Shocker: Browning’s Restaurant and Brewery is gone.

First, the good news.

Saturday night was the finale of NABC’s first ever Fringe Fest. Our banner facing Spring Street told the story: Live Music, Craft Beer, No Cover!

Close to 20 kegs of beer were vended on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and by the time Sativa Gumbo finished its set early Sunday morning, only Kaiser 2nd Reising remained on tap. Everything else was gone.

However, there was much sadness. My giddiness over Fringe Fest’s success was radically tempered early in the evening as reports continued to come in to the effect that Browning’s Brewery would unexpectedly be closing as of Saturday night.

So it has, according to this somewhat surreal press release, which strangely mixes past and present tenses, and claims victory after acknowledging defeat. What comes next? I'll try to let you know after I learn more this week.

Park Place and Browning's Restaurant to Close This Weekend

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (October 11, 2008) - - Park Place Restaurant and Browning's Restaurant and Brewery will officially close their doors this Saturday, Oct. 11 after dinner service.

"We have had many years of success," said Susan Friedrich, general manager for both restaurants. "Although we have seen a steady increase in business, we feel the current state of our national economy will prove to prohibit the sustainability of our success. We are extremely grateful to all of our supporters and will miss them at our tables."

Park Place Restaurant received rave reviews after opening in 2004. This fine dining restaurant established itself as one of the city's top tables with farm fresh local ingredients and inventive dishes. Park Place has enjoyed many accolades including awards from AAA, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.

Browning's Restaurant and Brewery is an upscale gastropub with a similar philosophy of using fresh local ingredients. The brewing facility, housed within the restaurant, produces several brews including She Devil IPA and Bourbon Barrel Stout.

Park Place on Main and Browning's are located at 401 E. Main Street.

It's an insurance claim Monday, New Albany.

Let's hope you have some. Electricity, too ...

The power has been out at NABC/Rich O's/Sportstime since early Sunday afternoon, so I'm guessing our chances of opening today are slim. If the juice comes back on soon, we may be back in action serving beer tonight, but food deliveries don't come until tomorrow, and the beer (although unharmed) is currently warm.

I like it that way, though not everyone does.

The beer in the temperature-controlled brewery fermenters is another matter, and we'll have to play that one by ear.

Property damage in New Albany from yesterday's Hurricane Ike aftershocks looks to be extensive, though not expensive in most cases, with many trees and limbs down, and shingles blown off rooftops. A few houses weren't so lucky, and as the Diggin' In the Dirt blog reported on Sunday, several prominent New Albany landmarks took big hits from the gusts. Fortunately, injuries and deaths appear to be few in our region, and for that we're all thankful.

Any thoughts? Post 'em. The thread will remain open the remainder of the day as clean-up proceeds and I make ready for Benelux beercycling (departure Tuesday).

Rich O’s Public House CLOSED, Sportstime Pizza OPEN on Derby Day, Saturday, May 3.

Repeating the drill from Thunder Over Louisville ... no, I’m not a fan of Louisville’s foremost annual celebration of horse flesh, gambling, and the atrocious butchering of decent bourbon otherwise known as the mint julep, a cocktail which is consumed only now, and mostly by people who don't know any better.

However, I know that the majority of my friends and acquaintances enjoy the pomp and circumstance of Kentucky Derby, so be it. We’ve long since learned that there’s no sense in staffing both dining areas at NABC/Rich O’s/Sportstime on Derby Day, and we’ll not be doing so again this year. Rich O’s will be closed all day, but Sportstime will be open. No Red Room for you. Blame it on the occasion, whhich is aptly ridiculed here:

From the web: "The Kentucky Derby Really Is Decadent and Depraved."

R.I.P.: Bistro New Albany.

The following is a composite of postings at NA Confidential and a bit of new material. I’ve had merrier times at funerals than Wednesday morning, when I dropped in on Dave Clancy at the now defunct Bistro New Albany for a chat about his life and times. Here's the story.

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Dave Clancy posted the news himself on the Louisville Hot Bytes restaurant forum:

It is with a heavy heart that I have chosen to shut the doors of my labor of love. Due to circumstances beyond my control (mostly financial), my restaurant is closed as of 10/16/07. This was not an easy choice for me as I was so close to success that it is going to break my heart to see it end like this. I have run this place alone for well over a year and it has truly ruined me in every sense and, given the choice, I would do it all over again (only next time, I'll have a little more cash!). Thank you all for your support over the course of the last few years and wish me luck as I try to sort out a dead business and find some new direction to travel. If anyone is looking for an old washed up Chef, let me know!

It's remarkably difficult for a genuine paradigm shift to occur. All of downtown New Albany currently is engaged in just such an effort, and it's a work in progress that unfortunately will have its ups and downs. Bistro New Albany's demise is a downer, but within it are seeds of positive developments.

What I know is this: Dave Clancy chose to stick it out as a pioneer in a place where the naysayers said it couldn't be done; what's more, he chose to stick it out when he wasn't ever supposed to be the sole owner of the business (recall that the original investor dropped out, and that former partner Dave Himmel moved on to his own business), and not once did he curse his bad fortune. Rather, he saw the potential and put his scant resources on the table.

He lost the bet. Dave might not be the best poker player, but he has considerable balls, and he'll always be a hero to me.

Meanwhile, don't expect the BNA space to be empty for long. Building owner John Dowell's name is on the three-way permit, and most of the physical assets of the restaurant remain untouched even though some are in need of modification; think "new carpet." Sources indicate that wheels are spinning as we mourn, one locally based, and another from Louisville. While a replacement for the undercapitalized Bistro New Albany probably won't be of exactly the same genre, ground indeed was broken, and there are too many good things about the BNA experience for savvy operators to ignore. Here's Dave again, from a later forum posting:

Rest assured that this space will not remain vacant and it is a golden opportunity for any saavy restaurateur. I STRONGLY suggest that anyone interested in this property contact Mike Kopp at Lopp real estate, and anyone who is interested is welcome to see my P/L for the last year and a half. The difference between making this place succeed or fail was the lack of a FOH manager or partner combined with my own lack of capital. New Albany is a great city with so much potential and I know that it will continue to grow and prosper in spite of my loss.

Perhaps another downtown eatery in need of a boost might be in need of a chef, and in today's Tribune article, Speakeasy owner Brad Tharp openly discusses the possibility of welcoming Dave into the fold. Let's hope Brad includes Dave's staff as part of the deal.

They both very much need it -- as does downtown.