Published: Monday, December 29, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, December 27, 2014 at 4:50 p.m.

Businesses opened and closed there this year, but local retail and restaurant boosters say they have high hopes for 2015, especially with new tenants due to open in the area in the coming months.

Paddywagon Irish Pub is the latest in a slew of restaurants and retailers committed to joining the Main Street lineup. The Irish pub, which has eight other Southwest Florida locations, announced its expansion to downtown Sarasota last week.

The pub joins Taco Bus, a popular Tampa Bay-based chain, and the locally known bar Evie's, which is opening a bowling alley downtown, that are under construction in a Main Street building owned by local entrepreneur Jesse Biter.

Younger residents have been waiting for the transformation of downtown Sarasota for a long time, said Biter, who owns several commercial buildings in the area.

"There's a lot of people investing a lot of money into Main Street right now," Biter said. "Which is great because there's a need for more entertainment in downtown."

Downtown development

New condominiums and hotels under construction are expected to bring more life to the city, said Norm Gollub, the downtown economic development coordinator for Sarasota.

"I think we're seeing a response to the market and a recovering economy," Gollub said.

"Since the recession, we've had a number of bars close, but with the addition of new residents and hotels coming to downtown, we think more retail and restaurant offerings will come."

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Restaurants and shops following condos to downtown Sarasota

That Crepe Place a small, independently owned restaurant that opened more than three years ago at The Greene shut its doors for good Sunday night because its owner is moving to Japan for a job assignment.

We closed as of yesterday, Rodney Long, formerly of Mason, said this afternoon. My day job has moving me to Japan.

The closure affects six employees, Long said. The restaurant at 4474 Glengarry Drive opened in June 2011, and Long said it was doing well. But he chose not to try to keep it open from halfway around the world.

Long said he found out his new overseas assignment the day after Thanksgiving. I leave in two months, he said.

The restaurant served a variety of crepes, both savory and sweet, similar to what you would get in Paris, Long said in 2011. It seated about a dozen people inside.

Steve Willshaw, general manager at The Greene, said this afternoon that another tenant is lined up (and) will begin construction soon to fill the restaurants space.

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Restaurant shuts down at The Greene

It was a year of change in the Quad-Cities with downtown redevelopments, a facelift for one of our major malls, and construction in many corners of the region.

Alcoa Davenport Works kicked off the year with the completion of a major expansion. New retailers were added to the landscape from Elmore Marketplace in Davenport to Sam's Club in Moline. Housing took center stage with new projects in downtown Davenport and across the river in Rock Island and on Moline's riverfront.

Economic development groups marked milestones withRenew Moline and Rejuvenate Davenport bothcelebrating 25 years.

Not all the news was positive as Deere & Co. laid off more than 1,000workers across several of its Midwest plants, including the Quad-Cities. And long-time restaurant favorites such as the Belgian Village Inn in Moline and the Ice Cream Palace in Silvis closed their doors.

Here's a look at some of the year'stop stories.

Alcoa expansion

Alcoa Davenport Works began the year with the completion of a $300 million expansion, and before year's end had announced another $190 million investment in the Riverdale plant.

In February, the aluminum maker celebrated an expansion designed to meet the automobile industry's increasing appetite for aluminum. The project created 150 full-time jobs, 200 temporary construction jobs and helped retain 200 full-time jobs.

Then in November, Alcoa revealed plans to invest in new product offerings for the aerospace and industrial markets. The plant will install manufacturing technology to enhance the performance of thick aluminum and aluminum-lithium plate in various applications, including wing ribs and fuselage frames.

Construction will begin in 2015 with the first customer production expected to begin in 2017.

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A look back at 2014 in business

A slice of Anthonys famous pizza. (Photo: News-Press)

In a controversial move to push it out of its long-time W. Broad Street location in the City of Falls Church in the summer of 2013, the legendary Anthonys Restaurant had to wait a year until last summer to have its new location at Route 50 and Annandale Road ready. But the agony over the lost old space and the year-long hiatus in the business is now long and forgotten, as the new location at 3000 Annandale Road is thriving in a big way. To many in the City of Falls Church, including the over 500 who signed petitions to keep the restaurant open where construction of a major new mixed use project (that will be anchored by a large Harris Teeter supermarket) is now well underway, the loss of Anthonys which grew into its old location over more than 40 years of service, was painful and hard to take.

