'Fast-casual' restaurant planned for Downtown Evansville's McCurdy building

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — A new restaurant is planned for the McCurdy on Evansville's riverfront.

Cosmo's Bistro will be in the historic building's ground floor, next to Myriad Brewing. The owner is Scott Anderson, who is nearing retirement as the University of Southern Indiana computer science programming coordinator.

Vanderburgh County's alcohol board endorsed the business' alcohol license in a 4-0 vote Tuesday. Final approval occurs at the state level.

Anderson told the board he anticipates opening later this year, "not before the end of August."

Cosmo's Bistro plans a fast-casual dining format, with breakfast, lunch and dinner service. 

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Anderson's background in restaurants includes a business called Sangria in Newburgh in the early 2000s. In the late 1990s, he developed for former Evansville Municipal Market on First Avenue near Lloyd Expressway, and he also ran cafes at Ivy Tech and Central Library.

Customers at Cosmo's Bistro will order at a counter and then be served at their table. Anderson envisions a "farm-to-fork" concept, with homegrown lettuce, herbs and spices, as well as locally produced cooking wine.

It will offer French-style cuisine such as beef bourguignon, quiche and parfaits. "We’ll have a lot of things you can't find in Evansville," Anderson said.

The McCurdy, 101 SE 1st St., reopened in 2017 as a restored apartment building. It's owned by a Delaware-based entity and managed locally by Goebel Realty.

Myriad Brewing owners Jason and Jamie Elliott said they're excited to have a new neighbor on the McCurdy's ground floor. Anderson said the Cosmo's Bistro will offer some bar food items that can be

"It will be a great complement," Jamie Elliott said. "It's just going to bring more people Downtown, which is what everybody likes."