"There's a real opportunity for me to do something very different than I've done before."

This week, Missy Robbins announced her full-on return to professional cooking: She's opening an Italian restaurant in Williamsburg called Lilia with Matt Kliegman, the co-owner of the Smile and Black Seed. It's a much-anticipated comeback, as Robbins stepped down from A Voce and A Voce Columbus (where she earned Michelin stars) in May of 2013, before briefly helping launch Laura Maniec's second location of Corkbuzz. She's been adamant about not wanting to rush the process of opening her own restaurant so we reached out to talk to her about her plans.

We've talked before about you taking the time to find the right project. Why is this the right fit? Matt found the space, but I was a little hesitant to go to Brooklyn. My life is really in Manhattan: I live here and my goal was to open in the West Village. That was really the dream. But, as the search went on, I wanted to be open-minded. I always said that I didn't want to open a restaurant just for the sake of opening a restaurant. I wanted to find a really cool space and do it with the right people.

And when I saw the space, it was really unique and amazing. It's a former auto-body garage, and it just has this amazing height on the ceilings, and amazing windows. In Williamsburg, there's a real opportunity for me to do something very different than I've done before. I've worked in all sorts of high-end neighborhoods my whole career, and very high-end places. This still allows me to cook my food, but also be a part of a community that I'm not totally familiar with, and get out of my comfort zone.

How long did it take you to decide? It took me a long time to make the decision. It was a lot of contemplation and a lot of getting to know Matt. I started talking to Matt in the summer, actually.

There are no guarantees in life. I met with a lot of great people over the last year and a half, and there were a lot of opportunities out there. Matt brings something a little different to the table. He's a downtown guy, and had a raw enthusiasm for this project.

And when's your projected opening date? We're shooting for early summer. Construction's working.

You've said that you're going to serve "your food." Can you elaborate? I know that's a weird thing to say, but I'm 43 years old you can't just all of a sudden change the way you cook. First of all, we're going to have a really beautiful, wood-burning grill, which will be a big centerpiece. I still really want to focus on pasta. And there'll be a big focus on fish and vegetables. The food will be very similar to what you've seen me do before, but a little toned down. The place is definitely more casual than A Voce.

So a lower price point, too? It'll be a little lower than A Voce. We want to be a fabric of the neighborhood, and we have this to-go caf component as well a very small caf. We're a couple blocks from McCarren Park so, you know, we hope we get a lot of traffic from that.

I remember you said that during your time off, you prioritized your health. Will that translate to your cooking at the restaurant? That's more of a personal thing, but I definitely think that my viewpoint on food has changed a lot, and that it will translate to the cooking. But pasta is like my first love. I want to cook really great, crave-able food again, but I don't use a crazy amount of butter, anyway. I turn more toward vinaigrettes and acids and herbs and chiles to look for flavor, rather than sort of heavier ingredients.

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Why Missy Robbins Chose Williamsburg for Her New Restaurant

ST. PETERSBURG

farm to table restaurant opening soon

Pie Topia, a farm to table Italian restaurant, is opening soon at 5226 Fourth St. N. The 100-seat eatery will offer menu items based on local produce. Fresh mozzarella cheese will be made in house. A "pizza maestro" who just came here from Italy after training in Venice will make many combinations of pies. Along with baked dishes, Pie Topia will offer a special "meter long" pizza that's 39 inches in length and 5 inches wide. Prices and hours have not been set, according to a spokeswoman, who said the restaurant should open this month.

LARGO

Largo considering ban on e-cigarettes

Commissioners on Tuesday tentatively approved a ban on the smoking of e-cigarettes in city-owned buildings. The ban will not become effective until after final approval, which is scheduled for the Largo commission's March 3 meeting.

LARGO

Police to add new dog to canine unit

Commissioners here agreed to spend up to $10,000 to buy a dog for Largo's canine police unit. The dog will replace Jet, who is retiring after eight years on the force. Largo's canine unit has four dogs, allowing the Police Department to have at least one dog on duty during peak hours of the day. That staffing level also allows one dog to be on its normal patrol duties while another is used for special events and emergencies. The money will come from the department's confiscated property funds.

SEMINOLE

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Italian restaurant to open on Fourth Street in St. Petersburg

WESLEY CHAPEL Culver's, the popular restaurant best known in the Midwest for its ButterBurgers, plans to open a second location in Pasco County, and its target audience now will be the shoppers at the Tampa Premium Outlets mall.

Engineers have submitted preliminary plans with the Pasco County government to build a 4,235-square-foot restaurant at the Cypress Creek Town Center property owned by the Richard E. Jacobs Group. The lot fronts the south side of State Road 56, just east of the intersection with Wesley Chapel Boulevard.

