Welcome back to the neighborhood, ol’ gal. With a breath of fresh air, Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie is back, revived and with a new persona—not to mention upgraded machinery, a remodeled floorplan, enlivened menus and a modern makeover for the beloved Hillview staple.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
TALBESEIDE LOST ITS FOUNDING FATHER in Steve Seidensticker last year, but the legacy lives on—entrusting progeny Joe, Lisa and Patrick to take over. And, named after Steve’s mother, “an unforgettable family matriarch,” Libby’s remains the first and foremost of the Seidenstickers’ extensive portfolio of restaurant ventures. “This one’s really important—it’s a brand we built as a family,” says Joe Seidensticker, Tableseide CEO. “There are a lot of memories in that building.” He can still recall first walking into 1917 South Osprey Avenue with his father—an address that would ultimately become the lifeblood and heartbeat of Tableseide. That was more than 10 years ago.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
Lisa Seidensticker, COO, notes Libby’s has and will always be the Tableseide flagship. But after a decade building a local legacy, a meaningful rebrand was due. “We wanted to put a stake here for another 10 years,” she says. Seeing as the family was already looking at opening up another Libby’s restaurant in the Lakewood Ranch area, it was a suitable time to break down the barriers of the original one. “When we were looking at expanding out there, we realized we didn’t want to build the Libby’s that we have today,” Joe adds. “This whole project actually started because of the University project.” And before summer ends, that location will be up and running too.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
Starting anew here involved more than a simple cosmetic remodel. The project quickly became a “let’s gut it and start from scratch,” Joe states, after assessing the dated building’s original infrastructure that sits around 50 years old. It became apparent that a complete reconstructive overhaul was the necessary call to action. “We probably could have slapped some paint on the walls, changed up the menu and some other stuff, but that’s not going to last another decade,” he goes on to say. “We want to always be on the front end from a culinary and hospitality standpoint.” And when every wall within was knocked down to its skeletal studs, it dawned on them, “We were committed.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
While the Seidenstickers worked on elevated menu offerings, a newfangled name and bold new logo, Libby’s transformed over the course of a year to become an airy, sexy space—basking in bright natural lighting and steering away from old Libby’s more traditional, adumbral ambiance. In production with Leader Design Studio and Southern Cross Construction, the new floor plan included a “theatre-style kitchen,” while the private dining room (PDR) and bar were reconstructed and shuffled to different areas, and outdoor seating expanded considerably. With the intention for sidewalk action year-round, the front entrance dominates with grand sliding door partitions of sea green-tinted glass that extend 12-feet high, floor-to-ceiling. Inside, SAWA Design Studio’s redesign tapped into the Seidenstickers’ vision for a modern, yet inviting aesthetic with industrial-coastal vibes. Dark metals meet warm wood and pops of seafoam, while boat-filled landscapes by local painter Tim Jaeger, add marina colors to the foyer and the PDR. Snake plants sprawl from wall-to-wall and giant mason jars filled with various kitchen ingredients adorn the see-through shelving units that divide the dining rooms from the bar/lounge area.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
And nothing welcomes or keeps people in their seats, more than good food, which Libby’s is happy to oblige with a brand new, revamped menu. The brasserie now takes all the qualities of a New American restaurant and opens up the kitchen—literally and figuratively—with a live show of lofty cookery. The vertical rotating rotisserie oven by Wood Stone allows for different types of meat to be cooked at the same time. Visible, and scentable, from the chefs’ corner, tender and juicy slow-cooked meats lead diners right to the ‘Rotisserie and Wood-Grilled’ section of the menu, where they’ll find everything from filet mignon, pork chops and New York strips to Half Chicken and Duck a L’orange.
For those wanting seafood, appetizers like the seasonal oysters baked with spinach, pancetta and béchamel, or the Grilled Octopus, featuring a whole tentacle brined with citrus and wine corks, then blanched, cooled and served with an olive, roast pepper and tomato salad, will settle that. Additionally, entrees like the Porcini Ravioli, filled with artichoke and goat cheese and served with blistered tomatoes and arugula in a light garlic broth, a Brisket Burger with camembert cheese, caramelized onions and house aioli, and the Arctic Char, dished with a beluga lentil-frisée salad and fingerling potatoes in a lemon butter sauce, hit the high notes.
Rounding out the meal and have another 20 minutes to spare? Dulce de Leche Souffle with vanilla bean crème anglaise is baked fresh to order. Can’t wait that long? Mascarpone Cheesecake, Apple Tarte Tatin, Coffee Creme Brulee and Profiteroles are swift gratifications. To pair the fare, a thoughtfully crafted cocktail menu goes far beyond the typical Cosmo or Manhattan. The Sarasota Lagoon, Flowers in Amsterdam, Melons of Ipanema, Golden State of Bohemia and more entice multiple interludes during the meal.
“At the end of the day, we put out what we felt was right for the Hillview neighborhood,” Joe says. “We’re hitting it on all cylinders and bringing that energy back down to the South Side.” Though many unforeseen moving parts went into this revival, an invigorated energy now percolates from the outdoor patio lounge and back to that revolving rotisserie. All the while, a number of original staff members came back on board—proving that same close-knit, friends and family dynamic that Steve created over a decade ago remained unaffected by the many changes that Libby’s experienced. Joe and Lisa note that many long-standing bartenders, chefs, managers and servers were right alongside them in the whole creative process, making team decisions. “I don’t want to take away from the family-owned business aspect of it all, but Tableseide has really evolved over the years to become so much more than that,” says Joe. “We have such great people working with us. This was never just our project—everyone here had a piece to contribute and own.” Long live Libby.
