Owners of Carnal and Accomplice restaurants are planning this new Bellingham bistro
The owners of two popular downtown Bellingham eateries are opening a French-American bistro in Fairhaven later this summer.
The new restaurant is called Estelle and it will be going into the former Swim Club space near Village Books. It will be operated by the owners of Carnal and Accomplice, which are on North State Street near the YMCA. The plan is to have Estelle ready sometime in early August, said Skip Williamson, who owns Carnal, Accomplice and Estelle with New York chef transplants James Zamory, Aaron Sauer and Sean McDermott.
The three chefs met while cooking at The NoMad, a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. They went on to cook at Eleven Madison Park, which was voted best restaurant in the world in 2017, before moving to Bellingham in January 2020, Williamson said in an email.
Like the Swim Club, cocktails will be a big focus at Estelle. Bellingham native Jabreil Donahue will be the general manager.
The Estelle menu will offer a variety of classics, including steak frites, chicken paillard, trout almondine and rack of lamb, Williamson said. They also plan on offering plenty of fresh oysters.
Williamson said they are big fans of Fairhaven and have been interested in opening something in the district for some time. The Carnal and Accomplice spots have been well-received, he said, adding that they’ve updated the garden patio area in time for summer dining.
Once open, hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
This story was originally published July 2, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
