Well, that was quick. Ten days after Salut Bistro opened in the old Patty’s Eggnest, it has closed for good.
On a tip from Colleen, we poked our heads in there yesterday afternoon, and confirmed with the new owner, Conrad (a long-time Wallingford resident) that the partnership that owned the bistro has dissolved and sold the business due to internal disputes. Conrad will be opening a new restaurant in about a month, he says, under a new name.
Ouch.
Ate there last week. Food was good and we were hoping for a moderately priced neighborhood joint! Unfortunately, service was spotty & lacked any warmth — an essential in a neighborhood restaurant. Hope the new restaurant provides a front of the house worthy of the food,
Well that’s a bummer. Hadn’t eaten there yet, but the menu looked good.
The decor, though, was kinda sucky. Like they didn’t hire a real designer sucky.
Wrought -iron railing in the middle of the floor.
Seems like it’s been impossible to get anything good in that space. Doesn’t seem like it should be so hard to be successful in Wallingford. Make it affordable for families. Good food. Look at Tuttabella– always packed.
Looking forward to the new Murphy’s! Maybe they will get it right.
Wow–we were just there (for the first time) on Friday–talked to one of the owners who said opening this restaurant was a life-long dream! A short one, apparently. Whatever happened must have blown up VERY quickly!
Agreed that the food was pretty good though the service was a bit… surly. Still, it would be nice to have a decent place in there that offered an alternative to Asian food–much as I love Thai, pho and Japanese cuisine.
‘Bistro’ That space is somewhat jinxed. I think because it is such a large space it is difficult to fill it – no matter how great the food. Part of the problem is because there is no parking it relies mostly on walk-ins. It is a conundrum what would work and be successful.
The ambience looked questionable. The one time I poked my head in they had a fireplace video running on their TV.
And–look at Bodrum!! always packed. Great place, if you have not eaten there, give it a try. And Jhin Jhay…also always packed. And Tutta Bella. It can be done! So parking not an issue for them, apparently.
Agree that large space might be an issue. I fell so sorry for the owner. Had a brief conversation with him. a very nice guy.
NO PARKING! Always the problem on 45th. Murphy’s has the same problem. Wallingford Center would be a great place for a pub.It has parking. Tutta bella has it’s own lot too. Pity the poor restaurants on lower Stone Way when all those new apartments fill up. Then there will really be NO PARKING! Lacking large walk-in numbers and without parking, a restaurant is doomed
N
My wife and I walked by a few days before they were due to open. We looked through the door and there was a dog sitting on one of the tables while work was going on around it. I told my wife we wouldn’t be sitting at THAT table! Perhaps an omen, not only for this venture but all future ventures in that location?!? I agree with the comment about the space being too big…maybe if it was subdivided into 2 or even 3 spaces?
The story back in September was “Mike followed up with the owners of Patty’s, and learned that it will re-open under the same ownership as Salud Bistro. Patty’s had a complicated ownership structure among siblings and cousins, so perhaps that led to the change. ”
That verbiage suffers from some internal contradictions, but if I could be satisfied I knew what it meant, I might not be surprised that the ownership didn’t work out.
While it is true, this was my lifelong dream, it was cut short due to my own health issues and no way to handle the daunting issues that came up day to day. We had a great team on the floor and in our kitchen, any restaurant would by lucky to have them. The comments regarding our food were always very complimentary. The décor did have a great designers blessing, and the railing (aluminum) that separated the bar from the seating area was recommended by the LCB, thus our being able to offer the Wallingford neighborhood both a great restaurant and a bar. I offer my apologies for not being able to stay longer, but it was recommended by my doctor of 25 years that I back away, my business partner agreed. I loved the place, I loved neighborhood and love all who supported Salut Bistro.
Merry Christmas to all, all the best to you and yours.
Love it how people always say “well, can’t say I’m surprised” and list off something about the food, ambiance, parking, their mother’s bad ju ju, etc.
