New Bistro to Replace Grille

Harvard Square will soon add a new French-style bistro in the location of the recently closed 8 Holyoke Grille.

Beginning Dec. 19, Sandrine's will open its doors on Holyoke Street, hoping to attract attention with a menu its owners say will feature fresh food in the spirit of authentic bistro.

The restaurant plans to price itself about five dollars below its predecessor, with lunch ranging from $5 to $9 and dinner starting at $14.

The house special will be a Flam-mekueche--a thin pastry dough covered with fromage blanc and topped with items like onion, bacon and mushrooms. They will range in price from $6 to $8.

At the lower end of the price spectrum will be sandwiches like grilled marinated vegetables and fruit-wood smoked salmon.

A menu featuring cuisine and ingredients that are seasonal in New England had been created by French master chef and co-owner Raymond Ost, one of only two such chefs with that distinction in Boston, according to co-owner Steve Batzell.

Although in large part the decorations will remain unchanged, the new owners hope to make the space "a little more warm and friendly...a little jazzier," Batzell says.

The color scheme for the new restaurant will be blue and cream with red and copper accents.

In other additions, an oven will be installed behind the bar area where a pastry chef will work, and a metal grille door, styled after those in the Paris Metro, will be added to the entrance.

The current owners closed the deal to buy the restaurant on Nov. 25 and closed the restaurant at that time to get it ready for a Dec. 17 grand opening and the opening to the general public planned for the 19th.

Batzell was careful not to say the old restaurant was financially troubled, as many observers suspected, but he did say he didn't "think the old restaurant was meeting the needs of the [previous owners]."