La Place Café is hosting monthly events to create a more social atmosphere in the Cleveland restaurant, starting with a Halloween party Oct. 30.
“It’s by reservation only,” says owner Yves Almodovar, who plans to host many inhouse events in the future.
“We’ll have a DJ and the $10 entrance fee will include one special cocktail.”
The Halloween party, which will begin at 9:30 p.m., will include many fun events and a $100 gift certificate will be awarded to the winner of the costume contest.
Almodovar says La Place will be featuring at least one in-house event every month. A Beaujolais Nouveau party will be held Nov. 18, which is when French wine enthusiasts celebrate the first new Beaujolais of the year. La Place will also host several holiday events such as a New Year’s Eve celebration that will feature French traditions like onion soup served at 6 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
“New Year’s Eve will be huge,” Almodovar says. “It’s also our first anniversary. It’ll be $50 or $60 per person with food, drinks and dancing into the night.”
Information for La Place’s many events can be found by searching for La Place Cleveland on Facebook.
The busy restaurant is also accommodating private parties. Almodovar says the interior of the restaurant has been rearranged to create a private banquet hall that seats 50 people. The new space is designed for those groups hosting birthday, anniversary or wedding parties.
Almodovar says his chefs can create a private event menu with everything from traditional French cuisine to cakes.
“Now that everyone is starting to know what we are capable of doing, they are coming here for what they can’t find anywhere else,” says Almodovar, who has many regular customers calling ahead and asking that the chef surprise them with something new.
La Place Café is offering a special lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. La Place’s new selection features main entrées like Quiche Lorraine, a club sandwich, a ham and cheese croissant, homemade lasagna or tartiflette served with a pastry of the day for $7.99. Each table also receives a basket of fresh baguette rounds served with La Place Café’s homemade green or black olive tapenade.
“This menu is the result of nine months of tests about what people like,” says Almodovar, who designed the menu to include a well-balanced selection of French and American inspired recipes, with a focus on the visual aspects of the menu. “One picture is better than a thousand words. It allows them to see the different dishes.”
Fresh pastries are still available and prepared everyday from scratch. By popular demand, La Place has started making fresh chocolate croissants again, daily.
LA PLACE CAFÉ
LOCATION: 4625 T.L. Rogers St. Northeast Cleveland.
PHONE: 478-9595.
HOURS: La Place Café restaurant and bakery hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
NICE TO KNOW: Kids eat free on Sundays in the family friendly environment.