Bistro New Albany seems about to commence operations.

Bistro New Albany appears to be ready for liftoff, beginning with lunch hours on Monday, May 1.

Most readers are familiar with the ups and downs of bNA, a downtown New Albany eatery planned for the space at the corner of Market and Bank that formerly did business as the House of Bread.

Rather than provide links to earlier pieces I wrote, it strikes me as more appropriate to provide you with an assessment from one of the partners. Here’s the most recent update on bNA’s status, courtesy of Chef David Clancy, and as posted on Monday, April 24 at Robin Garr’s Louisville Restaurants Forum:

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Robin Garr:
I got this from Dave Clancy while we were out of town, regrets that I neglected to post it until now. It's great news for foodies all over the metro.I wanted to take a moment to get you up to speed on what has transpired since February (our opening date was originally projected to be 2/6/2006, as you may recall).

The principal owner (Greg Merz) had physical issues arise that basically brought the whole project to a screeching halt. I have spent the last two months trying to arrange financing to open the business on my own, and was fortunate enough to find a new partner, Dave Himmel, who is just as eager to strike out in the fledgling New Albany market as I am.

We have now come to terms with Greg on a buyout of his business interest in the restaurant, and are slated to open May 1st for full service lunch, followed by full service dinner later in May. The same basic concept remains intact, in that our goal is to bring fine dining to downtown New Albany – affordable, and approachable to a wide demographic.

We will feature tap beers from NABC and BBC brewing, a world class wine list, as well as menus based on local purveyors such as Capriole farms, Kentucky Bison, Lotsa Pasta, Turtle Run etc.

You may feel free to post or use any of this information at your discretion, and my hope is that we can play an integral part in the renewal of downtown New Albany, as it is clearly a city on the move.

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As for NABC’s end of the deal, I corresponded with Dave and Dave while visiting the West Coast, and since returning from the trip, I’ve met and spoken with them about the beer selection. Here is my assessment, as posted on the Forum:

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As with Greg before, I've been offering beer assistance and suggestions to Dave and Dave. Here is the projection with respect to craft beer at the new bNA. It's a good and balanced list with room for playfulness and seasonal rotations. They're all quality beers with food, and Chef Clancy will be using some of them in his recipes.

1 NABC Community Dark (Dark English Mild)
2 NABC Croupier (English IPA)
3 NABC Elector (Imperial Red?)
4 NABC Bob’s Old 15-B (Porter)
5 Rotating according to season and demand
6 BBC APA (American Pale) Ale
7 BBC Alt (German Altbier)
8 Bell’s Oberon (American Wheat)
9 Rogue Dead Guy (Amer. Hop/Bock hybrid)
10 Spaten Premium Lager (German Lager)

The Bell's and Rogue taps likely will rotate seasonally. The open tap might be almost anything -- subject perhaps to Chef Clancy's culinary needs?

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I’ll try to keep Potable Curmudgeon Blog readers posted on hours, menu offerings and other relevant bits of bNA information as the exciting new era dawns.

You're simply going to adore bNA's outdoor seating area, for dining as well as drinking.