Christopher's at Mid-City Mall gone already?

[Robin Garr]

Christopher’s Restaurant in Mid-City Mall, hailed as a new arrival in this June 19 forum discussion, is apparently gone after just a few months.



I had thought proximity to the Baxter Avenue Theaters might help nurture a sit-down bistro with wine, but evidently not. I was over at Valu Market today and thought I’d walk back to see what it looked like, and found it dark, all the furniture gone (except for one chair) and the hand-painted signs on the doors wearing off. It was ugly, prompting me to Instagram my iPhone picture as an ironic gesture. But it really does look pretty much like that. (Also, their Facebook page seems to have disappeared.)

This may make it one of the shortest-lived restaurants in the city’s culinary history. Who can think of a shorter lifespan?

The rumours I heard going around about that place is that the owner was some kind of mobbed up drug kingpin from Miami that had no business trying to open a restaurant.

Dan:

If that is the case I would be a little nervous about posting that tidbit on-line.

For an amusing read on the subject, try Anthony Bourdain's fiction novel "Bone in the Throat"

http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Throat-Antho ... 1582341028

The rumours I heard going around about that place is that the owner was some kind of mobbed up drug kingpin from Miami that had no business trying to open a restaurant.

I thought that was the guy who owned La Bamba's? Cause thats the only way I figure that place stays in business.

Wow! Robin, I think you need to rein this one in. Hey, I know nothing about any of these restaurants mentioned but geez the lawyer in me is cringing reading these posts. Anybody heard of the word 'libel'? We are not posting personal emails or texts here. Where is the oversight?

[Robin Garr]

Wow! Robin, I think you need to rein this one in. Hey, I know nothing about any of these restaurants mentioned but geez the lawyer in me is cringing reading these posts. Anybody heard of the word 'libel'? We are not posting personal emails or texts here. Where is the oversight?

I thought Dan's post was a little edgy, Andrea, but I don't have any problem with the rest of the thread.

Dan, want to ratchet back the specifics in your post, or would you like me to do it?

Wow! Robin, I think you need to rein this one in. Hey, I know nothing about any of these restaurants mentioned but geez the lawyer in me is cringing reading these posts. Anybody heard of the word 'libel'? We are not posting personal emails or texts here. Where is the oversight?

Satire and opinion are both protected speech by the courts.

Edited to add:
See 1990 SCOTUS case Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co.
Or more recent and dealing directly with internet forums in the NY appellate division Sandals Resorts v. Google.

I don't feel I should defend myself here. I heard ths rumor from several vendors.
I've seen people call each other some pretty outlandish stuff on this site that I personally felt had gotten well past the point of civility before anthing was done about it. I didn't mention any names and in fact stated that I heard a rumor. How can this be percived as "edgy" or libelous? This is a forum where many topics have been posted based upon opinions, hearsay and supposition.

These kinds of places really do exist. I actually DID work for a mobbed up Italian place out in Scottsdale next to the airport for a very brief time while I was out there. One day between lunch and dinner, they had me drive a car all the way across town to a sketchy looking warehouse in Glendale, AZ with explicit instructions not to look in the trunk or not to get pulled over, I just never showed back up to work the next day. I did get a nice fist full of cash for driving the car though.

As a reformed mobbed up drug kingpin, I take no offense to Dan's post.

I too have seen more than I should have...

[Robin Garr]

As a reformed mobbed up drug kingpin, I take no offense to Dan's post.

I too have seen more than I should have...

As long as I DON'T edit stuff like that, then court precedent protects me from complicity when the lawyers come calling. I'm not picking up Dan's legal bills, though.

I did get a nice fist full of cash for driving the car though.

"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli".......

The real surprise is that it stayed open as long as it did. I go through the mall about every day and I kept an eye on the place out of morbid curiosity. The place had apparently been open for a week before I realized it. The place continually had an under construction look. It never got around to posting a sign stating what its name was. The only signage was some hand writing on its glass doors and a couple menus taped to the walls next to the doors. I kept thinking about trying the food, but I could never work up the enthusiasm. The menus were so garishly designed that they were almost illegible and none o fthe dishes sounded all that interesting.

As for the closing itself, all I know is that the police were called there last Thursday night and by the next day, the place was cleaned out and the mostly teenaged staff got stiffed out of their wages. Good riddance.

Was horse meat on the menu??

[Robin Garr]

Wait! This is fascinating! Could this be the same guy, or something completely different?

http://christophersrestaurantconsulting.webs.com/

"If your sales are dragging and you are in a decline, my services can be very valuable to your restaurant. Please visit my new website for info."