New in the Short North..."a little slice of Europe"

clipped from www.dispatch.com On Restaurants A little slice of Europe Plates of bread, cheese, meat paired with wine in owner's vision Tuesday, May 25, 2010 2:52 AM By Denise Trowbridge FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Architect Steve Hurtt, left, helped bring Yusef Riazi's vision to life at Mouton, opening soon in the renovated Ohio Art League building. A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou. Now add artisan cheeses and gourmet cured meats, and you have the core menu offered by Mouton, which is expected to open sometime next week in the former Ohio Art League space at 954 N. High St. Owner Yusef Riazi is betting that Columbus palates will be won over with Mouton's combination of artisan foods paired with light and bright European wines. "It's not tapas or appetizers," Riazi said. "This is a very specific vision that revolves around beautiful breads, cheeses and cured meats.

"Anywhere you go in Europe, this is how people eat," he said. "They sit down with meat, bread, cheese and a carafe of wine."

Some of the meats - which include pancetta, prosciutto, and salami - will come from gourmet producers such as Fra'Mani in Berkeley, Calif., and La Quercia in Norwalk, Iowa. Selections from Niman Ranch of Alameda, Calif., which supplies natural meats to Chipotle, probably will be on the menu as well.

The cheese will come from closer to home.

"There will always be an Ohio cheese on the menu," Riazi said. As for the rest, "I'm drawing a line across Wisconsin, and all of the cheese will come from east of there, all the way over to Vermont. They're doing wonderful cheeses in this area."

The bread will be made by a local baker using fresh, seasonal ingredients, and the menu will grow and change in response to customer feedback.

All the meat, bread and cheese combinations will be paired with wine. Riazi, a former wine salesman, is studying for his master sommelier certification. Even the restaurant's name, Mouton, was inspired by the Chateau Mouton Rothschild winery in the Bordeaux region of France.

Like its menu, Mouton will morph from one concept to another throughout the day. When the doors open at 8a.m., Mouton will be a bright, airy coffee shop with simple, straightforward coffee drinks and handmade baked goods. The coffee beans are roasted by Cafe Brioso and served with milk from the Snowville Dairy in Athens.

Throughout the day, while some customers have lunch or dinner in the dining room, others will be able to pop in and out with carryout orders, as most items on the dinner menu will be available "to go."

Then, late at night, the space will turn into a cocktail lounge. Mouton has a full liquor license and is developing a menu of specialty cocktails made with fresh ingredients.

Riazi, who recently turned 33, has dreamed of owning a restaurant for years.

He has worked in the restaurant business since age 18, starting as a dishwasher. He is a former employee of the Refectory, Rigsby's and Northstar Cafe.

"I've worked my way through the business," he said, "and for years I've been putting together in my head what I wanted to do on my own, what I'm passionate about."

When Riazi stumbled on the space at 954 N. High St., everything fell into place - even though the roof had collapsed, and it basically was an empty shell.

"We did a complete gut renovation. It took eight months," he said. "We rebuilt the space using a lot of architectural salvage and gallery-style lighting to recapture the art-gallery vibe."

Mouton seats 32 and will be open from 8 a.m. to 10p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.