song that was often heard on the early playlist at Revival Market. It is intended to be both a destination bar and a bar/lounge for Indianola. With 200 indoor/ outdoor seats, the space will be furnished with living-room-style couches, chairs, rugs and even a fireplace, evoking turn-ofthe-century hotels, Weber said. A list of about 25 to 30 cocktails will be heavy on originals with about 30 percent classic cocktails. Some Indianola food will be available at Miss Carousel.
• Vinny’s: Named for Huynh, this fast-casual pizza joint will focus on by-the-slice and delivery. But don’t expect Coltivare-style pizza; the partners expect to present a variety of styles. (The team traveled to New York and Chicago for research.) The 50-seat, counter-service pizzeria also will serve wine and beer.
Weber called the three-concept launch into EaDo “the most difficult thing we’ve ever pulled off.” But the Agricole partners, he said, are sold on the area as one of great growth and potential, particularly where dining and drinking are concerned.
“We don’t want to be a trendy, fly-by-night space,” he said. “We want to be a fixture in the neighborhood like we’ve become in the Heights. It’s definitely an investment in the long-term future of downtown.”