Metro(politain), the restaurant that started it all for the restaurant biz downtown, is closing down in a week. Owners Tim Burgess and Vincent Derquenne, who also own Bizou and Bang!, are ending the restaurant’s 13-year-run due to a decline in business that their 2002 renovation and renaming couldn’t solve. The two report that they’re doing well with their other restaurants, but the large number of restaurants downtown means that something has to go. Metropolitain, after opening in 1991, was so popular and well-reviewed as to kick off the trend of opening fine dining establishments downtown that continues to this day. (C&O Restaurant, to give credit where credit is due, is the granddaddy of them all.) Courteney Stuart and Hawes Spencer have the story in this week’s Hook.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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hey i remember that place, pretty pricey if I recall! Oh well, it sux to see someone having to close shop.
When I arrived in Charlottesville in 1998, there was little traffic, reasonably priced real-estate and a plethora of delightful eateries.
‘Best Places to Live’ rankings are like investment advice: after the real opportunity. Nowadays, cville traffic can be a slice of hell with nowhere to go. To compete with the national chain restaurants, local restauranteurs have resorted to same sub-standard fare at an attractive price. Metropolitain was trendy but especially inconsistent. The latter qualifier, to me, is a mark of a failing cuisine.