Construction on the new Pizza Plant restaurant at Canalside is getting underway, as the owners of the popular Amherst eatery hope to open their newest location, in downtown Buffalo, by late summer, if not sooner.

Owners Robert and Dan Syracuse are putting in a 140-seat, full-service restaurant on the north end of the One Canalside building at 125 Washington St. Thats on the edge of the waterfront development, next to the Niagara Thruway, and near the historically-aligned canals and HarborCenter.

The eight-story building is home to a Courtyard by Marriott hotel on the first four floors and the headquarters of law firm Phillips Lytle LLP on the top four floors. Pizza Plant will be on the first floor near the hotel lobby. Theres also a single short-term executive apartment that was carved out of the northeast corner in order to qualify for a state tax credit for redevelopment of vacant old commercial buildings into mixed-use projects with residential space.

Crews have been performing preliminary work for the last couple of weeks, getting the 4,100-square-foot restaurant space ready in preparation for the start of real construction. The shape of the restaurant is already laid out, piping has been installed, and the walls will start going up in the coming days. The restaurant will have a double-door entrance directly from the Main Street side of the building, and a door from the enclosed corridor that rings the building.

Robert Syracuse said he and his brother are tentatively targeting a late summer completion, although they hope to be ready sooner in order to benefit from the summer season at Canalside. The restaurant, which began in 1980 and has one other location at 7770 Transit Road in Amherst, will feature a full menu and liquor license, including its vegan and gluten-free items. But it will also evolve as we go along to accommodate downtown, Syracuse said.

Our reputation is on the line. We want to make sure our staff is up to snuff, he said.

email: jepstein@buffnews.com

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Pizza Plant construction gets going at Canalside

FORT LAUDERDALE The Bonnet House is so hungry to preserve its history it might add a waterfront restaurant to help pay its bills.

The historic property stretches from the ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway a few blocks south of Sunrise Boulevard. It has applied for a federal permit to allow a 427-seat restaurant and four-slip dock along the Intracoastal on the southwest portion of the estate.

Bonnet House has a letter of intent from a restaurateur interested in building on the property, CEO Karen Beard said, but the idea is in the preliminary stages and a final decision could be years away.

What isn't in doubt is the increasing cost of upkeep for the museum and gardens on the site.

"It's just a hugely expensive property to maintain," Beard said. The house and buildings are nearly 100 years old.

The restaurant operator would build the establishment and make lease payments for using the site. The permit application says the interested individual "has years of experience operating a similar concept in Palm Beach County." Neither the application nor Beard revealed the operator.

Fort Lauderdale pioneer Hugh Taylor Birch gave the land to his daughter Helen and her husband, artist Frederic Clay Bartlett, as a wedding gift in 1919. Helen died in 1925, and Bartlett married Evelyn Fortune Lilly in 1931.

Evelyn Bartlett continued wintering in the home after her husband died in 1953 until a few years before her death in 1997 at age 109. She was insistent on preserving the estate from development and deeded the property to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation in 1983, with the proviso she could keep living there.

While the deed prohibits most development of the property, it allows for a restaurant on the western portion if the trust "has exhausted all other reasonably available means for raising funds" to operate, maintain and preserve the site.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently reviewing a permit application needed for the construction. Public comment is being accepted through Friday, April 10. Comments should be submitted to the District Engineer, Palm Beach Gardens Regulatory Permits Section, 4400 PGA Blvd., Suite 500, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33410.

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Bonnet House restaurant proposed on Intracoastal

Dupont Circle's Levante's closed in January, but its replacement won't be straying too far, geographicallyspeaking: Ankara, a new Turkish project from a family of first-time restaurateurs, is set to open in early May on 19th Street NW.

The venture represents the work of upwards of 20 relatives, according to Erin Gorman, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband,Utku Aslanturk, and his brother, Ovgu.

The brothers dabbled in restaurant work upon arriving in the areafrom Turkey in the 1990s, but spent most of the last two decades working in the family's construction business. Still, opening a dining spot was always a thought in the back of their minds, Gorman said.

"They're Turkish, and they really like to eat," she said. "And they really like to eat Turkish food."

