Update: As of April 5, 2024 L'Altro Frenchie is now open.
Fifteen years after opening his first solo restaurant, Frenchie, in Paris, chef Greg Marchand is about to put an Italian spin on his successful brand. He announced the early April opening of L’Altro Frenchie late last week, promising an identity “inspired by Italy but cosmopolitan at its soul.”
The new restaurant takes over the space at 9, rue du Nil, formerly occupied by Frenchie To Go, an American-influenced deli. With L’Altro Frenchie, Marchand returns to his “his first love,” according to a release — Italian cuisine. The hints at menu offerings include ricotta pizzette with ‘nduja and zucchini flowers; ravioli with peas, mint, and pecorino; salt-crusted veal Milanese; and raspberry jam tart with Piedmont hazelnuts.
When it opened in 2009, the original Frenchie was considered a pioneer in the new bistronomie scene in Paris, with a younger generation of French chefs applying haute cuisine technique without the white tablecloths and other frills of fine dining. Marchand’s experience in London and New York City attracted a team of international chefs and servers, making Frenchie especially appealing to Anglophiles looking to experience the new movement in a welcoming setting.
Its success led to a wave of offshoots, including a London location that closed in January after an eight-year run. Marchand and his wife and partner Marie cited the “increasingly difficult” business atmosphere for restaurants in London in an Instagram post, as well as an intention to focus on their restaurants and businesses in France. Their group includes a wine bar, wine shop, and Frenchie offshoots in the Pigalle neighborhood of Paris, and in Biarritz and Verbier. L’Altro Frenchie will be the first in the brand’s portfolio to focus on Italian cuisine.
While the name and initial information about L’Altro Frenchie skew Italian, Marchand’s announcement suggests that he will use ingredients and ideas as more of a jumping-off point for his own interpretations, as he’s done with French cuisine.
“The cuisine is profoundly anchored in Italian gastronomic culture, though the influences will primarily be from London and New York, as in his career,” the release states of Marchand’s planned approach.
The new restaurant is designed by Marchand’s frequent architectural collaborator, Emilie Bonaventure, with an atmosphere “at once chic and warm, with a backdrop of Italo-disco and old-school hip-hop.”
L’Altro Frenchie, 9, rue du Nil 75002, Paris, France, @altro_frenchie, frenchie-ruedunil.com
