Give it up
Some restaurant spaces are doomed. The little restaurant tucked into the side of Louis Boston appears to be one of them. Its latest rendition by Marc Orfaly had the life of a mayfly, a span so brief that the operating hours, not to mention the name, never really got settled.
The space had previously been Boston Public, after being Restaurant L. Before that it was Cafe Louis, with and then without the Al Forno owners’ involvement. And then a long time ago it was Cafe Louis with Michael Schlow as its rising star. (The place was something before that, but I forget.)
The restaurant changed looks as many times as it did chefs and names, but it always seemed awkward — odd in a clothing store that is the ultimate in chic. Except for Schlow, the chefs — each one of them a star in other settings — never found their groove.
It’s time to let it go. I have an idea: Newbury Street could use a really good bakery/cafe. Why not invite Flour to set up shop? Lots of traffic, coffee, reasonably-priced lunch, irresistible goodies to take home along with the fashion. Hey, Debi, call Joanne. Make a deal.
Dean Sutherland Said,
March 6, 2009 @ 4:30 am
Alison,
You nailed it. The restaurants that have been in that space have all been good but unfortunately Debi Greenburg has the patience of a mayfly when it comes to the operators of the space. George Killeen from Al Forno did a great job but Debi pulled the plug on them for capricious reasons.
But don’t think for a minute that if Debi called and wanted Flour in the space that it would last a whole lot longer than its predecessors. It makes too much sense for it to last.