2009.05.29
Triple whammy - 3 eateries close
It must be a bad week for Roanoke restaurateurs.
If you read the Business section today, you probably saw Jenny Kincaid Boone's story about the closure of the Roanoke Weiner Stand on Brandon Avenue. Nobody connected with the restaurant would comment on the closure, but Jenny found a lien against the establishment for unpaid taxes, suggesting that they may have been having financial problems. The downtown Roanoke location remains open.
But that's not all: Just before we were about to run a fairly nice review of Izumi, the Japanese steakhouse out near Bonsack, I hear it is closed. Dark inside, locked up tight. I don't know at this time why they shut down.
Finally, say goodbye to the barbecue place in the City Market building. They've got a sign hanging up that says June 5 (Next Friday) is their last day. That place used to be owned by the couple who own Burger in the Square. They sold it to new owners, who have since put it up for sale again. I guess this means there were no takers. Hmmm... with the threat of a building-wide shut down in the future, I'm not sure I can blame folks for keeping an eye out for their financial health.
Anyone got any thoughts on these closures?
Update: The New River Notebook blog has details about the Gobbler restaurant being up for sale.
Also today, I walked past Thai Orchid on 1st Street in downtown Roanoke. There's a closed sign on the door even though they are supposed to be open on Fridays and the special board was still set up on the sidewalk. Maybe they are on vacation?
Word has it, too, that the Midtown Picnic Club (formerly Orange Dog, Star City Coffee and a number of other things across the street from Zak's Cafe on Campbell) is closed. I looked in on it one day this week and it was indeed shut up tight during normal business hours.
Perhaps we should stop writing restaurant reviews at The Roanoke Times and start writing restaurant obituaries!?
I hope this isn't a permanent closure but Abbott's in Grarden City is closed right now due t fire. I hope they reopen soon. I need my fatboy fix and they are one of the few places that can cook fries properly. Crisp and not over cooked.
Comment by Mike D — May 29, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
I don't know if the guy from Thai Orchid is on vacation, but about 20 minutes ago I saw the owner in the lobby of the building next to his restaurant.
Comment by scott — May 29, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
It's a shame about Nick's Barbecue in the Market Building. Good food at a
fair price. I wonder what will be left by the time they renovate the building.
Comment by Howard — May 29, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
I wondered about The Midtown Picnic Club, I noticed a week or two ago that it looked like it was closed. I ate there once, when they first opened and wasn't that impressed with what I had. The fried chicken was moist and tasted pretty good, but the sides I had were eh, okay but nothing special.
I hope the Market Bldg doesn't keep on losing tenants. Like you said though, with the threat of a shutdown people have to look out for themselves.
Comment by Debbie — May 29, 2009 @ 4:17 pm
I was driving by Rockfish Grille last night and it was dark. Has it closed?
Comment by Rebecca — June 10, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
Nevermind, I got on their website and saw where they were only open Sun through Wed.
Comment by Rebecca — June 10, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
Oh, good. That would have surprised me.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — June 10, 2009 @ 7:48 pm
I needed somewhere to post this. Fast Fredies is officially gone. When I passed today there was "Lease" followed by a phone number on the sign. This might be old news to some since I don't pass by that often. But I think it has been only a few weeks. Wonder why they didn't just come out and say so when they closed?
Comment by Mike D — June 15, 2009 @ 5:23 pm