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Last night, Clementine opened its doors for the first time since Didier Labbé sold the place to Philippe Gardelle, owner of the nearby Chapeau. At roughly 9pm, both the bar and dining room were sprinkled with about a dozen or so patrons, mostly couples. For the most part, the space looks the same as it did during the last regime, though the bar area is newly-installed. Also, as mentioned earlier in the week, Clementine is open in its purely-functional form, which means that during the day (i.e., now), work is still in full swing, but if last night is any indication, once evening comes along, the place is glossed over and open for business, both at the bar and in the dining room. We've said it once and we'll say it again: Gardelle's a mad genius.
· EaterWire Richmond Edition: Clementine Returns Tonight? [~ESF~]
· EaterWire: Clementine Delayed, Tataki Readies [~ESF~]
UPDATE: The saga continues: after opening briefly for V-Day, Clementine decided there's a bit more work to be done before a grand reopening. The new date, as of February 18th: the weekend of the 22nd.