L. May Ribbon-Cutting

Friends, dignitatires and food lovers like us gathered on Thursday evening at L. May Eatery on the 1000 Block of Upper Main street for a ribbon-cutting for the new dining hot spot. See images from the event as well as photos from the new 36ink feature on the restaurant. Also read the full 365ink feature story on L. May to the right or pcik up the new issue of 365ink, perhaos at L. May! - Photos by Bryce Parks and Jeff Stiles

L. May Eatery
by Tim Brechlin

As though there weren't enough new life on Old Main Street already, someone had to go and shake it up just a little bit more. And that's never a bad thing. Who's the new kid on the block? L. May Eatery, a restaurant serving great food in a great neighborhood.

The restaurant is the fruit of siblings E.J. and Lea Droessler. We at 365 were curious about the etymology of the name of the restaurant ... so, it was the first thing we asked when we sat down with the Droesslers.

" The name comes from our grandmother, whose name was Lillian May," says Lea Droessler. "We wanted to do something special with the name, and she was a common factor between myself and E.J."

Opening a restaurant was a natural progression for the Droesslers; Lea spent several years working in the food service industry, including a stint as the general manager of Fried Green Tomatoes in Galena, and E.J. is a veteran bartender.

" It's something that we had been talking about for a couple of years," says Lea. "We ultimately decided that we would take that step if we came across something that suited our needs ... and then John Gronen called."

Gronen pointed them to the fabulous 1000 Block of Main Street, where the property at 1072 Main was ripe for a stylish, warm and comfortable restaurant. Coincidentally, the Droesslers wanted a stylish, warm and comfortable restaurant, and it was a perfect fit. Gronen's call came in May 2007, the lease was signed on October 1, the bar was open on November 26 and food began leaving the kitchen on December 13.

" If you go to Chicago, you'll find a thousand bistros downtown and you won't even have to look hard," says Lea. "There really wasn't a dining option like that here in Dubuque, so we designed our menu around that idea."

With menu offerings like shrimp fettucine, meatloaf, traditional lasagna, fresh flatbread pizzas, salads and more, all at extremely reasonable prices, there's definitely a bistro-type feeling when one sits down at a table.

" Our feeling is that in this day and age, people are eating out more than once a week," says Lea. "We wanted to be sure to keep the menu affordable, with prices that fit everybody, and we also wanted to present ourselves to a wide variety of people, and I think we've achieved that."

Being in the historic 1000 Block of Upper Main hasn't hurt, either. The block has been revitalized in the last couple of years, with the doors of Salsa's Mexican Restaurant, River Lights 2nd Edition Bookstore, Freddie's Popcorn, Jitterz Coffee, Hardin Phelps and more opening up and inviting customers inside.

" The 1000 Block has been great," says Lea. "The location has worked out perfectly: We haven't had any problems with parking, and we feel that we have an important role to play in this area. The next step is to make this block not just a destination, but an event, and we're excited to be a part of that."

As the old adage goes, you don't own a business -- it owns you. And finding the balance between L. May Eatery and the demands of a normal life has been the biggest challenge so far, according to Lea.

" I have a son, and I have a job during the day, and E.J. just got married, so it can be a little hectic at times," she says. "But I firmly believe that all things in life are what you make of them, and we make sure to spend time with our families; that's pretty much what we do if we're not working!"

Lea also notes that L. May Eatery has another wrinkle in its repertoire: The restaurant is open Thursday through Monday, offering the full menu each night and giving people looking for dining-out experiences on a Sunday a place to go. So far, it's worked out great.

" We feel that having Sunday and Monday hours are kind of a bonus to the community and to this area, because there aren't a lot of restaurants downtown that are open on Sundays," she says.

In our time at L. May Eatery, the restaurant was nearly full by 5:30 p.m., so it's clear that the Droesslers are doing something right. The restaurant has an immediately recognizable "come on in to the corner restaurant" feeling and atmosphere, which is exactly what was hoped for from the start.

" This is a nice local restaurant," Lea says. "You can walk on in, sit down at the bar, have a drink, talk with people, you don't need to have a reservation, the place is stylish, it has nice designs ... and that was our plan from the beginning. We have a great staff, a young staff, and they've been instrumental in helping us run smoothly, as well."

" People have come up to us just to say, 'Thank you,'" she continues. "We're looking forward to earning the respect of the community, and we have had an outstanding response from the community thus far. It's really helped us believe we did the right thing by taking a chance downtown ... we both like what we're doing, we're very pleased and we're very blessed to be where we are right now."

L. May Eatery begins serving at 4 p.m., Thursday through Monday, and food is served until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, while the bar stays open until closing. The restaurant is available for private parties (including on Tuesdays and Wednesdays), including a lavish basement setting. For further information, call 563-556-0505, or e-mail dining@lmayeatery.com. Or, just walk on in and experience everything for yourself!