French wines go with French cuisine. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Say hello to a new eatery in the Bowery, opening on April 20, called Rebelle, which means Rebel, of course, in French.  Behind the enterprise are two of the three entrepreneurs who brought us the popular Pearl & Ash in NoLIta (North Little Italy), Branden McRill and Patrick Cappiello.

Admitted and confirmed lovers of everything French, the pair want to make this extraordinary cuisine more user-friendly than its reputation would have us believe is possible.

“I’m a big lover of the Parisian food and wine scene, and we wanted to really replicate that here,” Cappiello remarked. “It was making a statement against the system.” He explained that today’s scene in Paris is a definite move away from “dress-code dining” towards “its all about the food.” “In Paris, it was about fighting the Michelin system, and here, it’s about fighting the Midtown mentality.”

The restauranteurs travelled to Paris to find the perfect chef. All the stars were perfectly aligned, and they were able to bring back with them Daniel Eddy. He was working as a chef de cuisine at the well-known Spring, but was looking for a way to get back to New York, from where he hails.

“You can’t really replicate Paris,” the Eddy said. “You have to take the philosophy and ideals of what exist there, and bring that back as your inspiration.”

For the restaurant’s interiors the team enlisted the design firm Home to get the exact deconstructed, pseudo-industrial feel they wanted for the dining area. The room is filled with dark, wooden tables in contrast with exposed brick walls and marble counters.

We wanted to fit in with downtown,” McRill explained.  He noted that the minimalist,  raw space, is a perfect pairing with its sister establishment Pearl & Ash. “It’s this juxtaposition of light and dark: industrial Bowery and northern Paris. I think it’s a sexy restaurant.”