How many have closed?

Up here in Maine the lobstermen have been hurting bad, what with the rise in fuel costs and a softened demand for their produce. As a result, our governor has started a "buy local lobster" campaign. I saw a sign at a local pound advertising live lobsters for $2.99 a pound (the average lobster you get in a restaurant is 1.5-2 pounds), so the bugs are a good deal right now.

Steve - never noticed you lived in Maine. A college friend's family has a house in the Rockland/Owl's Head area, and I spent a week up there in mid-August for my fourth trip (we go every few years). Wonderful area, and some fantastic dining. Ever make it to Primo in Rockland? If not, definitely worth the drive. We found In Good Company to be very good, and loved Francine Bistro in Camden.

I am a huge huge fan of Maine - especially in the late summer when the weather is MUCH more pleasant than Louisville!

i'm curious to see how many new restaurants have opened in comparison to the recent closings

A very interesting perspective. Nice. Wish I could say I knew of any openings.

Very sad to read about all these closings. I didn't even know about Rock Wall until just now.

A lot of my best "food" memories are from local restaurants that have since closed their doors. Bahama Breeze (it's a chain, but it was where my wife & I had our first date), Ferd's (our rehearsal dinner, an anniversary, one birthday), and Rock Wall (one Valentine's Day, one anniversary) are all gone, along with Harper's (was that a chain or not? Lot of good dinners there when we lived in the area).

Ah well, I guess this just means we'll have to find new local favorites when we go out to eat. Maybe one of you folks can suggest a nice local Italian so my wife doesn't keep dragging us to Macaroni Grille.

Give Amerigo (Harpers former location) a try. While it is sort of a chain (6 regional locations), the food and service has been outstanding everytime I've visited. Plus it it really close to Macaroni Grill. I love the House Smoked Duck pasta dish.

Very sad to read about all these closings. I didn't even know about Rock Wall until just now.

A lot of my best "food" memories are from local restaurants that have since closed their doors. Bahama Breeze (it's a chain, but it was where my wife & I had our first date), Ferd's (our rehearsal dinner, an anniversary, one birthday), and Rock Wall (one Valentine's Day, one anniversary) are all gone, along with Harper's (was that a chain or not? Lot of good dinners there when we lived in the area).

Ah well, I guess this just means we'll have to find new local favorites when we go out to eat. Maybe one of you folks can suggest a nice local Italian so my wife doesn't keep dragging us to Macaroni Grille.

You need to try Selena's at Willow Lake it actually advertises itself as Sicilian/Creole cuisine not true Italian but their menu is very interesting and the food is wonderful. It's also that a very comfortable casual atmosphere and it has certainly become one of our new favorites.
Here's their website: Selena's

[Robin Garr]

i'm curious to see how many new restaurants have opened in comparison to the recent closings

It's not as bad as you might think. At this point, the coming issue of Food & Dining will list maybe 20 openings and 25 closings (not counting cases in which one of a chain closes while the other properties stay open).

Openings in the past quarter, as of the current draft list:
NEW RESTAURANTS
732 Social 896-1016 732 E. Market St.,
Butcher's Best Meats & Deli 365-4650 9521 C US HWY 42
Calistoga Bakery Café 895-3779 4000 Dutchmans Ln.,
Calistoga Bakery Café 561-9092 401 E. Chestnut St.,
Cupcake Shoppe, The 899-2970 3701 Lexington Rd.,
Furlong's 327-9299 9601 Shelbyville Rd.,
Jarfi's at Glenmary 239-3500 10200 Glenamry Farm Dr.,
Lil' Loafers Bakery 969-3990 8522 Preston Hwy.,
Lylia's Encore 245-7734 501 W. Main St.,
Marcello's 456-5533 2280 Bardstown Rd.,
Nancy's Bagel Box 589-4004 651 S. Fourth St.,
Oriental Express 244-9838 12567 Shelbyville Rd.,
Ri Ra Irish Pub 587-1825 427 S. Fourth St.,
Selena's At Willow Lake Tavern 445-5002 10609 LaGrange Rd.,
Wet Willy's Part of the new Stand Up Live at Fourth St Live 581-1332 441 S. Fourth St.,
Zaytun Mediterranean Grill Mediterranean Grill & Hookah bar 365-1788 2286 Bardstown Rd.,
Z's Fusion 855-8000 115 S. Fourth St.,

The Original Impellizzeri's
4933 Old Brownsboro Rd
425-9080

[Robin Garr]

The Original Impellizzeri's
4933 Old Brownsboro Rd
425-9080

I *think* we got you in the previous quarter, Wes, but be assured that I'll double-check!

When did 732 Social Open? I totally missed that opening....

Deb

When did 732 Social Open? I totally missed that opening....

Deb

I'm guessing it's scheduled to open before the next issue comes out.

[Robin Garr]

Sorry for the imprecision, Deb and Ethan. Food & DIning is a quarterly, and the "openings and closings" feature in each edition includes not only restaurants that have opened during the past quarter but also those that are firmly on track for opening within the coming three months. 732 falls into that category, as does Z's Fusion, I think. (It's not open yet either, is it?)

When did 732 Social Open? I totally missed that opening....

Deb

I'm guessing it's scheduled to open before the next issue comes out.

Marcello's is also scheduled to open this quarter? I was by there a few days ago and didn't look like any activity.

[Robin Garr]

Marcello's is also scheduled to open this quarter? I was by there a few days ago and didn't look like any activity.

We're talking about the next three months. If they don't open by then, we'll print an update next time. Dealing with "news" in a quarterly requires some compromises.

Wes, if you're looking on, Impellizzeri's Holiday Manor did indeed make it into the "comings & goings" column in the Summer 2008 issue, which is currently on news stands.

thanks for the info Robin

Lonnie

As a regular resident "on the edge of the earth" I take umbrage at your remark about the Napa River moving equating to a closing. I am a salesman and have to travel to make my living. i regularly visit Floyds knobs as well as Fairdale, quality indie restraunts deserve support no matter their location. Maybe not as often as before but still patronized. One of my favorites was Alioto's ( that is how old I am) in PRP and i still find time to visit Mike Linnigs for the nostalgia as well. Westport Road is the direction the county is taking here as FK is on your side.

Oh how I will miss Ferd's....You could smell the garlic wafting out of that place for miles!

I understand one of their chefs works out at Son of a Sailor on HWY 146. He's doing some pastas in the evenings.