Bob Henrick wrote:Robin, I hope it is not the L&N. I would hate to think that restaurant is not making it.
Good news in that regard, Bob. L&N, as best I can tell, is thriving, and in addition to the super wines that Len stocks in the 54-unit Cruvinet, the original chef, Rick Adams, is back after a hiatus.
No, this was Primo, a wonderful upscale, authentic-Italian place that featured wood-oven pizzas in the Neapolitan style but, more important, serious dishes made with careful attention to authenticity to all the Italian states from Alto Adige to Sicilia, with an attractively priced, regionally divided all-Italian wine list to match, organized by winery locations on a handy wine-list map.
It was a great place, and it lasted for three years, but the owners knew they were taking a gamble as the first "upscale" restaurant in the city's emerging arts district east of downtown, which has been booming with galleries, boutiques and more modest eateries. But with the plunging economy and rising gas prices, a fancy spot with a relatively high-end menu needed more of a core of neighborhood residents to make it, and at this point, there's still not that much permanent housing in the neighborhood, and suburbanites, in particular, seem increasingly reluctant to drive in with $4/gal gas.
