Two Parisians, Stephane and Vanessa Souquiere, have bought the former Zodiac Cafe, 311 Old Santa Fe Trail, next to Garrett's Desert Inn, and renamed it Ze French Bistro.

The Souquieres remodeled the eatery and removed the counter, doing away with counter service and making way for full service.

They also hired a chef, Laurent Rea, who used to be the executive chef at the O'Keeffe Cafe.

"He's doing a very good job," Stephane Souquiere said.

The former owner will continue making bread for the restaurant, Souquiere said.

Vanessa Souquiere, a runway model, will arrive in Santa Fe before year's end after she finishes various assignments in Paris. "She is the true chef in the family," her husband said.

Ze French Bistro has applied for a wine and beer license, at which time the restaurant will begin serving dinner. The bistro is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. every day but Tuesday; the phone is 984-8500.

No one is more relieved that a new restaurant has opened in the space than Robert Ruiz, general manager of the adjacent Garrett's Desert Inn, which recommends the restaurant to its guests.

"There's a lot more activity there now," Ruiz said. "People who have gone there once are coming back."

The restaurant has already become popular with locals as a destination for crepes and galettes, Souquiere said.

"They're not too expensive, and people really like them," he said. Prices range from $5 to $12.

The lunch menu includes salads, sandwiches, quiches and other items. A burger has been added for the winter season, and several salads have been dropped, Souquiere said.


Santa Fe contractor Robert Lockwood will soon complete his second term as president of Associated General Contractors-New Mexico Building Branch.

He was honored in a tribute recently published in New Mexico Builder magazine.

Lockwood started working in the building field in 1968, then traveled and studied in Japan before returning to New Mexico and completing a degree in civil engineering.

Lockwood later worked for Morrison-Knudsen, one of the largest contractors in the world, before returning to Santa Fe to work in the family business, Lockwood Construction Co.

One of Lockwood's projects, the Doodlets building in Santa Fe, was a grand winner in the 2009 AGC Best Buildings contest. The project also received the 2008 Historic Preservation award from the Santa Fe Historic Design Review Board and Archaeological Review Committee.