The Cleveland-based Jacobs Group is one of three entities developing the town center project, which calls for 2 million square feet of retail space, restaurants, offices, hotels and a residential community. Simon Property Group is building the 1.1 million-square-foot outlet mall scheduled to open in October, and Sierra Properties of Tampa, the original developer, owns the remaining 240 acres traversed by SR 56.

Culver's also is building a restaurant at U.S. 19 and Ridge Road in Port Richey, on the site of a former used car lot. It has a targeted opening date in April.

Wisconsin-based Culver's debuted in Florida in 2013 and has two restaurants in Tampa and one in Largo. Culver's opened its first restaurant in Sauk City, Wis., in 1984 and now has more than 500 restaurants across 22 states. Besides the burgers, the menu includes frozen custard, fried cheese curds and soups, salads, sandwiches and dinners including fried chicken and pot roast.

The Cypress Creek location is proposed to include 110 seats, a drive-through and covered outdoor seating. An engineer, construction company executive and a representative of the Jacobs Group are scheduled to meet with county staffers next week to discuss the plans.

Culver's restaurant plans second Pasco County location 02/18/15 [Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 5:49pm] Photo reprints | Article reprints

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Culver's restaurant plans second Pasco County location

A man working as supervisor at a private restaurant was found hanging in his house at Hennur on Monday. The deceased, Lakshman Gowda, was working with a private restaurant for a year-and-a-half. He got married about eight months ago. On Monday night, he came home after work at around 10 p.m. and went inside his room. Around 2.15 a.m., his wife went inside the room to check on him and found him hanging from the ceiling. Police said that family members informed that he was upset about his job and was depressed.

Falls to death

A 25-year-old construction labourer fell to his death from the 10th floor of an under-construction building in Amruthahalli on Monday. The deceased, Nitin Bhumani, was from West Bengal. He was living at the construction site along with other labourers. On Monday, he was hauling concrete boulders from the ground floor with a pulley when he lost his balance and fell. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital but was declared brought dead.

The Amruthahalli police have booked a case of negligence against site engineer Senthil Kumar, contractor Sandeep Poddar, and site owner Abhijit, police said.

Nitin Bhumani, a labourer, who fell to his death, was from West Bengal

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Restaurant supervisor ends his life

KMOV.com

Posted on February 17, 2015 at 10:05 AM

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) Construction of the Loop Trolley is set to begin in March, according to Chris Poehler, administer of the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District.

The trolley will run on a 2.2 mile fixed-track electrical system along Delmar Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue. The trolley will connect The Loop restaurant, shopping, arts and entertainment districts to Forest Park, including a stop at the Missouri History Museum. There will be a total of 10 stops along the trolley track.

Construction will begin in March with the installation of a roundabout at Trinity and Delmar Boulevard. Construction on the trolley track is expected to begin near the end of May on Delmar Boulevard near Kingsland.

The Trolley is expected to be completed in 2016.

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Construction of Loop Trolley to begin in March

It has been more than 11 years since an Arbys restaurant has served roast beef sandwiches in the La Crosse area.

But an Omaha, Neb.-based franchisee hopes to start construction in early spring on an Arbys just south of Woodmans Food Market in Onalaska. The restaurant would open in early summer at the now-vacant site, between the state Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles building and the Microtel motel.

Franchisee DRM Inc. has entered into an agreement to buy the site, according to an application to the city of Onalaska for variances needed for a proposed new sign that would bear both Woodmans and Arbys names. The Onalaska Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a public hearing on the request at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Onalaska City Hall.

The sale is contingent on the sign.

The La Crosse area has been without an Arbys since another franchisees location in Valley View Mall closed in December 2003.

Weve wanted to open an Arbys in the greater La Crosse area for quite some time, said Abbey Ramsey, DRM director of marketing. We chose this site because it was one of the last remaining sites in Onalaskas primary retail corridor with high visibility from both I-90 and Hwy. 16, and high traffic counts. Not to mention the numerous customer requests weve received for an Arbys in the La Crosse area.

DRM owns and operates 68 Arbys restaurants in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin, including the one in Tomah.

Shogun Sushi and Hibachi restaurant opened Feb. 8 in a new building at the former Bakers Square restaurant site at 1227 Crossing Meadows Drive in Onalaska.

The Japanese restaurants owners live in the Twin Cities and own several other Japanese eateries. The new Onalaska restaurant serves a variety of upscale Japanese cuisine, including seafood, steak, chicken and vegetable courses with a Japanese flavor.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Brunch is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. Dinner is served from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday.