But rather than just sink into history, the tenacity of the family of Greek immigrants has surprised everybody. Led by patriarch and matriarch Anthony and Faye Yiannarakis, the family business is now also being augmented by the work of their grown children and the spouse of daughter Penny, Peter Zoutis, who also hails from Greece.

Thriving in their new location, a spacious 4,400 square feet not far from the major Route 50 at Annandale Road intersection, the modestly-priced family-style restaurant seems like a better fit in its new location, serving a large community on the south side of Rt. 50, than it was on W. Broad, where it was fast becoming a bit of an aging anomaly in an area of high commercial and mixed use growth.

Anybody who has lived in Falls Church for any period of time is undoubtedly familiar with the core Anthonys menu, with abundant portions of spaghetti dishes, submarine sandwiches and outstanding pizza.

But the menu developed to attend the reopening at the new location is also larger and more comprehensive, beginning with 10 appetizer choices including calamari, stuffed grape leaves, spinach and feta cheese turnovers, tzatziki and pita, a combo tzatziki, hummus and eggplant dip with pita bread.

In addition to a soup of the day, a staple at the old location often being either navy bean or split pea, the menu now includes french onion and avgolemono as regular items, the latter being traditional Greek-style chicken, lemon and rice soup.

The array of salad options has grown to nine and there are an abundance of sandwiches, ranging from classic BLT, turkey, bacon, avocado and aged provolone, to crab cake, pastrami, corned beef and turkey reuben, three club sandwich choices (turkey, ham and cheese, roast beef and cheese and tuna and egg), the burger, cheeseburger and Greek burger (beef and pork infused with fresh herbs), pita bread sandwiches and 14 varieties of subs. Signature dinners include 10 Greek choices, six seafood options, six steak, pork and chicken choices and 13 pasta options, with arrays of toppings options (whole wheat pasta being available upon request for an additional $1.50).

Then there is their classic New York style pizza in three sizes (nine, 12 and 16 inches) with 22 topping options, including four premium toppings, and white pizza that features extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil.

There is a kids menu, and 18 dessert choices, including six homemade desserts (baklava, rice pudding, flan, bugatsa, tiramisu and Greek yogurt topped with candied fruit).

Originally posted here:
Restaurant Spotlight: Anthonys Restaurant

Friday will mark the last day for Sandys Pantry in the Koester Block.

Sandy Behrens will begin packing up her restaurants dishes, pans and utensils from the 33 years she has run the restaurant there since 1981. She is moving into the Astro 3 Theatre, where she plans to reopen her small diner.

The daytime restaurant is scheduled to open Feb. 2 in the theaters lobby. A 12x15-foot kitchen, located next to the concession stand, is under construction. Seating for the restaurant will be booths moved from her former location.

Additional tables and chairs will be set up during restaurant hours.

Alex Shultz, Astro co-owner, offered the opportunity for Sandy to move to the Astro this past year.

With rising operating costs, Behrens, who announced last year that she planned to close, decided the new location would be a good move.

She plans to serve the same menu as she offers now and may add a few new things. Hours of operation will be determined closer to the opening in February.

Shultz eats at Sandys Pantry every day, and said her cheeseburgers are his favorite food.

I am looking forward to the move, she said. It will be a challenge. I will miss the people who come in here, but hopefully they will all come to eat at Sandys Pantry at the Astro.

Behrens said shes met a lot of nice people at the restaurant through the years.

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Friday last day for Sandy's Pantry on Koester Block

GROTON -- Ten years after his restaurant was torn down to accommodate improvements at the intersection of Route 119 and Sandy Pond Road, property owner Joseph Wong appeared before the Planning Board with plans to get back into food service.

