French Cafe Gets Neighborhood Council Approval

A new French cafe is coming to Venice.

The Venice Neighborhood Council voted Tuesday to offer its support to a new restaurant at 604 E. Venice Blvd. Le Zinque, which plans to stay open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., will offer pastries and tartines in the morning, sandwiches for lunch, chocolates and ice cream in the afternoon, and mini quiches, cheese and charcuterie for dinner. The cafe will also serve beer and wine.

"Le Zinque Coffee and Wine bar will convey the atmosphere and conviviality of a small Parisian bistro with a modern vibe," owner Emmanuel Dossetti wrote in an e-mail to Patch.

"The concept will be designed around a long zinc counter/bar, where patrons can enjoy their drink and light food while engaging in discussions or reading the newspaper, in the true French tradition of the neighborhood cafe," he wrote.

Dossetti, a French entrepreneur, has lived in Venice for the last 13 years. 

Some residents who addressed the VNC on Tuesday were reluctant to welcome what they saw as another late-night, alcohol-serving venue to the neighborhood.

"I'm concerned about drunk drivers leaving the place and cutting through my neighborhood," said Karen Wolfe. "2 a.m. seems really, really excessive."

But Dossetti assured the council that Le Zinque won't attract a rowdy crowd. 

"We are not going to try and get the demographics that are really young and that are coming there to get drunk," Dossetti said. "We really want to focus on the family-oriented people."

Dossetti expects to open Le Zinque in March. It will join  and the  as the third interpretation of a Francophile retreat in Venice.