Wiltshire on Market closing

[Robin Garr]

I don't subscribe to Business First - not worth the toll for me - but I just saw this sad note via their email headlines:

Wiltshire on Market closed this week after 14 years in business.
By Michael L. Jones – Reporter, Louisville Business First
Jul 19, 2023
A Louisville chef has plans for something new at the restaurant space.

https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/ ... osing.html

[Robin Garr]

Here’s Susan’s post on the WiktsFB page:

After 14 wonderful years at Wiltshire On Market, I have decided to pass the torch on to the next generation of restauranteurs. The years have included hundreds of unique, chef-inspired dinner menus and an abundance of remarkably talented chefs, bartenders, and servers.

While never setting out to own a restaurant, Wiltshire On Market became, perhaps, my favorite canvas. A place to welcome friends, family and strangers alike into my home away from home. A place where we could gather for the most intimate or the most profound of occasions. A place where we introduced new members of the community to one another, incubated new projects large and small. A place where we came together to fundraise, to strategize, to socialize and even to grieve and it always felt like home.

It was a distinct honor to share a final meal there this past Sunday with some of our original team members who remain near and dear. To be serenaded by the talented Carly Johnson and Craig Wagner was the perfect ending.

A very special and heartfelt thank you to all of you who supported us throughout the years, many of you, literally, on a weekly basis. Above all, gratitude to all who have been a part of the Wiltshire On Market team over the years.

The tradition of inspired, locally-sourced, handcrafted cuisine will live on beautifully with this next generation. I am proud to pass the baton.

Cheers to One and All
Much Love, Susan

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... tid=qC1gEa

Food & Dining Magazine

https://foodanddine.com/wiltshire-on-ma ... 9-sRCuA5d4

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Yesterday owner Susan Hershberg revealed that Wiltshire On Market in NuLu (founded in 2009) has cooked its last, but an independently owned, chef-driven successor is coming, currently being readied by Noam Bilitzer.

Hershberg owns the more than 3,600 square foot East Market Street building. She said Noam Bilitzer, the former chef at Wiltshire on Market, will lease the space for a new restaurant. The five employees from Wiltshire on Market will continue to work for Bilitzer.

“They’ve been working with Noam, already” Hershberg said. “Basically, I’ve been incubating, cultivating since November. It’s been Noam’s chefs, Noam’s recipes, Noam’s new front of the house management team. All of that, but under Wiltshire’s tutelage, if you will.

In a previous post I mentioned that this will be Meesh Meesh or at least that was the working name of the restaurant on their menus. It's IMO outstanding Middle Eastern food in the style seen in Tel Aviv or in the U.S. at Alon Shaya's restaurants in New Orleans or Denver. I think it has a shot at equaling Michael Solomonov's Zahav in Philadelphia. It's Chef Blitzer's first time owning the restaurant but hopefully his time as Chef De Cuisine at Proof On Main and Executive Chef at Red Hog Butcher have him ready for the challenge. My family has eaten at Meesh Meesh/Wiltshire three times since since Noam took over the kitchen and have never been disappointed. We've loved eating whatever Susan serves from the restaurants, to the bakery, to even catering our daughter's wedding.

as Jon K stated, Meesh Meesh has been operating in the Wiltshire space for some time now. There is a separate thread on it. We've been twice. Excellent both times. Noam Billitzer is the chef. Born in Israel, he is cooking the food of the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel). The bread alone is worth a visit.

Somewhat related, Wiltshire at the Speed ceased operations on January 1. It used to offer a very good, interesting rotating menu. The past few years, it declined pretty severely, and it seemed like they were just phoning it in. I suspected the plan was to continue to operate in a mediocre way until the end of a contract, and the January 1 closure date seems to confirm that. I hope the Speed Museum finds a more inspired tenant for that space.

When I saw this thread, I was going to ask if anyone knows what is going in the Speed to replace Wiltshire. Maybe the Speed doesn't even know yet.

There is nothing worse than a bad museum restaurant. You're kind of a captive audience and they usually charge you crazy prices.

[Robin Garr]

Good question, Mike! I don't know, but I 100% agree that Wiltshire at the Speed was a huge exception to the usual rule of museum eateries.

Was, excepting the past two years or so. The cafe in the middle of the Art Institute of Chicago is pretty good (the cafeteria in the basement is not). I've eaten several times at Cafe NOMA at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and it's consistently above par--as you'd expect from a NOLA restaurant run by a Brennan.

The St. Louis Art Museum restaurant is one of the best I've been to at a museum.

Cincinnati Art Museum is good, though I don't recommend going in there when it's slammed.

Columbus Art Museum served me the worst burger and fries I've ever had in my life. Boston MFA is poor. So is Detroit's Art Museum.

I had a dessert at MoMA in NY which was good, but the person next to me was having a salad and said it was the worst salad they ever had. Not a ringing endorsement when they can't get salads right.

Marisol - the restaurant in the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art - is top notch (and charges accordingly). It's a separate entity (located in the museum) and is open longer hours than the museum (via a separate outside entrance).

House of Marigold is taking over the restaurant space inside the Speed:

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/e ... 410989007/

[Robin Garr]

Interesting. House of Marigold is pretty darn good. Unless scaling up becomes a problem, they could make this work.

I understand HOM has been doing their catered events already.

Can confirm. HOM was the caterer at tonight's After Hours event. I had not expected there to be food available due to the restaurant being temporarily closed, so (unfortunately) both my friend and I ate before going there. They had several Indian dishes on offer to go along with tonight's premiere of the exhibition of South Asian paintings on loan from the San Diego Museum of Art. From the sight and aroma, I would say they knocked it out of the park. My friend and I split a chai snickerdoodle bar, and it was phenomenal. I had planned on asking whether they could box up one of the entrees as a "to go" order on the way out, so I'd have it for lunch tomorrow, but they had already closed.