Last month’s closing of the Lakewood restaurant has generated more than the usual amount of comments, so I thought I’d put a new post up today so that it’s easier to see what people are saying. (Click on the above link to see the first post.)
I found the restaurant to be incredibly uneven — more than acceptable some days, and very ordinary at others, and I don’t know that I liked it nearly as much as many people did. But it did have a helluva wine list for a restaurant its size. And, oddly enough, I had dinner there the Saturday night before it closed, and it was obvious something was going on. Everyone at the table remarked on it.
What elicits such feeling about a restaurant that could be so ordinary? It was local, and that makes all the difference. Those of us who live here are quite passionate about the people and places that are here, and we’ll give a local place the benefit of the doubt every time. We’ll even give it a few more points because it’s local.
Here is the official news release word from owner Shawn Horne, who blamed the closing on under-funding (which means he couldn’t raise any more money) and the high cost of food. "Opening the Kitchen has been one of the greatest experiences in my short life and it will be missed. I want to thank all of my ‘raving fans’ who have supported the restaurant. Keep your eyes peeled and mouth watering for my next culinary adventure."
