The new owners, Fabrice and Mairead Buschtetz (pictured), officially take over Tuesday and bring an international flair to the neighborhood wine bar.
Fabrice was a chef for three decades in France, where his parents and grandparents had restaurants. He married Mairead, a native of Ireland who moved to France at age 18, in 1990.
After running restaurants most of their married lives, the couple moved to Gilbert in 2013 and opened Desert Car Care (cars are another of Fabrice’s passions) on the southwest corner of Arizona Avenue and Guadalupe.
Fabrice, however, was eager to get back in the kitchen, and found MWC Bistro just a few miles away on the northeast corner of McQueen and Warner (map).
MWC Bistro, a spinoff of Ahwatukee’s popular My Wine Cellar, had moved into the former Down Under Wines building last March.
After a successful but busy year, My Wine Cellar’s owners decided to sell the spinoff and go back to focusing solely on the Ahwatukee location.
The newly dubbed Cuisine & Wine Bistro will feature an expanded menu with European and Mediterranean influences in the $15-to-$25 range, as well as a more extensive selection of cheeses and charcuterie.
The bar also will offer espresso drinks and true French Champagne.
The venue will retain its by-the-glass wine list, dog-friendly patio, live music on weekends, and the wine-and-painting parties on Saturday afternoons.
For now, hours will remain the same: 3-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 3-11 p.m. Friday, and noon-11 p.m. Saturday.
