I know restaurants close all the time, but that is no comfort.
In my area California Cuisine closed their restaurant and our now just a catering company. I will miss their bourbon pork chop with a sweet potato gratin which reminded me of lasagna, but made out of sweet potato.
Laurel, which at one point was a sister restaurant to Wine Sellar and Brasserie, was taken over by another company is closed. Changed concept from $$$ to $$ and is still owned by the same company. Sad to see it go, although I hear the new place is good.
Originally posted by spo: I know restaurants close all the time, but that is no comfort.
In my area California Cuisine closed their restaurant and our now just a catering company. I will miss their bourbon pork chop with a sweet potato gratin which reminded me of lasagna, but made out of sweet potato.
Laurel, which at one point was a sister restaurant to Wine Sellar and Brasserie, was taken over by another company is closed. Changed concept from $$$ to $$ and is still owned by the same company. Sad to see it go, although I hear the new place is good.
Lose anything in your area recently?
spo - add molly's, chive and jack's la jolla to your list. Chive has had a near constant chef turnover for years and peaked about 8-9 years ago. Molly's wasn't the same after Brian Sineott left for 1500 ocean and was doomed when the mariott opened up a Roy's. Jack's blew it by turning the fine dining room into an "Italian steak house" - it sucked after that. I am sure there are several others in the SD area that I am forgetting.
---------- "Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams . If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
- Jack Handy
Posts: 1107 | Location: San Diego | Registered: Jan 17, 2006
Red Guy, I liked Chive when it was A.J. Voytko as chef I believe. The veal chop was great but their mussels with citrus butter were even better. When he left the menu changed, then they changed to small plate format. I lost interest because the place was not the same again. I thought Chive closed 2-3 years ago. Was it more recent than that?
We had an offline at Molly's once. I liked the carpaccio but from what I understand some of the more discerning forumites actually requested to see the meat's credentials. The schnitzel was pretty bland.
Brian left molly's about 3 or 4 years ago. The new chef (Timothy Au, I think) was there when you had the recent off-line. The food there was hit or miss under chef Au, so I guess that it should't count as a favorite that recently closed. Try 1500 ocean if you want to get an idea of what Molly's was once like. I thought that Chive closed within the last year, but I might be mistaken. We ate there last year before a Padres game.
---------- "Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams . If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
- Jack Handy
Posts: 1107 | Location: San Diego | Registered: Jan 17, 2006
Parallel 33 - although they also peaked several years ago and their fate was sealed when Amiko Gubbins left.
---------- "Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams . If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
- Jack Handy
Posts: 1107 | Location: San Diego | Registered: Jan 17, 2006
The Wendy's by my house closed about 3-1/2 years ago after being open for less than a year.
Oh, maybe that is not what you meant, but it IS what you said. Even if it is not technically recent except on a geological scale.
Moo
Your share of the national debt has increased by $6,180 from 10/1 - 9/30/09. Have you told your kids and grand kids they will be paying back your share in addition to their own?
Limit all politicians to two terms. One in office, one in prison. Follow the lead of Illinois...
Posts: 931 | Location: East BF, Egypt | Registered: May 15, 2002
they opened under a new name and remodeled, but i hear it's not the same. even if they kept every single employee i figured things would change for the worse
If you're young and conservative, you have no heart. If you're old and liberal, you have no brain.
Not recently, but I am still in mourning over the loss of La Vielle Maison in Boca Raton a few years ago.
Me too!!!
The sad thing is it was sold as a pad for a condo building which never got built. Also, the owner's daughter had a nice wine store called Great Tastes which had a good selection of French and high end CA wine. It closed too as she sourced her wine through the restaurant's suppliers.
"Wine is bottled poetry." - Robert Louis Stevenson
Originally posted by Rothko: Not recently, but I am still in mourning over the loss of La Vielle Maison in Boca Raton a few years ago.
Max Momma Leones; Kokomos Grape Aqua Grill Spotos - Down town Columbia Shulas Old Heildeburg
A very short list of northern PB County. There are closures weekly.
Dont forget Rosa Mexican and City Kitchen from DOwntown at the Gardens. I guess you have a lot of closures when there are over 100 eateries on a 4 mile stretch of road.
Originally posted by Rothko: Not recently, but I am still in mourning over the loss of La Vielle Maison in Boca Raton a few years ago.
Max Momma Leones; Kokomos Grape Aqua Grill Spotos - Down town Columbia Shulas Old Heildeburg
A very short list of northern PB County. There are closures weekly.
Dont forget Rosa Mexican and City Kitchen from DOwntown at the Gardens. I guess you have a lot of closures when there are over 100 eateries on a 4 mile stretch of road.
Yes, Rosa Mexicano and Old Heidelburg are two other restaurants that I also lament closing.
Latest to close in Baltimore: Babalu Grill Blue Sea Grill The Brass Elephant Ixia Lucy's Pub Pisces The Bicycle Jordan's Steakhouse in Howard County Vin in Towson
Oceanaire (technically a chain, but the next closest one is in San Diego.)
Not anymore, the one in SD is closing. Chapter 11. They had a happy hour with $1 oysters, great squid diablo, crab cakes etc. Too bad.
When did you hear this? I know they were closing underperfoming locations, but I thought that they were keeping the San Diego location open. As a side note, I read in the UT that Brian malarkey (prior Oceanaire chef) is opening up a new place in the gaslamp.
---------- "Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams . If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
- Jack Handy
Posts: 1107 | Location: San Diego | Registered: Jan 17, 2006
I can rattle of lots of restaurants in the Denver area that has closed recently. But I'm not really sure it's the economy. Seems like that's just a big part of that industy, especially the chef owned restaurant industry. The restaurant is or becomes the chef. They seems to work 7 days a week 52 weeks per year and just burn out! A terrible business model! The restaurant then closes and in comes another to start all over.
I can see no difference in trying to get a dinner reservation today, in one of the top rated good restaurants in town, than 2 to 3 years ago when the economy was supposingly better. It's still a tough chore. May people be buying less expensive wines or menu items, most certainly, but they are still going out to eat. If I notice a drop off in crowds, it's at restaurants that people didn't really want to go to anyway( mediocre food, wine,service, etc.), but went to because they couldn't get into their 1st or 2nd pick. More of those people are probably staying eating at home.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by spo: I know restaurants close all the time, but that is no comfort.
Laurel, which at one point was a sister restaurant to Wine Sellar and Brasserie, was taken over by another company is closed. Changed concept from $$$ to $$ and is still owned by the same company. Sad to see it go, although I hear the new place is good.[QUOTE]
The word from some foodies at my workplace is that Cucina Urbana is a hit... I still like the sister rest... Kensington Grille, as they do free corkage several nights a week and I can walk there..
Posts: 458 | Location: San Diego | Registered: Apr 12, 2007
Oceanaire is still doing okay here in Indy. Makes sense. Seattle and San Diego are where great fish comes from. Too many good local options for fresh fish. Exactly why the chain would fail in San Francisco. Here in Indy, who cares? Nothing but walleye, catfish and bass for 1000 miles.
Elements closed several months ago, a local restaurant, and one of the very best meals in town. Shame, classy place. I hope R Bistro can ride it out, my pick for best local restaurant.
-IB
"Wine only turns into alcohol if you let it sit."---Lindsay Bluth
Posts: 6193 | Location: Naptown | Registered: Nov 24, 2006
The schnitzel was pretty bland.
