The Old Mandeville restaurant scene is popping off with new dining: 'It's a destination'

Cayman Sinclair only thought he was prepared to walk away.

But when running a restaurant becomes your “identity,” as he said it became his, that can prove to be impossible.

So when Sinclair looked at the empty building he owned along the lakefront in Old Mandeville, it was almost as if a new restaurant sought him out. Aperitif Spritz + Bites opened earlier this year, joining his bustling catering operation.

“It’s small — a boutique restaurant,” he said. “It’s going great. We’re sold out most weekend nights.”

Wave of openings

Aperitif is part of a wave of new restaurants that have opened in Old Mandeville in recent months. Two new places, Iceburg Charlie’s Grill & Chill, a burger-beer-ice cream restaurant, and Noir Bistrot, a tapas restaurant, recently opened their doors several block