Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

>> WAITING LIST

John Mims, owner of Bryn Mawr's Carmine's Creole Café, has partnered with lawyer Howard Taylor to bring Les Bons Temps ("the good times") to Center City by the first week of April. Located in the 12th Street space that housed Odeon and the TPDS Club, LBT is a dramatic three-tiered, chandelier-adorned concept — the ground floor will feature dining and drinking areas; the mezzanine will boast balcony seating; and the third floor will be a piano bar known as the "Mardi Gras Room." (Mims is currently auditioning performers.) For food, expect a Cajun/Creole small-plates menu (served until 1 a.m.) to accompany fine-dining selections similar to the fare at Carmine's. Mims says he wants patrons to feel "the whole experience of being in New Orleans — and 'the good times' is exactly what we want people to [have]."

Fishtown native Amanda Bossard and husband Murat Aritan hope to open their seafood market and dining room by Aug. 1. The couple, who worked together for years commercial fishing in Alaska (Aritan is still a fisherman), are serious about seafood harvested in a sustainable manner. For wild-caught fish, it basically means adhering to catch guidelines for endangered or threatened species. For farm-raised species, they're looking for suppliers who are mindful of environmental issues like runoff and waste pollution. ("[This will be] one place where you don't have to worry about [sustainability] when you walk in the door," says Bossard.) The market end will feature fresh-frozen seafood from around the world; the sitdown side will be very casual, with about 50 seats and lots of windows.

Devil's Den GM Mick Hally says he hopes to have the long-awaited pub (1148-1150 S. 11th St.) open by Monday, March 10. >> Felix Maietta's Union Gourmet Market & Café (Residences at the Western Union Building, 1113 Locust St., uniongourmetmarket.com) will open sometime in the first two weeks of April. Check out exclusive photos of the interior at citypaper.net/clog, category: Bite This.