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In and Out
A slow season closes some restaurant doors—while others open.
By Judi Gallagher
Not too surprisingly, an extremely slow season has taken some more eateries down the drain. The Grape, reopened last May under the guide of the founder, closed their doors for a second time last week. While Red, the Peruvian restaurant on Hillview, has turned blue, with new owners and new name (which at this writing escapes me). While I liked the ceviche at Red, the fish for their entrées often tasted frozen (You can’t fool a professional chef.). DeLeo’s is also a goner on the North Trail, but no shock, since the owner was a contractor and “just always wanted to own a restaurant” (kinda frequent mantra that I hear). Maybe condos are next for that unwanted location. Looks like something new is on the horizon for the original Fred’s on Osprey (stay tuned), while the Fred’s on Lakewood Ranch has a big billboard of major discounting specials. ‘Tis clearly not a good sign when one pleads for business.
Speaking of Lakewood Ranch, Carmine Goldberg’s is gone. What once promised to be an authentic New York deli seemed to bomb from the beginning. Poor service and certainly nowhere near the 2nd Ave Deli of NYC. Now a new eatery; I am hearing mixed reviews (inconsistency is the kiss of death), so I am not holding my breath or rushing over for a grilled chicken sandwich just yet. Monty’s Pizza across the street on Lakewood Ranch is sold and rumor is the New Jersey family that bought it is the real deal—this blogger is sensing veal Parmesan in my near future!
New on My Kitchen Remodel
While I must admit I was impressed with my “temporary “outdoor kitchen at the pool area, the first week of demolition has certainly been a challenge. Not the actual demo, which is so far so good. But the outside cooking area had its own problems. Ironically, the day we signed the first check to pay for our kitchen, our pool sprang a ground leak. The pool was refinished within a few days, but the concrete dust covered every corner of the coffeemaker, microwave and cutting board. Exactly why I had moved my kitchen assembly outside in the first place—to avoid the dust, chemicals and insulation falling from my ceiling! Well, I left the coffee pot and French knife in the bathroom and the microwave and plastic dishes by the front door. And I can’t for the life of me find the light switch within the confines of my own home, let alone some dish soap and a place to wash the dishes other than the bathtub. Worse than all of this, Pho Cali went on a two- week vacation, leaving us longing for bowls of grilled pork bun and fresh spring rolls.
(They reopen on October 2—thank goodness.) The moral in all this? Schedule your kitchen remodel around the availability of your favorite take-out restaurant! Oh yeah, have the pool checked too!
Do you have the skinny on new restaurants and eateries in the area? Please post your comments below.
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