Wine-Focused Clyde Takes Over Former Le Central Home

The building that housed the iconic restaurant Le Central for over three decades will become Clyde this fall. The upcoming cafe, restaurant, and design shop is the brainchild of New York transplant Christopher Fehlinger, a restaurant veteran, who plans to run the business with his husband Jon Lipshutz.

The 5,000 square foot space located at 112 East 8th Avenue is currently undergoing some renovations. Hardwood floors replaced the carpet, new paint and lights are next, a new roof is also part of the program.

A large well-crafted wine list with over 500 labels is what makes this Cap Hill spot a wine-centric eatery where guests will get to pair and share food with their wine. There are cheese boards, charcuterie, and small plates that range from Gruyere potato gratin to five-spice pork collar. A sample menu is available on the restaurant's Kickstarter page.

Speaking of Kickstarter, that is where Fehlinger, who has a resume that includes highly praised spots like Babbo and Union Square Cafe in New York City, is both raising money and competing against two other national finalists from an OpenTable contest. The premier restaurant reservations site launched contest and started reviewing applications early this year. By June, Clyde was among three finalists along with California concepts Reem and Junju. As part of this final round, all three launched Kicktstarter campaigns on August 1 and have a $35,000 fundraising goal, which must be met in the next 22 days. The winner gets a a grand prize totaling more than $38,000, with $15,000 cash to put toward their project. Right now, Clyde is in second place.

Here's the Kickstarter video to inspire you to consider backing this project:

When Clyde opens, it plans to serve coffee and pastries starting at 7:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner starting at 5 p.m. with a one hour happy hour to get the party started. The spot will be open all days but Sunday.

And if you wondered, what is behind the name, it is this guy, the couple's French bulldog: