Aug. 20, 2014, midnight

Art Gallery development on track

Work continues on the redevelopment of the Albury Art Gallery.

Archaeologist Sarah Myers, of Archlink Archaeologists and Heritage Advisors, and construction manager Steve Escott stand near the opening of a brick-lined tank on the site of the Albury Art Gallery redevelopment. The tank was built in 1868, when the site was a telegraph office. It is about 3.7 metres deep and about 3.6 metres in diameter. Sarah detected the tank, one of two associated with a nearby well, on the original plans of the site, and they were found during excavations. Pictures: MATTHEW SMITHWICK

ALBURY Council is locked in high-level negotiations with a preferred operator for the restaurant to be located at the rear of the $10.5million redeveloped art gallery.

The restaurant and cafe will front QEII Square and was the subject of an expressions of interest process launched earlier this year.

The councils community and recreation director James Jenkins said the talks were well advanced.

Hopefully towards the end of the year we will be able to announce who the successful lessee is, he said.

The council held a public information session yesterday to update progress on the art gallery, which is on target to be completed by June next year.

The restaurant and cafe will provide indoor and outdoor seating for more than 100 people.

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Restaurant operator closer

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) -

A construction trailer became unhitched and crashed into the side of a La Crosse restaurant Monday morning.

North Country Steak Buffett co-owner Tom OBrien told News 8 he and one of this managers was sitting in the restaurant at about 11:20 a.m. when all of a sudden there was a big crash.

It was like the wall exploded, OBrien said.

They were sitting about 20 feet away from the window on the buildings south side. No one was sitting at the window booth when the crash happened.

It was a blessing that nobody got hurt, OBrien said.

The cost of the damage is not known at this time.

The crash caused the North Country Steak Buffet to close on Monday. The restaurant is expected to reopen on Tuesday.

La Crosse police cited an individual for towing with improper safety chains. The citation was $114.

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Unhitched construction trailer crashed into La Crosse restaurant

by TANYA EISERER

WFAA

Posted on August 18, 2014 at 5:20 PM

Updated today at 7:55 PM

DALLAS Monday marked the ending of an era as Herreras Cafe, a Maple Avenue mainstay, shuts its doors.

The owners of Herreras, which has operated a restaurant on Maple since 1971, said they were pushed out by high real estate prices in the area.

It's a landmark, I know," said Nora Ontiveros, a member of the small family-owned chain. "But we can't make it, so we're just going to move on. Were just a mom-and-pop restaurant."

She said they couldnt come to an agreement on a lease at their present location. The family had originally hoped to move into a new restaurant building thats under construction across the street, but they couldnt come to an agreement for that location, either.

Her husband is the son of the founders, the late Maria and Lucio Ontiveros. They opened the popular Tex-Mex restaurant in 1971. Back then, the restaurant only had nine tables, and customers lined up with coolers of beer as they waited to get inside.

The original Maple Avenue location was featured in a 1984 edition of National Geographic. A huge painting of that iconic National Geographic photo adorns the restaurant entrance.

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Tex-Mex mecca Herrera's serves final food at landmark location

Updated: Friday, August 15 2014, 11:57 PM CDT Reported by: Ewa Roman

This Sunday is the start of restaurant week near the Palmyra area and some business owners hope it boosts business after a road closure threatens to shut down one restaurant.

The signs read "road closed," but there are many detour signs as well, that are easy to follow and will help get you around the Lebanon County area.

About a half-mile section of U.S. Route 422 just east of Palmyra in North Londonderry Township has been closed for about two weeks. The closure is right in front of the Hometown Family Restaurant. Co-owner Doug Horst says because of it, they've been forced to lay off almost half their staff and business is down up to 40-percent some days.

"You know HersheyPark is 10 minutes from here. I get a lot of tourists from there for the summer. But when you go on vacation, would you go through detours and places you don't know to go to a restaurant that you don't know?" Said Doug Horst, Co-owner, Hometown Family Restaurant.

The nearby Palmyra Bowling doesn't seem to be striking out.

"So far we really haven't noticed much impact on the business, we're still getting used to the detours and traffic patterns," said Chris Uecker General manager at Palmyra Bowling.

So are Linda and her family.

"I think where the stop sign is, behind the bowling ally, if they would put up maybe a four-way stop sign at the intersection, I really think it would help," said Linda Beniston, Lebanon County resident.

Work on the section of U.S. Route 422 is scheduled to be completed this fall.Construction threatens life of local business

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Construction threatens life of local business

A lot can happen in the first three years of a restaurant's life. Things can go haywire. Investors panic, managers quit and staff moves on.

But sometimes, not often enough, wisdom prevails. The restaurant considers what works, what doesn't. It reacts, but doesn't overreact, to diners' responses, and it changes things, thoughtfully, gradually, confidently.

If you believe in the capacity for change, head down to Wit & Wisdom, the principal restaurant at the Four Seasons Baltimore Hotel. The restaurant its formal name is Wit & Wisdom, a Modern American Tavern by Michael Mina has settled into an impressive groove, and the kitchen is flourishing. In July, Zack Mills completed his first year as the restaurant's executive chef. He's cooking up a storm, while a new pastry chef, Dyan Ng, is turning out some mind-boggling, delightful desserts.