Most of the family currently hails from the Turkish capital of Ankara, which inspired the restaurant's name.

[Attractions galore in Ankara, Turkeys capital]

Gorman said they all perceived a renewed interest in Turkish culture from Americans, and when the Levante's space became available, they decided the time was right to open their own place.

Indescribing Turkish cuisine, Gorman cited a definition offered by cookbook author and professor Ayla Algar. "She said to think about Turkish food is to think about archaeology and strata, because Turkish cuisine and culture is so old," Gorman said.

The food is something of a blend, with Persian, Mediterranean, Far East and Anatolian influences, Gorman said.

The menu will include the inevitable kebabs but will also feature hot and cold mezze, as well as entrees. Among the offerings: sigara boregi (feta cheese and herbs in phyllo), midye tavasi (fried mussels in a walnut tarator sauce) and the famous imam biyaldi (stuffed eggplant and olive oil). And at the insistence of Gorman's 4-year-old daughter, there will beyaprak sarma, grape leaves stuffed with beef and rice, served with a garlic yogurt sauce.

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Turkish restaurant Ankara coming to Dupont Circle

The water of Lake Como glistens in front of the Lakeside Pavilion at Como Regional Park, Zoo and Conservatory. (Pioneer Press 2007 file)

Como Dockside Lakeside Pavilion, the restaurant that will replace Black Bear Crossings at Como Park in St. Paul, will open the first week in May -- just in time for patio season -- with a sizable menu and upgraded patio, co-owner Jon Oulman said this week.

Oulman, with his son Jarret Oulman and business partner Josh Mandelman, plan to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at the restaurant overlooking Como Lake. The trio also runs Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul.

According to Jon Oulman, the menu will be New Orleans-inspired and include barbecued meats, etouffee and side dishes like mac and cheese served picnic style in baskets. There will also be vegetarian-friendly options as well and kid-friendly meals such as hamburgers. Craft cocktails, wine and beer also will be on the menu.

Customers can expect the patio seating areas -- with a combination of picnic and bistro tables -- to move around throughout the summer. Construction will happen in phases. Changes will include the addition of two to three bocce ball courts, new paving and landscaping.

"There will be outdoor construction this spring and summer," Oulman said. "There will be a lot of seating. It's just going to move around."

Rolling out the food offerings also will happen in phases. A barbecue menu will kick off the restaurant's unveiling next month, and Oulman said the plan is to open a walk-up window with a menu still to be determined around Memorial Day.

Oulman said there also are plans for a separate organization to partner with the trio to offer watercraft rentals such as pedal boats and a guided 30-foot electric powered cruise boat. Como Dockside would supply food for those boaters.

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Como Park restaurant opens in May with New Orleans-style food

MISHAWAKA Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Qdoba Mexican Grill want to expand the northside Mishawaka restaurant choices for area diners.

A preliminary site plan submitted to the city indicates the restaurants would be constructed on about an acre of undeveloped land along North Main Street, between Douglas Road and Edison Lakes Parkway.

The vacant site is located immediately east of Meijer and south of La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries.

Construction could start as soon as May, which means the restaurants could open in late summer or early fall. But first, the project and several variance requests must be approved by Mishawaka officials.

"People are always excited when a new restaurant comes to town, because it gives them more choices," Greg Shearon, Mishawaka assistant city planner, said about the proposed tenants. "And these two restaurants would be new to our area."

Relaxation Investments of South Bend, the property owner, has requested zoning and developmental variances for a developer that wants to buy the land and build a 9,000-square-foot multi-tenant building. The small new neighborhood center would house two restaurants and two stores.

Only two businesses are allowed on the site under existing commercial zoning standards. Parking variances are also requested for the project.

Shoppers and diners would be able to access the new building from Main Street as well as the existing access drive used by Meijer shoppers.

Potbelly would be located on the south side of the building and the 2,400-square-foot restaurant would offer a drive-through.

Just a few months ago, the Chicago-based restaurant company decided against opening inside the former Hooters restaurant building on nearby Day Road.

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Potbelly and Qdoba planned for new Mishawaka center

April 1, 2015 Updated Apr 1, 2015 at 4:21 PM CDT

Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com) -- This protest might have happened on April Fools Day, but it was no joke.

