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Pastimes : Where the GIT's are going -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PatiBob who wrote (132532)	1/19/2007 10:17:11 AM
From: Alan Smithee	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 225578

I ate at this restaurant exactly once. It cost us $250 for a dinner for three with a relatively inexpensive bottle of wine included. No wonder they closed. Even if we are a "wine destination," the wine tourists can't sustain such a place if the locals won't eat there. Even my nine-year-old commented last night, "they are too expensive." After closure, 26brix owners aim to reinvent image of restaurant The restaurant earned a reputation as a must-see for visitors to Walla Walla's wine country. By Vicki Hillhouse of the Union-Bulletin A month after the sudden closure of Walla Walla's neoclassic restaurant 26brix, owners say they plan to reintroduce the business as an affordable attraction for casual diners, as well as epicures. Co-owner Mike Davis says he wants to make 26brix less formal. Chef and co-owner Mike Davis said the Main Street restaurant has struggled with financial challenges over the last six months. The hardships reportedly came to a head in December, when the fine-dining establishment quietly closed a week before Christmas. A sign posted on the window declared an extended holiday until February. Closure will stretch a minimum of two more months, possibly several more beyond that, Davis said this morning. Meanwhile, owners are catching up on debts, including wages for workers and payments to vendors, and formulating new plans for the business's comeback. ``Our goal is to make it less formal,'' Davis said. ``We want to make it so that every Walla Wallan wants to see what the new 26brix is all about.'' Whether that will take place in the current location or a new one is not yet certain. As recently as two days ago, plans included a move to a smaller locale. But the 33-year-old Davis said this morning if he can reduce the space he leases in the historic Dacres Building, 207 W. Main St., he may be able to stay put. Overhead from the cavernous space leased by the restaurant has contributed to the financial hardship, Davis said. Consequently, meals - ranging from Sunday brunch to multi-course spreads - were priced to help compensate, he said. Davis said if all the options on his lease are exercised, 26brix could potentially exist in the Dacres Building for 18 years. The building is owned by Western Washington resident Pete Sikov. Whether or not staff members rejoin the business, whenever and wherever it opens, remains to be seen. Davis said several workers have already accepted new jobs. Those who wish to return would be given preference, he said. Davis had high hopes for 26brix when he opened it with his parents, George and Judy Davis, two years ago. Mike Davis had been executive chef at the Salish Lodge and Spa in Snoqualmie prior to relocating to Walla Walla. Before the Salish Lodge, he worked in several Seattle restaurants, including Ponti Seafood Grill, Waterfront Seafood Grill and The Brooklyn Seafood, Steak & Oyster House. With 26brix - a wine term signifying the ideal measurement for the sugar content of grapes - Davis strove for immaculate presentation in an Italianate and Victorian atmosphere. One of his goals when the restaurant opened was to achieve AAA's prestigious five-diamond status. The family initially invested $300,000 in a major renovation of the 1899 building. Davis said the investment in the property for 26brix has increased to about $1 million. Originally hoped to expand Walla Walla's presence on the culinary map, the restaurant quickly earned a reputation as a must-see for visitors to Walla Walla's wine country. Though Davis always maintained the restaurant was also a place for working-class customers in Carhartt pants and workboots, 26brix wasn't as successful in that market, he said. Two years into the business, Davis said he and other owners, including his wife Krista, realized demand had been overestimated. As the new concept moves forward, he said he has a newfound clarity about dining in Walla Walla. ``We've definitely learned some things,'' Davis said. ``We're not guessing any more. We've lived it.''