Gabrielle Restaurant Cleared to Operate, Finally

Great news this afternoon coming out of Henry Clay Avenue: Greg and Mary Sonnier have received clearance to operate Gabrielle Restaurant in the Uptowner Hall. The Sonniers ran Gabrielle in Mid City before Katrina, purchasing the Uptowner in 2006 in the hopes of reopening their restaurant in the former reception hall. Those plans were delayed for over half a decade, however, after running afoul of neighborhood groups and the City due to the fact that the property was not zoned as a restaurant.

Earlier this week, the Sonniers petitioned the City for "a certificate of merit that would officially recognize the 120 years of continuous commercial use at 438 Henry Clay Avenue," which is in an area zoned for multi-family residential use. Just about an hour ago, they posted to their Facebook, "Yep, Its for real Gabrielle Restaurant is at The Uptowner, OystersGabie, BBQ Shrimp Pie and the Roast duck, There is always room for one more nice restaurant, within walking distance of an Uptown Home!"

No word yet on when they'll be opening Gabrielle or what the hours will be once they're open. Eater has reached out for this information and will hopefully be back with more.

· Gabrielle @ The Uptowner [Facebook]
· Greg Sonnier Moving Forward with 'Fork Full of Flavor' Dinners [TP]