Nearly 20 protesters held their ground for five hours to protest the construction at the Dunkin' Donuts site in Duluth on Wednesday.

Construction began last week at the site located at 104 W Central Entrance near Miller Hill Mall.

The restaurant will be owned and operated by Donco, LLC, which is headquartered in Hinkley, Minn.

The company hired Mark Haug Construction, based out of Pine City, Minn., to do the construction work; however, a construction worker tells us that Haug is not unionized.

The protesters were picketing because non-local construction workers were hired, and because Haug is not unionized, according to a construction worker.

The construction workers say they will not be surprised if the protesters are back at it on Thursday.

The company's CEO says they plan to open six more shops in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin over the next two to three years.

Dunkin' Donuts has told us the following in response to the protesters:

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Nearly 20 protesters demonstrate outside Duluth's Dunkin' Donuts construction site

Construction resumes Monday on the Beaverdale Streetscape project in Des Moines.

City officials said the work will run April 6-17. It's starting about 9 a.m. Monday.

Street closures will be part of the construction so work can be completed on underground storm sewers.

City officials said a 100-foot section of Beaver Avenue will be closed in the 2700 block. Urbandale Avenue is expected to remain open during the construction.

Two-way traffic will be routed onto the east side of Beaver Avenue while work is being performed on the west part of the roadway starting April 17.

Construction on the nearly $1.8 million streetscaping project started in May 2014. The improvements are being made from Beavercrest Drive and north to near Christopher's Restaurant along Beaver Avenue. A big goal of the project is to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

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Construction resuming on major metro street Monday

Winston-Salem, North Carolina (PRWEB) March 31, 2015

Red Hot & Blue Restaurants, Inc. President, Randy McCann, confirmed that the national barbecue restaurant chain is opening a new location this month in Cary, North Carolina.

Two years in planning, building and designing, the Cary Red Hot & Blue restaurant is located in the Waverly Shopping Center at the corner of Tryon and Kildaire Farm Roads and is slated to open in April 2015. Red Hot & Blue is a full-service, casual-themed barbecue restaurant and full service caterer. Red Hot & Blue smokes barbecue on premise fresh daily, the old-fashioned waylow and slowover hickory logs so the enticing aroma envelopes your senses as you enter the restaurant. The menu features delicious hickory-smoked meats including: award-winning ribs, authentic Memphis-style barbecue, hickory-smoked chicken wings, smoked sausage, fresh beef burgers, Southern-fried seafood, salads and Southern homemade sides and desserts. The atmosphere is steeped in legendary and contemporary blues music and delivers a large dose of Southern hospitality in a fun and entertaining dining environment.

The location in Cary will mark the third Red Hot & Blue restaurant to open in North Carolina. There currently are two other Red Hot & Blue locations in the North State in Raleigh at 6615 Falls of Neuse Road and Winston-Salem at 613 Deacon Boulevard. In addition, there are 10 restaurants in the Washington DC area, 6 restaurants in Texas and one in Missouri and New Jersey. Red Hot & Blue is currently seeking new franchise/owners to open locations throughout the United States. Franchise information is available at: http://www.redhotandblue.com/central/franchise

Todd Chriscoe is the Operating Partner at the soon-to-be-opened Red Hot & Blue restaurant and is a North Carolina native who grew up with barbecue in his blood. Chriscoes father and family friends held regular pig-picking events. So even as a young man it has been second nature to Chriscoe to stoke a hickory fire, to cook the porklow and slowto seal in the delicious smoked flavor of authentic barbecue.

The process to bring fresh smoked BBQ to the residents in Cary was a labor of love. Chriscoe, Bill Holt and Stephen Bell discussed opening a second Red Hot & Blue franchise in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area for several years. Currently, Holt and Bell own/operate the Red Hot & Blue restaurant at 6615 Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh, NC. When a property became available at the new Waverly Place Shopping Center in Cary, NCthe discussions immediately materialized into construction plans.

Robert Friedman, Publisher of Attorney At Law Magazine in the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle community was excited when he heard that Red Hot & Blue was opening a new restaurant close to his home. Friedman said, "The North Raleigh Red Hot & Blue serves incredible BBQ. Now they're bringing people of Cary a treat (again)! Waverly Place in Carythe onceand future home of Red Hot & Blue for great Memphis BBQ in NC."

