Arro, a new French restaurant from the creators of 24 Diner and Easy Tiger, is scheduled to open to the public July 20.
"[Arro] really is a bunch of all-stars coming together and doing what they do best," said Andrew Curren, executive chef and partner with ELM Restaurant Group, which is starting the restaurant. "We want to give that to Austin at a nice value."
The restaurant, occupying the space that was formerly home to Haddingtons at 601 W. Sixth St., will serve dishes such as lobster bisque, scallops provenal and salade nioise. Arro also features two Master Sommeliers that have developed the restaurant's wine list.
"French food, French wine, it makes sense," Curren said.
The restaurant seats about 100 guests and the outdoor patio seats about 18 guests. Curren said when renovating the space, they opened up the inside and added more windows for an environment that engrosses customers.
"We're really trying to transport you," Curren said. "Just like my other restaurants, when you walk into the [24 Diner] or walk into Easy Tiger, it definitely takes you somewhere else. You feel like you're escaping the monotony of the day and coming in for something special. I think when you walk into Arro, it's absolutely the same idea."
Curren said the restaurant had its soft opening on July 13 for investors, and the staff is continuing to find its serving and cooking groove.
"There's always the initial excitement of, 'Oh wow, we need more space, we need a shelf here, we need a cart here,'" Curren said. "[It's] all the little things you don't find out until you go through the motions."
Curren said everything is running smoothly and is excited to open to the public.
"The place is gorgeous," Curren said. "The food's coming out nice, I got a great staff in the kitchen that are enthusiastic and excited to cook some French food and use the wood-burning grill, and my front-of-the-house staff is excited."