Wit & Wisdom opened in November 2011 on a tide of publicity, much of it about the acclaimed San Francisco-based chef Michael Mina, whose Mina Group had developed high-profile restaurants in competitive locales such as Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Miami.

Wit & Wisdom was the Mina Group's first stab at a tavern concept, and it showed. The restaurant felt contrived, and there was a disconnect between the casual atmosphere and the fine-dining prices. If you don't feel that disconnect anymore, it's not because the atmosphere has changed but because the quality of the food and service has made it a nonissue.

Besides the new personnel, there have been other changes. The restaurant's splendid waterside patio was not ready when Wit & Wisdom opened, and the views from the dining room were marred by ongoing construction.

The massive rotisserie, which occupied a place of prominence in the restaurant's open kitchen, has been removed. Not that it didn't produce lovely food, but it felt aggressive, demanding to be noticed and admired. I don't miss it.

Fundamentally, the menu remains what it was when Wit & Wisdom opened. There are opening sections of seasonal shellfish, appetizers and salads, and main sections devoted to wood-grilled meats and wood-fired seafood. The menu's centerpiece is a selection of what Wit & Wisdom calls "regional tavern classics," and it's here that you'll find Mills' tour de force, the Maryland Blue Crab Tasting.

This $45 extravaganza presents a minimally seasoned crab cake made with pretty lump and sweet claw meat on a bed of succotash and corn pudding; a crispy deep-fried soft-shell crab with avocado puree and marinated cherry tomatoes; and, the unexpected highlight, a spicy tomato crab stew that Mills adapted from his mother's recipe. Zesty and rich, balanced beautifully, with sweet crab notes and smoky tomato ones, this is the best crab soup in Baltimore right now

For sheer drama, there's the Hudson Valley foie gras torchon, a sculptural composition incorporating a perfectly formed disc of super-rich foie gras, intensely flavored vacuum-compressed strawberries, a pretty creme de cassis gelee and translucent shards of peanut butter crisp. There's a lot going on here crispy textures and gelatinous ones; salty flavors and rich, fruity flavors and the sum of these parts is pure pleasure.

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Wit & Wisdom, wobbly on arrival, is now walking tall

EXCLUSIVE Single mother of 5 uses texts to convince thief to return stolen van Single mother of 5 uses texts to convince thief to return stolen van

Updated: Wednesday, August 13 2014 9:37 PM EDT2014-08-14 01:37:50 GMT

A woman used text messages to convince a thief to give her back her stolen van.

A woman used text messages to convince a thief to give her back her stolen van.

Updated: Wednesday, August 13 2014 10:26 PM EDT2014-08-14 02:26:55 GMT

On Aug. 4, the first day Toledo's water was declared safe again, a major act of kindness was seen in a Maumee Kroger store.

On Aug. 4, the first day Toledo's water was declared safe again, a major act of kindness was seen in a Maumee Kroger store.

Updated: Wednesday, August 6 2014 3:15 PM EDT2014-08-06 19:15:09 GMT

Mother Emily Staley and father Richard Staley can be seen kissing and holding their daughter, Monroe, in the black and white images.

Mother Emily Staley and father Richard Staley can be seen kissing and holding their daughter, Monroe, in the black and white images.

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White Castle to begin construction next week in Cape Girardeau

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, OH (Toledo News Now) -

The owner of Hot Head Burritos in Springfield Township says he is worried he will lose customers because of the McCord underpass construction project.

"There's kids that work here, that they'll lose hours. There are people that we supply and do business with, there is a ripple effect of that economics that it's untold what will happen. We don't know yet," said owner Chuck Salmon.

His regulars that work nearby are also concerned.

"We have a lot of employees that are coming across the tracks for lunch and a lot of the restaurants that are here across the street, so it is going to be difficult when the project does get started," said Bob Krist, who works nearby.

"There will be an impact on McCord Road," said Theresa Pollick with the Ohio Department of Transportation. "Obviously when we are constructing an underpass, that is going to involve the closure of this road."

That's why a public meeting was held to answer questions and tell people when closures are expected to happen.

"We are looking at just lane restrictions on McCord Road while we are doing construction for this year, but next year we'll get into the timing of the closures, which it looks like it is going to be some time for McCord Road early next year in the spring," said Pollick.

To sign up for the Ohio Department of Transportation's email list click here. You can also get updates from OHGo.com.

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Restaurant owner worried about McCord underpass project affecting business

The owners of the next restaurant to open in Allentown want patrons to get the idea that walking through the doors will give you license to be just a little naughty.

Paying homage to Prohibition-era restaurants, Don and Diane Saylor, the longtime proprietors of The Shanty restaurant in Allentown's West End, have decided to call their new restaurant Roar Social House.

Set to open in early September, the upscale restaurant featuring American cuisine at 732 Hamilton St. will also have a speak-easy called Hush with a separate rear entrance.

"We love Allentown and are so excited to launch Roar and Hush amidst the new roar of PPL Center, the city's construction and the re-energized downtown," Don Saylor said. "We have had so much interest and support in this new venture from former customers and soon-to-be customers alike. We are proud to bring new vitality to this historic building."

