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A local group of entrepreneurs that own several successful restaurants in Asbury Park will grand open their fifth venture in the city, Pascal & Sabine, Friday night.

Pascal & Sabine takes its name from two characters in Albert Lamorisse’s fantasy featurette, “The Red Balloon”, according to Mark Hinchliffe, spokesperson for Smith, a partnership of local investors. Smith own Porta pizzeria and dance hall, Brickwall Tavern and Dining Room, The Annex bar and restaurant and Goldie’s vegan restaurant, all located in the city.

“The Red Balloon” tells the the story of a young boy named Pascal who finds a red balloon while walking to school one day. He befriends the balloon which turns out to have a mind of its own, so to speak, as it follows him around and plays with him throughout the classic French short. Along their journey they find a young girl, Sabine, with a blue balloon. The children, named Pascal and Sabine in reality, were Lamorisse’s own.

For the past few weeks single red balloons have been tied to different locations throughout the city, piquing the interest and curiosity of locals who have logged on to social media sites Instagram and Facebook to share photos of the random balloons, generating a buzz for the French brasserie located on the first floor of the old gas company building at 601 Bangs Ave.

The opening of Pascal and Sabine comes on the heels of several other new eateries in the downtown, including Dino’s Italian market on Main Street, Mogo Korean tacos on Cookman Ave, and Cibo e Vino italian restaurant on Mattison Avenue. With a Bangs Avenue location steps away from the heart of downtown Cookman Avenue, the French restaurant adds a new element of diversity to the burgeoning list of contemporary eateries in the downtown business district.

It also offers a new breath of life to a building that has seen its own fair share of businesses come and go over the past decade. Smith owns the entire 11-story high-rise and is currently renovating the top floors to add 21 condominiums.  Offices will be kept in the floors between the condominiums and restaurant.

“We feel that the restaurant restores the life of the building,” Hinchliffe said. “It was all about stripping away the objects that had accumulated over the years in the space – from the drywall covering the original columns to the drop ceiling covering up the ceiling – to return the space, and the building to the beauty of its original Art Deco period.”

The marble that ran along the hallways has been repurposed, and now serves as the table tops.

The restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fresh bread will be baked on premises daily; patrons can stop in to grab a warm baguette every morning if they so choose, Hinchliffe said.

Paul Holzheimer, who previously served as executive chef at Porta, will be taking on the role of executive chef for dinner service at the French brasserie, and Grace Crossman, who worked at Porta before making a move to Goldie’s, will step in to be executive chef for breakfast and lunch services.

“We’re doing fresh takes on some classic French dishes – it’s really a remarkable menu that the team has created,” Hinchliffe told the Sun’s parent publication, the triCity News. “What we’re aiming to achieve is that lived-in feel of a classic European brasserie. We want you to feel that you could have walked into Pascal & Sabine off the streets of Paris or Brussels or London.”

The idea of being lifted away to a different place is one of the themes of “The Red Balloon.” By the films end, a group of school boys bust Pascal’s red balloon, causing the balloons of Paris to come to his aid and lift him out of his sadness to a happier place.

“This idea of transporting carries over into the food,” Hinchliffe told the Sun. “We are going to move you by moving your senses.”

“The atmosphere is rich in its use of colors, fabrics, wood, and light,” Hinchliffe said. “It transports you off the streets of Asbury. When you’re in here, you feel metropolitan, like you could be in one of the great international cities of the world.”

Pascal & Sabine has seating for 80 in the dining room, 18 at the main bar and about 20 seats in the lounge area, which contains a round espresso bar and has a salon menu. Entrees on the main menu run between $16-$22.

“It’s a statement for Asbury Park, and we believe that it will attract a new level of clientele to the city from around the world,” said Hinchliffe.

Pascal & Sabine will be open Friday, Dec. 27, for dinner service, with breakfast hours beginning Saturday at 8 a.m. The restaurant closes at midnight Sunday to Thursday and at 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

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