Yancy's makes (another) comeback...

Chef Harvey Yancey is at it again, making plans to open a new restaurant in Southeast Raleigh's new Farmington Square shopping center.

But this time, he vows to succeed.

"I promise you it's going to last," said the chef and well-known proprietor of several New Orleans-themed restaurants over the years.

Like the last iteration of Yancy's in downtown Raleigh, (named without the 'e'), the new Yancy's will carry the same name and feature New Orleans food and live entertainment.

But this time, patrons hoping to meet the restaurant's namesake shouldn't have too much trouble. Unlike the last time, Yancey is taking the title of executive chef and plans to be on-site daily to monitor quality control. He also has new business partners and a larger "say-so" in the operations of the business.

"I'm a chef," he said. "I've got to be what I am. I'm going to be right in the back doing what I do."

Yancey has made regular appearances in the Triangle restaurant scene since the 1990s, when he was the chef at the Black Dog Cafe in Raleigh's City Market. After that, he opened Yancey's Jazz & Blues Cafe, but that operation closed in 2003.

And in 2006, Yancey opened the last iteration of his restaurant, introducing a glitzy New Orleans restaurant and club called Yancy's that was a cornerstone in the downtown Raleigh revitalization effort. It closed in July of last year.

The new Yancy's spot is located at 2800 Rock Quarry Road, right next to a new Family Dollar store in Farmington Square. In all, it has roughly 7,000 square feet plus a patio.

Yancey said he hopes this is his final restaurant opening and plans to hand over the day-to-day operations to a hand-picked successor in a few years.

"I'm going to make this my last dance," he said, "and it's going to be THE show. I promise you that."