According to a report by Eater, local chef Grae Nonas and co-owner/director of operations Chelsea Nonas will be establishing his popular Italian pop-up Le Cowboy into a full-on restaurant in the near future. The restaurant will eventually be found at 2919 Menchaca Road.
Within the brick-and-mortar, the couple wants to open a versatile “bistro-style neighborhood place.”
“It’s not meant to be astronomical. It’s not meant to be a trend, it’s not meant to be just for today. It’s meant to be every day,” Nonas said to Eater.
The restaurant will predominantly serve up expect the Italian and Italian American dishes (“grandma Italian”, per Nonas) at affordable prices.
As construction has begun for the facilities–featuring a bar, dining room, private dining room, and a chef’s table in the kitchen–the duo is currently gathering funding to continue.
“Do we just abandon this again, or do we just go for it,” Chelsea Nona said to Eater, “and just say, ‘Screw it, we’ll figure it out.’”
“Is this even possible to do if you don’t have a corporation or a restaurant group behind you?” Chelsea Nonas questions. “People don’t want to invest until other people invest, but other people aren’t going to invest if others aren’t investing,” she says. “We’re stuck in this perpetual thing.”
“Help a true mom-and-pop place get on their feet,” Chelsea Nonas asks of people, “so we can start seeing more authentic restaurant openings that don’t feel so formulaic and stale.”
Until Le Cowboy finally opens, eager readers can visit its pop-up residency at Apt 115 and sample pasta dishes such as squid ink tagliolini, ragu alla bolognese with garganelli; chicken parms with fettuccine alfredo; and bread.