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Steve Cahalan: Arby's planning store in Onalaska

February 14, 2015 12:00 AM Share with others:

By Mahita Gajanan / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium reopens today after a six-week closure for construction on some new ventures, including a new exhibit and a restaurant.

The zoo on Friday announced plans to open a new exhibit in addition to the launch of its new Jambo Grill restaurant. The exhibit, called The Islands, is scheduled to open in June, and is being built to house only endangered species.

Were really trying to get the animals up close and personal, said Barbara Baker, the zoos president and CEO.

The 22,000-square-foot outdoor exhibit will open in a six- to seven-acre area on a hill that has been closed to the public since 1991, said Ms. Baker. Construction began two weeks ago, and once complete will include waterfalls, a sandbox, palm trees and other tropical motifs to create an island feel.

Its the first new exhibit in seven years and will include Visayan warty pigs, siamangs, clouded leopards, Galapagos tortoises and Philippine crocodiles, said Ms. Baker. Pittsburgh Zoo works with other zoos across the country on breeding programs for endangered species, and plans to breed the animals once all arrive at the zoo.

Penguins on Parade will start at 11:30 a.m. today, though the event has been canceled for Sunday due to a forecast for low temperatures.

Mahita Gajanan: mgajanan@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1964.

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With a new exhibit and restaurant, Pittsburgh Zoo reopens

CLEARWATER

The familiar roadside signs are there. An aged, clapboard facade gives that roadhouse feel. That and the peanuts on the floor.

For the most part it's still the same Cody's Roadhouse, except this one has a Sea Dog craft brewery attached to it.

After a recent merger of the Clearwater outlets of the two chains, the marriage is working and could bring changes most notably Sea Dog craft beers to other Cody's franchises.

"Cody's has an aging clientele but we could use a little element of something new and exciting," said Mark Weber, manager with the restaurant chain. "This could be something unique."

Sea Dog Brewing Company opened its first Florida operations two years ago in an expansive building off U.S. 19 and Enterprise Road.

It was the first expansion for the Maine brewery into Florida. A location in Orlando opened next. While the craft beer was flowing, problems brewed inside. There were constant menu changes and the cavernous bar never seemed full.

There were struggles from the start partly because of the construction along U.S. 19, said Dan Bolduc, spokesman for Sea Dog in Florida.

The brewpub closed in May 2014 and reopened with the new concept Oct. 6 when the owners of Sea Dog, who own the building, bought the Cody's franchise and moved it about 50 feet.

A hallway filled with Sea Dog T-shirts and other items connects the tasting room with the roadhouse restaurant. Here there are no peanuts on the floor. There are rich leather couches and some TVs it's like a humidor meets a living room. Mug club mugs hang on the wall beneath the shiny beer taps.

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Cody's, Sea Dog join forces in Clearwater

While his presence is already well known in Bowling Green, Dale Augenstein is about to have another foothold in the community.

The 1981 WKU graduate is purchasing the former Mariahs restaurant building on State Street. Over the next several months, Augenstein will work to convert the building into a second location for his Steamer Seafood restaurant.

Augenstein has become reattached to WKU and Bowling Green, where he has many friends and family in the surrounding area.

I thought, if Im going to be in Bowling Green this often, I might as well start a business, Augenstein said.

While Augenstein started the first Steamer Seafood in Hilton Head, South Carolina in the early 90s, the opening of the Bowling Green restaurant wont be the first time that Augensteins brand of seafood has been served in town. For the past three years, Augenstein has been serving his food in the Big Red tent at basketball games.

Once we started serving our concession food, people were asking when we would start a restaurant here, Augenstein said.

Over several years, Augenstein began a search for the ideal location to house his restaurant. Finally, once the former Mariahs restaurant building was put up for sale, his idea became much more feasible.

When the Mariahs facility became available, that piqued my interest tremendously, Augenstein said.

Mariahs success in that location, over the past three decades, has provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase our product, he said. After completing an interior redesign and construction, Augenstein hopes to open the Bowling Green Steamer Seafood on Sept. 1, 2015.

At the Hilton Head restaurant, Augenstein said they focus on serving the freshest food possible while providing an fun-filled atmosphere, including acoustic entertainment. He said they will attempt to replicate as much as they can for the Bowling Green location.

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WKU alumnus buys former Mariahs restaurant

Restaurant Equipment
http://rdiconsult.com/ 8939 South Sepulveda Los Angeles, CA 90045 (310)738-3670 Restaurant Design International, Inc. Restaurant Design International, Inc. i...

By: Daniela Gorgonio

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Restaurant Equipment - Video