Greer Wylder
David Wilhelm, a local master of restaurant concepts, has returned to
his first love -- French bistros.
As president of David Wilhelm's Culinary Adventures, which
operates six upscale restaurants in Orange County, Wilhelm says the
group's future string of restaurants will focus solely on the "flavor
and feel of French bistros." Multiple bistros are scheduled to open
in San Diego, Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Wilhelm, 55, has spent 20 years creating and developing more than
a dozen restaurants, focusing on a range of cuisines, from
Southwestern at El Torito Grill and Chimaya Grill to
California-Mediterranean dishes at Sorrento Grill.
"From a business standpoint," Wilhelm said, "the French bistro
concept is an unexploited niche in the marketplace."
Whereas Southwestern and Italian chains have been copied to death,
French chains appear as a novel idea.
"The beauty of it is that it's a timeless, classic concept,"
Wilhelm said.
One of Wilhelm's restaurants, French 75 in Laguna Beach, was an
immediate success when it opened in 1998.
"And on a personal level, I enjoy cooking, working and revisiting
French restaurants," Wilhelm said.
The group's most recent French-themed restaurants include Chat
Noir, a French bistro and jazz lounge that opened last year in Costa
Mesa's South Coast Metro theater district, and Rouge Bistro & Bar,
which opened in July at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.
Wilhelm says Rouge, an everyday bistro, will be the prototype for
further locations.
"They won't be cookie-cutter restaurants, but essentially the menu
and theme will be similar," Wilhelm said.
Chat Noir, its glamorous sister restaurant, was "a tweak on the
everyday bistro concept," according to Wilhelm. The location, on
Anton Boulevard in Costa Mesa, demanded an upscale lounge-style
restaurant that could cater to theatergoers.
"We went for a Paris after dark jazz theme," Wilhelm said.
With Chat Noir's proximity to the Orange County Performing Arts
Center -- and the current construction of the Renee and Henry
Segerstrom Concert Hall, Samueli Theater and an education center --
the venue called for a late-night, live-entertainment restaurant.
Chat Noir is one of the few restaurants in that area that serves a
late-night menu until midnight, Thursday through Saturday. The bar
closes at 1 a.m.
In contrast, Rouge Bistro & Bar glows in red hues. Color experts
say that red increases appetites more than any other color -- it
makes food visually appealing and inspires people to eat more.
