Carte Blanche. Photo by Renee Umsted.
For three years, Carte Blanche has sat near the corner of Greenville Avenue serving up award-winning dishes. After a recent struggle to keep its upscale menu prominent in Lower Greenville’s dining scene, the restaurant has decided to close immediately.
“Thank you all for supporting us over the past three years. We have been considering what to do with this space for quite some time. While our dinner service is great, it struggles in this arena as most people don’t come to Greenville for a fancy dinner. Our bakery does well, but transitioning to a 100% bakery would require a significant investment in expensive equipment. Both options would also necessitate substantial structural upgrades,” the restaurant said in an Instagram post.
Carte Blanche is owned by husband-wife duo Casey and Amy La Rue.
Casey oversaw the dinner service, which featured a 12-course tasting menu or a five-course meal that could be accompanied by an optional wine or tea pairing. Amy led the bakery business, which sold a spread of sweet and savory pastries several mornings each week.
Four years ago, chef Casey and baker Amy chose the Lower Greenville neighborhood because of its appealing look made up of smaller streets, which reminded the La Rues of New England. According to previous Advocate reporting, they wanted to avoid other parts of our city that “are a little more pretentious.”
The restaurant was a success. In 2022, Carte Blanche was recognized in Forbes Travel Guide receiving five stars and again that following year. Along with its Forbes recognition, it received a Five Diamond designation from AAA. They were the only restaurant in Texas to receive the rating.
Customers mourned the loss in the comment section of Carte Blanche’s Instagram. Patrons share that they will miss its food and bakery offerings and hope it will relocate to a new spot in Dallas.
“Thank you for challenging the status quo and offering something in a town that doesn’t always embrace sophistication,” Starship Bagel commented.
Carte Blanche said they received an offer to sell the space and let someone else take over 2114 Greenville Ave.
“The timing felt right, so we decided to move on,” they said. The following day, Saturday, June 8, the restaurant sold all wine inventory.
As for the future, the company said they will be sharing plans soon but urged other restaurants to consider hiring their former employees who now need jobs.
