Daily Loaf

Olivier Cuevas — owner of St. Petersburg’s L’Olivier Bistro — is working feverishly to complete his new L’Olivier Cabaret before the Super Bowl. “Because there will be so much attention on Ybor during the Super Bowl,” he said, “all these big networks will be situated there. It will be dramatic and important that we open then.”

It’s going to be a challenge. The cabaret is under Teatro on 7th in Centro Ybor and will feature a lounge decked out in couches and chaises, a big dining room and a large stage, not to mention the 18-foot-tall Eiffel Tower Cuevas has planned. “It’ll be Paris in the 1920s,” he explains. “La Belle Epoque, crushed red velvet, a grand piano, candles everywhere.”

L’Olivier Cabaret’s menu will feature straightforward bistro fare — although more extensive than that at his St. Pete spot — with nothing over $20 at dinner, or over $10 at lunch. If you’re looking to spend more money than that, there will also be a Champagne bar with bottles ranging from $50-$500, including icons like Dom Perignon and Krug. Only French, of course.

The main focus of attention will be the twice-nightly shows that run from Thursday through Sunday, with variety acts bookended by the Cabaret’s own can-can girls. “It will be very Victor/Victoria, or A Chorus Line, magicians, maybe seven performers in a night,” said Cuevas. “And, of course, drag queens.” He is also negotiating to get RuPaul to perform at his opening bash.

A little over the top? Maybe, but Cuevas thinks the prices — and his attitude — mediate that. “It’s going to be simple but beautiful, a classy act, the kind of place that’s missing in Tampa,” he explained. “But we cannot take ourselves too serious either. We don’t have the financial resources to open Moulin Rouge.”

Posted in Food and Restaurants, Restaurant News | Leave a comment