The Office is closed.

The downtown lounge and restaurant, best known for its dueling piano bar, closed its location at 124 S.W. 8th Ave., across the street from the Capitol, after Sept. 29.

Owner Bryan Lewis said he was looking for an opportunity to start a new business in the space, and the decrease in business during the downtown construction gave him the opportunity. The bar didnt announce a closing, but within a week their phone number was disconnected, the business website was offline and a former Facebook page had been deactivated.

The Office had a massive revamp in 2010 when then-owner Dan Defendorf doubled the facility and added the stage for dueling pianos and other live music. When Dendorf opened The Office Too! in August 2011 at 3251 S.W. Topeka Blvd., he handed the reins of the downtown location to Lewis. The Office Too! closed in March 2012, after which Defendorf said he no longer owned businesses in Topeka, and considered himself a resident of Baltimore.

Lewis tried to cater to a younger crowd with more live music and DJs, according to a February 2013 story in The Topeka Capital-Journal. He primarily works running ESI Live, an entertainment production company that provides equipment and consultation for live events. Recently he has worked to coordinate with Downtown Topeka Inc. and other downtown businesses to bring concert series and live entertainment to the area.

ESI Live is my primary business, Lewis said. Ive been a big supporter for downtown, but The Office went to the wayside a little bit and it was time for a change.

Lewis said he tried to sell The Office in February, and had several businesses interested in the location, but never reached a deal on the sale. Now, in lieu of a solid offer, he is developing a new business venture for the space. His ideas for the business, which he optimistically may reopen at the beginning of 2015, revolve around live entertainment.

Although he attributes much of The Offices slowdown to downtown construction, Lewis said it doesnt dampen his support for the renovation projects.

Part of why I stay in Topeka is I believe that someday we can have a good entertainment district downtown, Lewis said. Im a big supporter of downtown and the construction. Its a big factor in my decision (to close The Office) but after the construction this area of Topeka will have a solid infrastructure.

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The Office bar closes downtown

Grille 3501s newly opened addition, The Loft, is a stellar open-air interpretation of this top Lehigh Valley dining spot. Smart and contemporary in its rustic sophistication, The Loft makes this restaurants star shine even brighter.

Even though the addition increases Grille 3501s seating by several dozen, the food is as excellent as the day the restaurant launched in 2001. Expansion of the kitchen, part of the construction project, undoubtedly helped to ensure the fares continuing high standards.

Floor-to-ceiling doors open the two-level addition to fresh air and a full measure of sunlight. A large bar on the first level anchors bar-height tables in the front and standard tables in the back, where an exposed brick wall adds texture to rough-hewn beams and chestnut brown walls.

Just a look at Grille 3501s menu gets taste buds turned on. The restaurants inventive fusion of Asian, Mediterranean and French cuisines features appetizers such as grilled lamb tenderloin with sweet potato pancakes and cranberry ginger vinaigrette and sea salt roasted shrimp with corn brulee and garlic ginger soy.

About a dozen main dishes offer creative combinations: Duck breast with yam hash, tatsoi, duck confit relish and port reduction, for example, along with spicy seared Hawaiian monchong with lobster quinoa pilaf, glazed baby carrots and chili yuzu sauce.

Crispy sesame chicken dumplings ($11) were a delectable start. Dark in color and taste, these golf-ball sized morsels were formed around a length of sugar cane like a Popsicle stick, and served on a bed of sliced green onions, their pointed sharpness balancing the dumplings crunch and the dipping sauces deep, nutty, sesame essence.

Pistachios on the shared baby arugula ($7) salad plated separately, thank you very much added lovely color and texture to the Gorgonzola, red beets and sherry vinaigrette that topped the greens.

Succulent sea salt-seared rare tuna ($28) was pink and buttery. Its pairings Israeli couscous, baby bok choy and carrot slaw, enhanced by ginger red pepper gastrique kept the tenor of this combination light and bright.

Meltingly tender, with pomegranate jus as deep and dark as night, boneless beef short ribs ($28) remain a food memory made in heaven. Served on a crispy potato cake with spinach and roasted portobello mushrooms, these ribs took comfort food to a new level.

Luscious limoncello cheesecake ($8.50) was delightful, but the accompanying lemon curd spring roll was truly inspired: Its thin pastry wrapper burst with intense, citrusy and tart lemon cream that sealed this meal with the freshness of a spring morning.

