{"id":33255,"date":"2023-03-02T10:06:37","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T18:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000029931"},"modified":"2023-03-02T10:06:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T18:06:37","slug":"frog-legs-and-absinthe-long-beach-restaurateurs-bring-bar-envie-to-the-zaferia-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/news\/frog-legs-and-absinthe-long-beach-restaurateurs-bring-bar-envie-to-the-zaferia-district","title":{"rendered":"Frog legs and absinthe: Long Beach restaurateurs bring Bar Envie to the Zaferia district"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long Beach residents Geoff and Karna Rau were instantly enamored with New Orleans when they first set foot there in 1998. Over several trips in 20 years, they were taken by its culture, its hearty Creole cuisine, deep jazz roots and of course, the cocktails.<\/p>\n

The couple\u2014owners of Selva, Panxa and Roundin\u2019 3rd\u2014were so enchanted by the city that they bought a house there in 2022 to split their time with Long Beach. And in late February, the restaurateurs, along with Selva chef Carlos Jurado, opened their own take on a New Orleans-style lounge in the Zaferia district: Bar Envie.<\/p>\n

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Bar Envie with a New Orleans vibe in Long Beach Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Wednesday, the Raus spoke to the Long Beach Business Journal over the phone while sipping cocktails in New Orleans\u2019 84-degree weather\u2014a sharp contrast to Long Beach\u2019s 52-degree drizzle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s super eclectic here,\u201d Geoff said. \u201cThere\u2019s every race and color and creed, sexuality\u2026it\u2019s a very inclusive community, a lot like Long Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their NOLA-inspired lounge opened three weeks ago on the corner of Anaheim Street and Termino Avenue within the short-lived Tennessee Jacks. Its official sign went up this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing like it in Long Beach,\u201d Geoff said. \u201cHeck, we\u2019re doing a crawfish boil this weekend, which you don\u2019t see in Long Beach ever, unless there\u2019s like a Cajun festival or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bar Envie offers a roster of Cajun comfort food and Creole classics\u2014from jambalaya to the hot catfish po\u2019 boy\u2014in a menu carefully crafted by Jurado, the Long Beach chef who has garnered high praise for the culinary mastery of Selva\u2019s menu through his Colombian roots.<\/p>\n

Together, Jurado and the Raus took to the streets of NOLA to come up with their own twist on the city\u2019s cuisine and unique spectrum of flavorful cocktails.<\/p>\n

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A Mountain Moonshine shines in the light at Bar Envie in Long Beach Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShockingly,\u201d the spicy frog legs have been one of the best selling items on Bar Envie\u2019s food menu so far, Geoff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s as authentic as we can be in California,\u201d Geoff said, adding that many products, including the bread (and rolls for the po\u2019 boy sando of course) are sourced from New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Although the Raus are proud of the menu Jurado was able to curate, Geoff affirmed that the trio want Bar Envie to be a \u201ca cocktail lounge that has great food, rather than a restaurant with great cocktails.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know New Orleans and you see our cocktail menu, you will go \u2018wow\u2019\u2014absinthe service, rhubarb fizz\u2026we also just want to be a place where you walk in and feel really comfortable,\u201d Geoff told the Journal while enjoying a NOLA staple, an iced Irish coffee.<\/p>\n

The space offers a colorful palate of jewel tones in its couches and chairs. Board games and cards are within reach at the couches. There\u2019s even some \u201cold school\u201d Nintendo consoles connected to some of the TVs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just want people to be comfortable, relaxed and have a place, a neighborhood bar, with some great food,\u201d Geoff said.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the Raus said Bar Envie will host live music, from French jazz to African blues to contemporary rock, within the Zaferia district. The neighborhood\u2019s few bars have been gaining momentum for the subculture and musicians it attracts. Walking distance to Bar Envie, there\u2019s Bamboo Club, and from there, you can now walk around the corner on Loma Avenue and find Buvons Wine Bar + Shop, which opened about a year ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you count Roundin\u2019 3rd and Sevla, Port City, Envie, Alex\u2019s (Bar) and Bamboo (Club)\u2014it\u2019s starting to get that little corridor feeling that we\u2019d love,\u201d Geoff said. \u201cWe\u2019re getting closer all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long Beach residents (and now New Orleans part-timers) Geoff and Karna met 24 years ago when they were both working as servers at Claim Jumper. They now own seven restaurants across Southern California, with three in Long Beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we could get one more spot in there,\u201d Geoff said of the Zaferia district, with a chuckle. \u201cAlthough, I think we might be done owning restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bar Envie, located on 4000 E. Anaheim St., is open from 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Eventually, the Raus will likely extend its closing time to 2 a.m., after live music is implemented.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

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The sun sets as Bar Envie receives the light nicely in Long Beach Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Buvons offers a vibrant venue to explore natural French wine in the Zaferia District<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n