Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/367813
photography by jody horton Chez LaV THE UPSCALE FRENCH RESTAURANT HAS QUICKLY MADE ITSELF AT HOME IN THE HEART OF EAST AUSTIN. by stirling kelso In 2011, when Ralph and Lisa Eads visited the building site of their restaurant LaV (pronounced as in "c'est la vie")—what they envisioned as a sophisticated dining experience with an artful menu and serious wine program—they faced an empty lot in East Austin anchored by an aban- doned gas station. To the untrained eye, this slice of real estate must have looked like it was more appropriate for squatters than du vin-loving diners. Still, the Eadses saw its potential, and went about putting together a star-studded design and culinary team for what they called their "field of dreams." Their architecture firm, the Alabama-based McAlpine Tankersley Architecture, used the area's industrial roots as inspiration for LaV's exterior. The result—a 1920s-esque structure that could have had a former life as a hardware or feed store—looks like it's lived on East Seventh Street for decades. Inside, the restaurant is divided into four separate dining rooms (designed by Susan Ferrier of partner company McAlpine Booth & Ferrier Interiors), Guests in the wine bar are seated at one of two community tables in front of a wall of wine; glass orbs evoke the sense of Champagne bubbles. continued on page 94 AUSTINWAY.com 93 taste so Many Dinners (so Little time)