I recently spoke to Landon Schoenfeld (aka Col. Mustard) of The Bulldog NE fame, about his in-the-works restaurant, Haute Dish, going into the old Café Havana space at 119 Washington. I’ve known Landon for years—we used to cook together back in the day when Marimar was still open. He’s been dreaming of his own restaurant since he was just a kid. Now, he’s less of a kid and the dream is becoming a reality.

Haute Dish is just what the name implies, Schoenfeld says, and he'll be cooking refined versions of humble Midwestern dishes. How so? Well, take his pork and beans, which he’ll elevate by using gigante beans cooked with mirepoix, jalapeno, stock, molasses, brown sugar, Dijon and vinegar. The pork bellies will be brined, smoked, and then sous vide. It all gets topped with tomato marmalade and served in a wee cast iron skillet. What does all of this cost you? Ten bucks. Landon says he’s envisioned the dish all the way down to the way a can of pork and beans looks when you open it. “You know how there’s always that random piece of pork on the top?”

Schoenfeld says he’s had a fascination with nostalgic dishes that we all grew up eating for a long time, and he’s been working on these dishes for so long that they’re as good as they’re going to get.

He and his three partners are doing a modest remodel of the space, and plan to keep the beautiful woodwork and molding along with a warm, rich color scheme. They hope to do a robust bar business with happy hours daily and a 2am close time. Schoenfeld has a sous chef selected, but wasn’t prepared to disclose who it is just yet.

Price points will be moderate, and the place will be elegant yet maintain a “come as you are” vibe. “I just want to put a lot of love into the food I like to eat. I think people will respond to that.”

The projected opening date is mid-January.