Since the day construction began, numerous dedicated Red Hot & Blue fans have stopped by the new location asking when the BBQ will start smoking on the pits and we are pleased to announce that everything is in place to serve the Cary community in April, said Red Hot & Blue President, Randy McCann.

More information is available at: [http://www.redhotandblue.com/cary

About Red Hot & Blue Restaurants, Incorporated: Red Hot & Blue Restaurants, Inc. was named in the top 3 Best Barbecue Chains in America according to The Daily Meal article originally published on March 5, 2014. Editor Dan Myers sifted through regional preferences to funnel the most popular chains in his list of 10 Best Barbecue chains in America. Criteria for selection was based on: local renown, consistency of food across all the locations, adherence to traditional barbecue techniques like low and slow on-premise smoking, atmosphere and most importantly, if the food tastes good. The full article may found online at: http://www.thedailymeal.com/10-best-barbecue-chains-america/3414

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Red Hot & Blue BBQ Restaurant Set To Open in Cary, NC in April

A new restaurant due to open in the US is claimed to be the largest in the country to be built using shipping containers. The Smoky Park Supper Club in Asheville, North Carolina, is constructed from 19 containers and was built by shipping container construction firm SG Blocks.

The Smoky Park Supper Club sits on a 1.8 acre (7,284 sq m) site on the side of the French Broad River, allowing customers to arrive by car, foot, bike or boat. The site was formerly brownfield and so required a thorough clean-up operation prior to the start of construction.

SG BLocks vice president of sales and business development David Cross tells Gizmag that it takes 8,000 kWh of energy to melt down used shipping containers and only 500 kWh to reuse them for construction. He estimates that, in using shipping containers, the construction of the Smoky Park Supper Club saved a potential 142,500 kWh of energy.

In order to reuse the containers, they must first be stripped of any exterior coatings. They can then have fresh coatings applied and be prepared for installation.

It took three days to install the 19 containers used to construct the Smoky Park Supper Club. Cross says the build could have been completed in one-and-a-half days, but that it was decided to take more time and progress methodically. In addition, the extra time taken helped to minimize the increase in traffic caused by the transportation of the containers.

The project, including initial contact and design, started in 2011, with the build being completed in May last year. The restaurant is due to open this (northern) spring, with the time since installation having been taken to complete the post-build work.

The video below is a timelapse of the Smoky Park Supper Club being built.

Sources: Smoky Park Supper Club, SG Blocks

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Biggest shipping container restaurant in US gets ready to take its first booking

The long wait for a waterfront restaurant on the underdeveloped East River is coming to an end.

After months of delays, Industry Kitchen will open in mid-April at 70 South St., near Maiden Lane and Pier 15, Side Dish has learned.

Super Storm Sandy stopped construction on the 5,000 square-foot restaurant from Merchants Hospitality Group in 2012.

The indoor/outdoor 300-seat concept, designed by hotshot ShoP Architects, was chosen by the citys Economic Development Corporation to help develop the lagging waterfront.

The city wants to open up the riverfront to residents, with plans to develop a public beach, parks and other forms of recreation, especially along the neglected section from the Brooklyn Bridge north to 38th Street.

Industry Kitchen will be a rare high-end eatery on that once-industrial stretch underneath the elevated FDR Drive.

The views will include the city skyline, the harbor and the Williamsburg and Brooklyn bridges.

The executive chef is Marco Arnold. From an open kitchen, Arnold will oversee seasonal American cuisine fresh pastas, grilled meats, fish, vegetables, salads and pizzas from two large custom-made wood-burning ovens.

Custom cocktails and craft beers are also part of the menu. Desserts will include a caramelized chocolate pizza extravaganza and there will also be a brunch menu featuring sunny side up eggs onpizza.

The spot is the latest from owner Abraham Merchant, who lives nearby in Battery Park City and has a long list of well-known eateries, including Philippe by Philippe Chow, Clinton Hall,SouthWest NY, Merchants NY Cigar Bar and Merchants River House.

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East Rivers Kitchen set for April