Wong, along with representative John Amaral and engineer Jesse Johnson, met with the Planning Board Thursday to unveil early plans for the development of Crossroads Plaza, the 788 Boston Road lot the restaurateur owns and which had been the site of the former Groton Jade Chinese restaurant.

According to Johnson, the site plan presented at the pre-submission review included a pair of buildings, the larger of which would house a new 106-seat Chinese restaurant planned by Wong.

Wong received approval from the board earlier this year for a pair of special permits originally awarded to him in 2006 and covering a more ambitious plan for the environmentally sensitive site.

At the time, board members were told there were no immediate plans to develop the 4.5-acre corner site but that Wong wanted to keep his options open in case the economy improved.

Wong first contemplated developing the site several years ago, when it became clear the state's plans to redesign the Four Corners intersection would require the demolition of his Groton Jade Chinese Restaurant.

There was talk Wong would rebuild elsewhere on the site but as time went on, plans emerged for a full-scale redevelopment of the lot that included the construction of up to five buildings.

But those early plans met resistance from town officials, including the Planning Board, which was unhappy with the number and size of the proposed buildings.

In 2006, Wong changed his design team. He brought in engineering firm GPR Inc., which proceeded to make drastic alterations to the Crossroads concept including cutting the number of proposed buildings from five to four and reducing the size of the retail space from 43,000 to 19,000 square feet.

On Thursday, Johnson told members the new plan now included only two buildings, the first of which would comprise 4,500 square feet and house a new restaurant.

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Former restaurateur returns with new plan from Groton's Four Corners

GROTON -- Ten years after his restaurant was torn down to accommodate improvements at the intersection of Route 119 and Sandy Pond Road, property owner Joseph Wong appeared before the Planning Board with plans to get back into food service.

Wong, along with representative John Amaral and engineer Jesse Johnson, met with the Planning Board Thursday to unveil early plans for the development of Crossroads Plaza, the 788 Boston Road lot the restaurateur owns and which had been the site of the former Groton Jade Chinese restaurant.

According to Johnson, the site plan presented at the pre-submission review included a pair of buildings, the larger of which would house a new 106-seat Chinese restaurant planned by Wong.

Wong received approval from the board earlier this year for a pair of special permits originally awarded to him in 2006 and covering a more ambitious plan for the environmentally sensitive site.

At the time, board members were told there were no immediate plans to develop the 4.5-acre corner site but that Wong wanted to keep his options open in case the economy improved.

Wong first contemplated developing the site several years ago, when it became clear the state's plans to redesign the Four Corners intersection would require the demolition of his Groton Jade Chinese Restaurant.

There was talk Wong would rebuild elsewhere on the site but as time went on, plans emerged for a full-scale redevelopment of the lot that included the construction of up to five buildings.

But those early plans met resistance from town officials, including the Planning Board, which was unhappy with the number and size of the proposed buildings.

In 2006, Wong changed his design team. He brought in engineering firm GPR Inc., which proceeded to make drastic alterations to the Crossroads concept including cutting the number of proposed buildings from five to four and reducing the size of the retail space from 43,000 to 19,000 square feet.

On Thursday, Johnson told members the new plan now included only two buildings, the first of which would comprise 4,500 square feet and house a new restaurant.

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Restaurateur seeks return to Groton site

THE site of a former Hereford restaurant on the banks of the River Wye is finally set to be developed.

Riverside Construction (Hereford) Ltd will start work in the New Year on 18 new luxury apartments within a secure gated complex off Greyfriars Avenue.

The former Campions restaurant stood empty after it closed in the 1990s and was finally demolished in February 2013.

The site has been the subject of a number of planning applications over the years but plans submitted by Paul Tobin, of Riverside Construction, were approved a year ago.

Mr Tobin said that work will begin in the New Year and is expected to take around 15 to 18 months.

The complex will feature a living green wall which is designed to look aesthetically pleasing, while reducing energy use, providing insulation and minimising carbon dioxide emissions.

Hunters Estate Agents are handling sales and are accepting offers between 279,500 and 295,000.