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Restaurant review: Creative Grille 3501 ramps up flavor lofty addition

Construction crews are completing site work on a new Taco Bell at 10736 Jefferson Ave.

NEWPORT NEWS A new fast-food restaurant will soon join the ranks of an existing bank of similar eateries in the Morrison section of south Newport News.

Taco Bell is currently under construction at 10736 Jefferson Ave. at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Ivy Farm Road, according to city planning and engineering documents.

Construction crews have already demolished the former 40-year-old, 2,351-square-foot building on the 0.53-acre site.

Kim Lee, Newport News spokeswoman, said in an email that site plans for the new Taco Bell were approved with conditions by the city council on Sept.11.

The site was already zoned commercial, which allows for fast-food eateries and retail to be constructed or opened on the property.

Alex Gartsman, who owns the property and operated A. Gartsman Fine Violins on the site for about eight years, said Thursday he recently reopened his violin and music shop at 8 Ivy Farm Road in August after leasing the site for the new restaurant.

Michael Montgomery, a developer with Texas-based Verdad Real Estate Inc., is overseeing the construction of the new Taco Bell.

A set opening date and timeline for construction has not been released.

Montgomery was out of the office Thursday afternoon, and could not be reached for comment.

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Fast-food eatery Taco Bell under construction in south Newport News | With Video

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In July, Cochise Countys inflation-adjusted retail and restaurant and bar sales were down, while accommodation receipts were up, compared to Julylastyear.

CochiseCounty

Retail sales were down 1.6 percent in July, after adjusting for inflation. These sales have been down in six of the past eight months in the year-over-year comparisons, following growth in seven of eight months. For the first seven months of 2014, retail sales were down 4.9 percent compared to the same periodlastyear.

Restaurant and bar sales were down less than a tenth of a percent in July, after adjusting for inflation. For the first seven months of the year, sales were up 1.8 percent. Sales have been up in five of the most recentninemonths.

Accommodation sales were up 8.1 percent in July compared to July 2013. Accommodation sales include hotel, motel, RV Park, and other temporary lodging stays of less than 30 days. In the first seven months of 2014, countywide accommodation receipts were down0.6percent.

Despite the long-run decline in countywide accommodation receipts, sales have been up in five of the past nine months, helped along by ongoing construction of the new hospital in Sierra Vista and several other large nonresidential construction projects in other areasthecounty.

Bisbee

Retail sales were down 5.4 percent in July compared to July 2013. In the first seven months of 2014, sales were down 2.6 percent. Bisbees retail sales have been down in six of the pastninemonths.

Restaurant and bar sales were down 16.1 percent in July. In the first seven months of this year, however, sales were up 4.5 percent. Sales have been up in 12 of the past16months.

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MONEY: Carreira: Retail, restaurant and bar sales down, accommodation up

Posted on October 4, 2014

Destruction of the Grand Buffet restaurant to make way for the construction of McDonald's restaurant at the intersection of Yakima Avenue and First Street in downtown Yakima. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)Destruction of the Grand Buffet restaurant to make way for the construction of McDonald's restaurant at the intersection of Yakima Avenue and First Street in downtown Yakima. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)The former Grand Buffet restaurant was torn down Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013 to make way for the construction of a McDonald's restaurant on the site at the intersection of First Street and Yakima Avenue in Yakima. Plans call for the McDonald's to be open within several months. The new restaurant will be built of red brick and have white trim and will fit in with the adjacent historic district, says property owner Patti Schneider. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

YAKIMA, Wash. An unattended pan of cooking oil started a fire that Yakima fire officials say caused $30,000 damage to a home on East Chestnut Avenue on Friday evening.

Firefighters were called at 6:40 p.m. to 902 E. Chestnut Ave. The homes occupant told firefighters that she had put a pan of oil on the stove and left it while tending to her children, said Joe Riel, acting shift commander. When she returned, the oil had caught fire and the flames started to spread.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming out the front door, and there was fire in the kitchen. The firefighters put out the flames in the kitchen and pulled down the ceiling to put out hot spots in the attic insulation, Riel said.

Nobody was injured in the fire. Three fire trucks and an ambulance responded.

