La Cote closes

It must have happened last week, since we're pretty sure the place was still open last weekend. But the sign in the window says it all: "It is bittersweet that we have to close our doors to move on to new ventures."  La Cote Cafe and Wine Bar, long a Madison Valley mainstay, has closed its doors. The timing of the restaurant's demise is ironic given that it has been an integral part (under one owner or another) of the French-themed Madison Valley marketing effort, which includes the upcoming Bastille Day celebration, July 13.  La Cote is notably absent from the list of participating restaurants on the Bastille Bash webpage.

Apparently there will soon be a new Italian restaurant in La Cote's space.  The message in the window welcomes "a new friend to the neighborhood: Bar Cantinetta."  No word on whether the new friend is related to the Cantinetta that has locations in Wallingford and Bellevue.  The scheduled opening date of the new eatery is late July.

With La Cote now out of the picture and Rover's closing later this month, it looks like Madison Valley is going to be a little bit less French from now on.