Saylor named Chris Noonan as executive chef for Roar and Hush. Noonan was executive chef for the Big Burrito Restaurant Group in Pittsburgh, and was chosen to open and develop the restaurant and banquet programs at the Andy Warhol Museum and Pittsburgh's historic Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden.

"Being born in Arkansas and raised in Texas, Connecticut, Indiana and Pennsylvania gave me a love of American and regional ethnic food," Noonan said. "My philosophy for craft cooking is to bring delicious, simple and classic flavors to life and let the food speak for itself."

The three-story Civil War-era building is being restored by City Center Investment Corp, which is building several downtown office buildings, a hotel, an apartment complex, retail shops and several restaurants costing a total of more than $400 million.

Across the street from the $177 million PPL Center hockey arena due to open Sept. 12 in the city's 127-acre tax incentive district, the restaurant will be in the building that was last occupied by the House of Chen restaurant.

It will feature three-story ceilings, loft dining, brick walls and wood beams highlighted by two light features surrounding the mezzanine. Roar will seat about 100 people for lunch and dinner in a setting that pays homage to the 1920s-era style restaurants during the Prohibition era.

Hush will seat up to 30 people, with an additional entrance on Maple Street. An open kitchen will separate Roar and Hush, Saylor said.

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Former Shanty owners plan Prohibition-influenced eatery in downtown Allentown

Deborah Nickelson, of Antioch, is the new owner of Scends Deux restaurant in Antioch, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2014. Nickelson is taking over the Bases Loaded restaurant at the corner of G street and West 4th street. The original Scends restaurant is located in Emeryville and has been in business for more than 18 years. Nickelson will have a grand opening on Aug. 30th. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

ANTIOCH -- A new restaurant is on deck to open at the former Bases Loaded location in downtown Antioch, with a new operator who believes her family's time-tested menu and experience in the industry will be the recipe for success that has so far eluded this spot.

Debora Nickelson's Cajun-soul food eatery, Scends Deux, is slated for a soft opening on Saturday and a grand opening on Aug. 30.

No stranger to the Bay Area food scene, Nickelson is naming her new venture after her family's successful Emeryville restaurant, Scends, which her grandmother opened in 1957.

"I'm bringing the kitchen with me," she said recently, describing the chicken wings, fried catfish and red beans and rice that have kept diners satisfied for decades.

The Bases Loaded restaurant is under new ownership and will now be called Scends Deux in Antioch, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 4, 2014. Deborah Nickelson, of Antioch, is taking over the Bases Loaded restaurant at the corner of G street and West 4th street. The original Scends restaurant is located in Emeryville and has been in business for more than 18 years. Nickelson will have a grand opening on Aug. 30th. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

The menu is a change from the pub fare and smoked meats that previous operators had served at Bases Loaded, and it's a type of food Nickelson said she has had a tough time finding since moving to Antioch earlier this year.

And apparently she's not the only one: Nickelson said Scends has many loyal patrons who make the trek to Emeryville from Antioch, Pittsburg and Brentwood to dine there, and she is confident that Scends Deux already has a local customer base.

"The reception we've been getting -- this place is going to be busy, busy, busy," she said recently, seated at one of the plush booths that remains in the nearly turnkey building.

Nickelson had already been scouting for a restaurant space in East County when the most recent Bases Loaded operators, John and Penny Hicks, closed their doors in May. It was then that Antioch officials connected her with the property's owner and first occupant, Terry Karp, who was eager to lease to a new tenant.

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New Antioch restaurant tries to find winning recipe

Local regulators have cleared the way for construction of another nationally known franchise restaurant between the two shopping malls along Oakland Avenue.

A final site plan for Chipotle Mexican Grill gained approval Tuesday from the White Township planning commission.

The restaurant will be one of a national chain with dozens of locations in Pennsylvania, where food orders are prepared in assembly-line fashion as diners give their custom orders for burritos, tacos and salads.

The restaurant will be built by Oak Ave Ind LLC, a development group set up by Joe Smiley and several partners.

Smiley, of the Columbus, Ohio, area, said he has built three other restaurants for Chipotle in Ohio and Kentucky, and decided Indiana is suitable for introduction of a Chipotle Mexican Grill after spending time in the community while visiting his daughter, a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Under ideal circumstances, Smiley said, the tentative plan calls for starting construction in September and finishing the building in 90 to 120 days. But the schedule can easily change with the weather, further permitting issues and the Chipotle corporations detailed plans for interior design.

The Chipotle restaurant has been granted exceptions from White Township land regulations to make it a practical project, township officials said.

The planning panel will allow the face of the new building to extend 11 feet closer to Oakland Avenue than rules allow, but keeping it in line with the fronts of other neighboring businesses that were granted the same exceptions.

The plan shows a similar extension beyond the setback requirement at the back of the building along Willis Drive and on the side along Laurel Street.

Assistant Township Manager Chris Anderson said the design provides 26 parking spaces, which is five fewer than required because of the odd shape and size of the lot.

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WHITE TOWNSHIP: Chipotle gets OK for local restaurant