Diners at the newly opened Banlican Bistro in North Bend will find the surroundings familiar, but the food is headed in all new directions.

Chef Christian Brown and manager Jill Craige reopened the former Veronica Wine Bar on March 31, offering French cuisine with the flair and flavor of the Southern United States.

“We fell in love with the restaurant the way that it was,” Craige said. “We loved it, and we wanted to keep it the same feel.”

What’s different will be the menu, which Brown plans to change daily.

“We want people to come and feel like they have a classically trained chef that cooks for them personally,” Brown said. “I am excited about that challenge.”

The restaurant is going to be full of personal touches, from the menu, to the wine, to individual tables meant to make each diner feel like they’re in their own private spot.

“This is really a passion of mine,” said Brown, who started cooking as a teenager with a Greek restaurateur’s family that included a pastry chef and a savory chef.

“We’re both from the South,” he said. In the United States “most of the food we eat comes from French cuisine.” His mission is to mingle those traditions.

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