Yakima County tax records show the one-story house was built in 1920. The house has an assessed value of $57,300.

Continued here:
Yakima kitchen fire causes $30,000 damage

Chick-fil-A will open in Brookfield next week, marking the first location of the Atlanta-based chicken restaurant chain in the Nutmeg State.

The restaurant at 156 Federal Road opens to the public Oct. 9 at 6:30 a.m., but welcomes fans to get in early for the chance to earn a one-year's supply of free Chick-fil-A food (adigital offer card loaded with 52 free meals.)The first 100 adults (18 and over) in line will be eligible for this offer; the line will officially open at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8 and guests will be registered. Guests are then required to stay in line on site until the Thursday morning opening.

The "First 100" promotion is only open to guests who live within roughly a 25-mile radius of the Brookfield restaurant. Eligible residency zip codes, and other rules and regulations, are posted on Chick-fil-A's website.Chick-fil-A will provide security, entertainment, games, food and bathrooms during the 24-hour period, according to a news release, and guests are encouraged to bring tents, chairs, TVs, computers and other gear.

Three other Chick-fil-A franchises are planned for the state. A location at 1098 N. Colony Road in Wallingford is scheduled to open Nov. 6, according to its official website. Chick-fil-A will also join the food court at the Danbury Fair Mall, and that's also projected for a Nov. 6 opening, said Melissa Eigen, the mall's marketing manager.

In Enfield, the town's planning and zoning commission confirmed that a planned Chick-fil-A restaurant is currently under construction at 25 Hazard Avenue, in the Enfield Commons shopping plaza. No official opening date is projected as of this time, said department secretary Barbra Galovich, but a Chick-fil-A representative said the Enfield restaurant is expected to open within the first quarter of 2015.

Founded by Southern Baptist Truett Cathy, the privately-held company closes all of its locations on Sundays. "This policy allows employees a day for family, worship, fellowship or rest, and also underscores Cathy's desire to put principles and people ahead of profit," according to the restaurant's official website.

Chick-fil-A's religious beliefs have been the focus of controversy in recent years; in 2012, president and CEO Dan Cathy said publicly that the company "was supportive of the family - the biblical definition of the family unit." The restaurant chain was also criticized for its foundation's donations to anti-gay marriage groups. In response to the outcry, the company stated, "Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."

Officials in Brookfield say they haven't encountered any opposition to Chick-fil-A's presence in town. "I think most people are excited about it," said assistant zoning enforcement officer Francis Lollie.

First Selectman William N. Tinsley said he's happy to welcome home Chick-fil-A franchisee Devon Scanlon, who is a native of Brookfield. He said Federal Road's "highly commercialized" nature, as a regional shopping destination, bodes well for the restaurant's success. "They have done a very beautiful job with the property here," he said.

Continued here:
Connecticut's First Chick-fil-A To Open In Brookfield

A Texas-based restaurant chain, Jason's Deli, is planning to open its first location next year in the Pittsburgh region in the Cranberry Mall and employ about 80 full- and part-time workers.

The restaurant touts its healthy meals, including organic and gluten-free options, as well as its Reuben the Great and New Orleans Muffaletta sandwiches.

The opening is scheduled for April, although the date could be pushed back if construction doesn't begin until after winter. If that happens, the restaurant might not open until June or July.

It will occupy about 5,000 square feet with a 900-square-foot patio.

When the proposal goes before the township Planning Advisory Committee it will have the support of the municipal staff, said Ron Henshaw, Cranberry director of community development. Approval will be sought at the supervisors meeting on Oct. 29, and at a second meeting Nov. 6.

Jason's Deli has no immediate plans to expand in the region, although the company is researching its options in Western Pennsylvania and other markets, spokesman Madison Boozer said. Founded in Beaumont, Texas, in 1976, Jason's Deli is a family-owned business started by Joe Tortorice Jr.

Boozer said the company became the first major restaurant chain to remove artificial trans-fats in 2005.

Sam Spatter is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7843 or sspatter@tribweb.com.

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Restaurant chain touts healthy meals, targets Cranberry for 1st Pittsburgh-area location

Sakuramen owner Jonathan Cho isn't just expanding upstairs:he's also moving down the street. Cho signed a lease on the long-vacant Cafe Lautrec/Cafe Toulouse building at 2431 18th St. NW, where he will open a new pan-Asian restaurant concept.

