Ten Tables?

[buckturgidsen.livejournal.com]

Any update on Ten Tables and their bid to get a liquor license and open a restaurant in Davis Square?

I am crossing my fingers that they will decide to go ahead and open a new restaurant here -- I think it would make a great addition to the area dining options. The Ten Tables concept (fine dining, neighborhood vibe, reasonable prices, and focus on sourcing from small, local, organic farms) seems like a perfect fit for Davis. I like Antonia's too, but from what I understand it's not a question of choosing between Antonia's and Ten Tables ... it's more of a choice between Ten Tables and some other replacement for Antonia's. Again -- that's just my understanding, and my info may be stale.

Comments

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I had heard from someone in JP who knows the owner that they are not opening a place in Davis Square because they could not be guaranteed a liquor license.

[inahandbasket]

Boo.
Someone forward them the threads where we're all begging for them!
Heck, there's some great wine/beer stores in Davis, make it a BYO!

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

The problem with BYO is that alcohol is a high-markup item for restaurants. Maybe Davis could support a restaurant with high enough markup on food to make the same profit — but if I were in the restaurant business, I'd be looking for better odds.

[inahandbasket]

hmm, prolly true.
But still!

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

Bummer. 10 Tables would have been awesome.

[avacon.livejournal.com]

One of the waiters at Antonia's said that they are staying
and are even planning to expand into the space next door.
They also got new dishes in the past few weeks.

[firepail.livejournal.com]

I'm okay with that--I like Antonia's. Good for them! It's too bad Ten Tables isn't coming, but at least we aren't down a good restaurant because of it.

[ron_newman]

What space next door? I don't remember seeing any vacant storefronts there.

[jodi.livejournal.com]

the little spa/salon has been gone for about a month or six weeks or so. you probably missed that because the curtains in the windows look the same as they did when they were open. the only difference is that there is no longer a sidewalk sign offering apple butter sugar mojito massage facials or something of that ilk.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I was wondering about that.

Oh, well good news if we're getting a larger Antonia's.

What happened with the rest of the liquor licenses? And the Jimmy Tingle space? Does anyone know?

[violet-helix.livejournal.com]

Alfresco on Highland Ave just got a beer/wine license on May 1st.

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Tip Top Thai got the other one.

[billharnois.livejournal.com]

Weird, Antonia's was supposed to expand into that space over a year ago. But then all of a sudden that pink Breathe Spa was there. I guess it's back on then?

[tolchocky.livejournal.com]

I think that spa took over some of the Dahn Yoga space on Holland, so I guess they just relocated?

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was quick ...

[teko.livejournal.com]

I know they really wanted to, but between not being able to serve alcohol and facing some dickishness from the landlord, they decided not to.

[cutiebearkatie.livejournal.com]

Krista is my neighbor, I asked her and she said no she was not taking over the spot.

Wine and beer licenses

[buckturgidsen.livejournal.com]

It kind of makes me sad that we have a wine/beer licensing policy that discourages good restaurants from opening up in Davis Sq. Can someone enlighten me as to why the city would deny a wine/beer permit to *any* entrepreneur who can credibly demonstrate that they want to bring a 'fine dining' establishment to the city? (Provided they can find a location with proper zoning and permitting, etc.) I'm not talking about a liquor license, just permission for waiters at a table service restaurant to serve wine and beer. First it was Antonia's, then Martsa, now Ten Tables -- what exactly is the city gaining by rationing wine licenses for these types of restaurants?

Re: Wine and beer licenses

[avacon.livejournal.com]

It's constrained by the State, and the city has a home-rule petition in with the state legislature to increase the number of licenses that they can issue.

Re: Wine and beer licenses

[ron_newman]

The state allocates each city and town a certain number of liquor licenses, and a (different) certain number of beer-and-wine-only licenses. The city can't issue more licenses that the state authorizes.