Although the two restaurants are new to the area, the building and location are not. These two different style restaurants are located in a well-known riverfront spot in Madisonville that used to house the casual restaurant Friends.

Well known in the area, Friends was a causal restaurant that sat along the Tchefuncte River. In 2012 it was severely damaged by storm surge from Hurrican Isaac and a year after it was completely destroyed by a fire. The building was rebuilt in 2015 but by 2017 it was closed down and taken over by creditors. In 2018, Greg Lala and Stephen Guidry, owners of Dixie RV SuperStores, purchased the property and got approval for the two new restaurants, Tchefunte’s and The Anchor.

Both restaurants plan to open summer 2020, Tchefuncte’s July 18th and The Anchor June 26th. Techefuncte’s, located on the top level, is an upscale restaurant with a bar and several private dining rooms. The Anchor, located downstairs is an open-air dockside restaurant and bar.

The three-story building has been redesigned for the two different style restaurants. Tchefuncte’s will have its own separate entrance that will lead upstairs to the restaurant. The upscale dining is an approach to “regional American with a blend of global influences and Louisiana flavor.” The Anchor is a family-friendly riverfront tavern serving sandwiches and barbecue-style dishes.

“The goal is to be approachable to everyone, whether they’re hanging with the kids downstairs, coming up for a weeknight meal at the bar or coming back on Friday for date night to really do it up,” said Michael Gottlieb, executive chef and operations director for the two restaurants.

The top floor where Tchefuncte’s is located was rebuilt with smaller rooms for a more intimate feel. The main dining room has a bistro feel with 55 seats. There are counter-top seats that look directly into the kitchen. The private dining rooms look out over the river and a few of them open up to elevated decks. The food will have a lot of local influence that can be found in dishes such as Louisiana sweet potato ravioli gratin; crispy oysters with red rice and andouille sabayon; herb- and Dijon-crusted chicken with shaved country ham and raclette cheese; and roasted scallops with black garlic; alongside an array of steaks and a changing roasted meat special, from lamb to porchetta.

The downstairs will be The Anchor which consists of a playground for kids, a bar for adults, seating around counters, a cluster of deck chairs with a deck that leads to a dock for boaters to pull up and partake. Patrons can enjoy dishes such as shrimp po-boys with brown butter, deviled crab with jambalaya, broiled or fried seafood platters and smoked beef short ribs.

The property has had many issues in the past and has been a thorn to many residents’ side. For this reason, The Anchor will close around sunset and 88 new parking spots have been added to be part of a “good neighbor” effort.

“We want the people around us to appreciate us as much as we approach being here,” Gottlieb said.

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