You’ve said it about every business in Wallingford. Many still around, others not.
Let’s just remember 8 out of 10 businesses fail in the first 18 months. It’s common – stop thinking you’d do a better job.
I was the only one who said anything about possibly not being surprised, and said nothing about food, ambiance, etc. You seem to have invented someone to argue with – feel better now?
My guess is that most restaurants on 45th do have it relatively bad, partly because of auto access but mostly I have a hunch their landlords squeeze them pretty hard. It will be interesting to see what comes in with the new construction on Stone, the big stuff between N 36th and N 40th. Buildings like that seem to run to nail salons and fitness places, but the wine tap and bagel places in somewhat new buildings on Stone are encouraging – they’re not the big chains I would have expected.
Gosh, which building should we tear down for the big multi-story parking garage everyone seems to want?
I was so excited to try this place. Sad my partner and I never got to have a date night there. Hope the new place has a decent menu.
This is HILARIOUS! I have coined a new word for these people – “entrefailuers”.
They go into “business” without a CLUE about what it takes to be successful!
Leon, between my partners and I we have run 4 very successful businesses, this one was not a failure, I had a choice to make and it involved my health, my friends and some very hard decisions. I choose to sell and take care of my health, that decision caused my chef to walk out.
I can say with a great deal of confidence, we succeeded in all areas, I failed to care for me and I failed to understand trust.
The new restaurant will be a great fit for the neighborhood, I’m sure you like, please support her, thanks!
i think Joe’s comment is inappropriate, and he does not have any of the information. Bad Joe. No need to say that. The rest of us understand your situation. Good choice to take care of yourself. I wish you the best of luck with your health. I’d love to meet you, and sorry I was out of town so I did not get to meet you in person. I totally GET health issues. Maybe Joe will have one some day. I was shocked by your comment, Joe. So very uninformed and uncaring. And judgmental. But I wish you the best, anyway. Pass it forward, please
Sorry, I mean to say that Leon’s comments were inappropriate and unkind. I was so incensed, that I wrote the wrong name. Substitute the name Leon for every time I typed Joe.
iowagirl
…I understood, and thank you for the kind words, I will be there for the grand opening of the new place, I will keep you posted, look forward to meeting you!
When, exactly, will the new place open and what type of food will it be serving?
yes, I would love to know that. So the neighbors can stop by, say hello, a big welcome, and have a meal
Ha Ha Ha!
Iowagirl, you’re an entrefaileur too!
Salut should have been named “Oops!”
Read the reviews again – the service was impeccable and the ambience was scintillating – NOT.
Maybe that site is built on an ancient first-nation graveyard, so all enterprises there are CURSED from the get-go!
The “new place” will open “someday” and the cuisine will be “cooked food.”
It will become a big entrefaileur hang-out. They won’t actually BUY anything, but they’ll hang around and complain about how “the man” is “keeping them down.”
Joe, with champions like iowagirl, you know you’re destined for glory! Chin up, dude!
Hello Jan, quite honestly, I wish I didn’t have to respond to this. I realize that Leon is not your real name, had to a borrow that one didn’t you.I will ask others not to respond to you, however, that is up to them. it is apparent you like to “Bait” people, I don’t suppose your type, I just wish people with your view had their own personal opinion,based on facts, with some, some foundation. Leon, For whatever your name is, I really don’t want to insult your intelligence,although you have given me plenty of room to do so.I wish you the best, whoever you are, I can promise you you can bait me no further. Have a good night.
Sorry, I meant Leon not Jan, who knows Jan could be the real name?
Joe said, “Sorry, I meant Leon not Jan,”
…and YOU were going to insult MY intelligence?
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
You and iowagirl are a PERFECT match!
I saw the sign that Pam’s Kitchen is going into this space. Is this the “new restaurant/new name” that Conrad was talking about in the original post or is it the relocated Pam’s from the U District?
@27 — …or maybe just their 3rd location?