And the agents say they have already received substantial interest, with nine of the apartments already sold.

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Flats to be built on site of former Hereford restaurant on banks of River Wye

Red O, a Rick Bayless-inspired restaurant that has a location in Newport Beach's Fashion Island center, will replace Donovan's in UTC area.

Red O, an upscale restaurant brand that showcases celebrity chef Rick Bayless authentic Mexican cuisine, is coming to San Diego where it will take the place of Donovans Prime Steakhouse.

The Irvine Co., landlord for the 825,000-square-foot Plaza office complex in the UTC area where the restaurant will be located, announced Monday its plans for the space that Donovans will vacate Jan. 3 before relocating to its new home on Prospect Street in La Jolla.

Red O and the Irvine Co., which will raze the standalone Donovans restaurant structure, expect to invest $7 million in creating the new 8,300-square-foot restaurant that will also include a 2,000-square-foot patio. The Irvine Co. will start construction in early 2015, with an opening expected in mid-2016 across from Westfield UTC.

The move marks the first San Diego location for Red O, which already operates in Los Angeles and Fashion Island in Newport Beach and will be opening in Santa Monica as well. Bayless cuisine, which is inspired by the food typically found in various regions of Mexico, most notably the Yucatan, Oaxaca and Baja California, is the centerpiece of Red Os menu.

Bayless, while not technically a co-owner or partner in the Red O restaurants, has complete control over the menu, and his team trains all the chefs at his well-known Chicago restaurants, Topolobampo and Frontera Grill. Everything on the menu must be approved and tasted by Bayless personally, said Red O Chief Operating Officer Jason Miranda.

Were taking a steak and seafood restaurant and adding a Mexican twist so people would be wrong to categorize us as a typical Mexican restaurant, Miranda explained. Therefore its upscale dining with a ticket average of $70 plus per person, the same price point as Donovans.

Obviously it caters to upscale neighborhoods, and La Jolla being an upscale neighborhood, it can support these type of cuisines because of the affluence in the area. We thought it could be a good fit.

The move to San Diego is part of an expansion plan to bring the Red O concept to other locations across the country, with one to two openings planned a year, Miranda said.

Red O in Newport Beach is one of the top performing restaurants among Fashion Islands nearly 50 dining venues, said Irvine Co. spokesman Michael Lyster. Bayless is a James Beard award winner and host of the PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time.

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Rick Bayless concept headed to UTC

VOL. 129 | NO. 246 | Thursday, December 18, 2014

Folks Folly has finished rebranding and renovating the restaurants adjacent butcher shop that opened in 1989, a spate of activity that also included renaming the shop in honor of restaurant founder Humphrey Folk.

The butcher shop adjacent to Folks Folly that opened in 1989 has been rebranded and renamed in honor of restaurant founder Humphrey Folk.

(Submitted Photo)

The shop, at 551 S. Mendenhall Road, is now Humphreys Prime Cut Shoppe. It also has launched an online store, http://www.HumphreysMemphis.com, and rolled out a new brand identity, fresh marketing materials and redesigned packaging as part of the changes.

The namesake of the shop and of Folks Folly Prime Steak House was a businessman involved in construction and real estate development whose work took him around the country and who, perhaps unsurprisingly, developed a deep appreciation of good food and fine wine.

Lauren McHugh, Folks Folly president and managing partner, said that Folk would often give gift packages of prime steaks to business associates as well as to friends. He was doing that out of the back door at Folks Folly as early as 1977, she said.

Now, were giving him the iconic front door he had always envisioned, she said.

The newly rebranded shop sells fresh, hand-cut meats and other gourmet products, and Humphreys items can be delivered in Memphis or shipped overnight anywhere in the continental U.S. Its a way, Humphreys manager Terry Martin said, that customers can take the restaurant experience with them choosing a hand-cut prime steak and other fixings for a customers home, in other words, is the next best thing to enjoying them in the Folks Folly dining room.

Hours of the newly renovated butcher shop are Mondays through Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and its closed on Sundays.

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Folks Folly Rebrands, Renames Butcher Shop