"Its going to be a varied menu, not a huge one," Cho said. "Were trying to focus on a few things that we like to eat."

Owner Jonathan Cho (white shirt) stands outside Sakuramen on July 5, 2012.

Those things include "Asian comfort foods that people would have grown up," said Cho, who will also take inspiration from Japanese izakayas, Korean barbeque and Korean odeng, a type of fish cake in broth.

As for the bar: "Its not going to be a typical bar," Cho said. "I dont think were going to have any Western alcohol whatsoever."

Cho is still deciding on the restaurant's name.As for theiconicreproduction of the Toulouse-Lautrec portrait ofAristide Bruanton the building's exterior, Cho said it's not going anywhere. "We would love to change it, but the property owner and the city's historic preservation folks seem to really like it and won't allow us to paint over it."

Construction will begin soon, and he hopes to open before the holiday season. The Sakuramen expansion, however, will take longer: There are permitting issues to work out, as well as the construction of a staircase between the subterranean restaurant and the new floor. The extra space, which will add 25 seats to the restaurant, will open by March.

Maura Judkis covers culture, food, and the arts for the Weekend section and Going Out Guide.

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Sakuramen owner to open new Adams Morgan restaurant

MOULTONBOROUGH The Woodshed Restaurant, a Lakes Region landmark that burned to the ground last Thanksgiving, is coming back in the form of an 1810 barn that will be moved to the site.

And the 40 employees who lost their jobs might find their jobs again when the new Woodshed is completed next year at this time, said Stephen Bradley, a real estate broker from Wellesley, Mass.

Bradleys father-in-law, G. Arnold Haynes, a real estate broker and businessman also from Wellesley, is the new owner. Haynes ate at the restaurant frequently. When he heard it burned, it really broke his heart, Bradley said. He was devastated. And then we found out it was for sale, and it seemed a perfect fit.

The former 2,000-square-foot restaurant was once a 19th-century farmhouse. It opened as the Woodshed in 1979.

We need to find someone to run the restaurant for us, an operator, Bradley said. We want to bring back the Woodshed as much as possible. I would think we would be looking for employees who already know how to work there, too.

The barn, from an undisclosed New Hampshire site, is going to be moved to the property at 128 Lee Road over the next year, he said. We felt we needed a barn to bring back the feel of the old place, so we went out and got one that was built in 1810, Bradley said. Were not announcing where its from yet or any of our other building plans; all we can say is that it will very much resemble and feel like the Woodshed.

Ward DElia of Samyn-DElia Architects P.A. in Ashland will be the lead architect, DElias office confirmed.

Haynes plans to start construction before Thanksgiving on the new restaurant, which he hopes to call the Woodshed or something similar, Bradley said.

The whole thing will likely take a year to build, he said. Theres a lot to do there because of the fire.

Fire investigators said the Thanksgiving blaze started just before 9 p.m. on Nov. 28, an hour after the last employee left. No cause was determined, in great part because the building burned so completely, investigators said.

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Comeback planned for landmark Lakes Region restaurant

Construction crews are completing site work on a new Taco Bell at 10736 Jefferson Ave.

NEWPORT NEWS A new fast-food restaurant will soon join the ranks of an existing bank of similar eateries in the Morrison section of south Newport News.

Taco Bell is currently under construction at 10736 Jefferson Ave. at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Ivy Farm Road, according to city planning and engineering documents.

Construction crews have already demolished the former 40-year-old, 2,351-square-foot building on the 0.53-acre site.

Kim Lee, Newport News spokeswoman, said in an email that site plans for the new Taco Bell were approved with conditions by the city council on Sept.11.

The site was already zoned commercial, which allows for fast-food eateries and retail to be constructed or opened on the property.

Alex Gartsman, who owns the property and operated A. Gartsman Fine Violins on the site for about eight years, said Thursday he recently reopened his violin and music shop at 8 Ivy Farm Road in August after leasing the site for the new restaurant.

Michael Montgomery, a developer with Texas-based Verdad Real Estate Inc., is overseeing the construction of the new Taco Bell.

A set opening date and timeline for construction has not been released.

Montgomery was out of the office Thursday afternoon, and could not be reached for comment.

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Taco Bell under construction in south Newport News