Bridge Bistro

Just in time for the imminent opening of the nearby Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Kay Agnew (you remember her from Margaux in the Design District) has opened Bridge Bistro. "We tried to make it a neighborhood hangout," she says, "a comfort place." Her longtime fans have followed her, demanding she keep serving Margaux favorites like gumbo, crawfish etouffée and soft shell crabs. But chef Manuel Contreras is also turning out new salads, sandwiches and bar snacks, plus daily fish specials such as pan-seared ruby red trout on rice with a lemon beurre blanc and pesto.

For now, it's breakfast and lunch weekdays, dinner Wednesday through Saturday nights, and brunch weekends. Cocktails are cleverly named after famous bridges of the world, and after the place is "up and running for a while," Agnew plans to add a rooftop lounge and suspended staircase with 360-degree views of the bridge and downtown. Sounds like dizzying fun.

-Leslie Brenner / Restaurant Critic (1/26/2012)