The new Butchertown development Butcherblock is filling up fast.
Insider Louisville broke the news last year that developer Andy Blieden was renovating nine properties in Butchertown, four that he plans to rent as apartments and five that will house new businesses. As of the New Year, Blieden had signed lease agreements with the owners of a home goods boutique and interior design company, a professional photographer, and the owner of a specialty food and arts and crafts store.
Butcherblock can now add a fast-casual Vietnamese restaurant to the list. Called Pho Ba Luu, the restaurant fills a 2,200 square foot space at 1019 E. Main St., according to a news release.
“As I learned more and more about their concept, I became more and more certain that Pho Ba Luu was the right fit as the anchor for this development,” Blieden said in the release. “And now, after seeing the design that they have put forward, and now tasted the food for myself, I can’t imagine anything else in the space.”
Blieden told IL back in August that he thought the former service station was perfect for a restaurant.
Pho Ba Luu is the brainchild of Mimi Ha, managing partner of August Moon Chinese Bistro, and Jessica Mach, who will act as managing partner of Pho Ba Luu.
“I’ve been blessed to be part of August Moon for over 25 years,” Ha said in the release. “It’s so exiting to now collaborate with Jessica on the food of my childhood with our new venture together.”
Once it opens this summer, the restaurant’s hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. It will seat 75 inside and 40 on an outdoor patio.
The menu will include chicken and beef pho, banh mi sandwiches, imperial rolls, spring rolls and vermicelli bowls, among other items, according to the release. All entrees will include house-made bread and dessert.
Ha, Mach and Blieden collaborated on the design with architect Ted Payne; Chris Burgin, lighting and scenic director at Louisville-based audio visual company Axxis Inc.; and Scott Rudd with Louisville-based commercial kitchen equipment supplier Chef Supply.
“We let the menu lead the design of the open kitchen with the intention of maximizing efficiency and speed of service,” Mach said in the release. “Likewise, we let the building, and what we were calling the ‘Butchertown aesthetic,’ guide our design choices in the overall interior space and patio.
“There will be subtle hints of an Asian aesthetic in the design, but any overt Asian theming of the restaurant will be experienced on the plate, or better yet, in the bowl.” —Caitlin Bowling
