About three months ago, my wife and I moved from the Highlands. (Yes, I died a little inside.) We had looked at 60 too-small or too-rundown houses in our old neighborhood before buying the first home our realtor showed us in Crescent Hill. It was a tough move for me, if only because our old apartment was within walking distance of Cumberland Brews [4]. I'm coming around to our new place, though. (Nearby Caffe Classico [5]'s delicious Belgian pomme frittes — really just a fancy name for french fries — has made the transition a bit easier.)
Now, I'm not going to give you my address, but I will say it's near this vacant, cheerless structure on the corner of Frankfort and Franck avenues. It used to be Benny's Transmission and recently has been used for farmers markets. I dialed the number on the sign in the front window, curious if there has been interest in building. I got in touch with Chip Hamm, who works for the company (Cobalt Ventures/Cobalt Automotive) that has owned the property since 2007.
"I'm always cautious," Hamm says, "but I expect in the next month something will happen with it. I'd love to see it be a new restaurant." Me, too. Hamm won't provide specifics about the potential buyers — including "prominent restaurant owners." "The interest goes from up-scale to diner to sandwich shop to cafe," he says. "If you can think of it, I've heard about it. I take that back. Actually, nobody has asked me about a Chinese restaurant — yet."
Maybe it's this crummy weather, but I want a nice patio out front where I can drink in the sun. In college we called this a beer garden, which gets my vote over another gas station.
You also may enjoy: Wine Rack's wine of the month: Gérard Bertrand's Cremant de Limoux Brut Rose [6]