Green Tomato II - For Lease/Sale Sign Is Up

[m-b-w.livejournal.com]

Looks like Green Tomato II is following O'Naturals and Boloco out of that Elm Street location - this one didn't even last a year.

Comments

[ron_newman]

Which means that tomorrow's DARBI networking lunch won't happen there. Too bad -- as a newly unemployed person I had been looking forward to it.

(I just now found out when Candy Leonard's announcement hit the SomervilleVoices.org moderation queue. I'm an intermittent moderator over there)

Edit: While I was posting this comment, Candy posted here as well.

[inahandbasket]

Can't say I'm shocked. The food wasn't that great and the location is just a bit far out for good lunchtime foot-traffic.

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

I'm disappointed. I only ate there a couple of times, and I really enjoyed the food, especially their roast chicken. But yeah, it's a darned cruddy location, and the space doesn't really lend itself to intimate dining.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

That location is cursed. Cursed, I tell you. Do we have a tag for exorcism?

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Not to mention the infestation rumour campaign every time a new business opens there. Kept me away...

[unferth.livejournal.com]

Sagra seems to have broken the curse on its site; maybe they can recommend an exorcist. I hope they go for one of the traditions that uses firecrackers and gongs, personally.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

That's a tough location for a restaurant without a specific draw (or even with one) as it's just a bit out of the way.

I still want a B. Good there anyway!! :)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I want a real mid-Atlantic style diner. Tuna melts, malted milkshakes, Friday fish fry, monte cristos. The only thing I miss about Rochester NY are the diners.

[mistresshellena.livejournal.com]

sounds like it's time to bite the bullet and open a community-based art/hangout space with free wifi in that building!

[progressnerd.livejournal.com]

Sad. They actually had some really good food options. Their shrimp crab cake salad was awesome. It was my favorite of the places that have been there in recent memory.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

OOOOOOOH

Maybe I want that instead.

Now I want fries and a milkshake.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

What's this rumor? I've been looking at Commercial Space in the area and I'd like to know!

[puckbear.livejournal.com]

Not to mention the infestation rumour campaign
The one that you continue to perpetuate.

Supposedly it's been taken care of
Sure, supposedly if you don't believe the Boloco Owner (http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/1413802.html?thread=15738794#t15738794) who says "In fact, we did gut the entire basement when we took over from O'naturals" or the Green Tomato people who offered Ron a tour (http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/1413802.html?thread=15739050#t15739050).

But I understand, it's so much easier to believe someone who worked there three businesses ago, because it's the internet and all.

[808.livejournal.com]

well put!

[808.livejournal.com]

I tried to take some friends there a couple of Sundays ago. They complained about the walk from Davis Sq. to there. And they are triathletes! I never considered it a walk worth even mentioning, but I guess for most people it is a hike to get there.

BTW, it ended up being closed Sundays - which was stupid. Most cafe style places I know are booked solid on Sundays.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Excellent point, though any new business there will have to contend with the rumor, whether or not it's perpetuated, it's easily found in an internet search and I think is in their yelp reviews as well. Boston has a public internet record of health inspections, I tried to find the same for Somerville in this situation to either support or negate my statement and could find nothing, so I've deleted the comment.

In other news, nice icon.

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

I think if Boloco couldn't make it there, it's going to take something really unique — or, not a restaurant.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

I like this idea a lot.

Carberry's lasted there a long time, but that was back when there were less eateries in Davis to compete with. Perhaps the high number of eateries in Davis in last several years have make the Green Tomato II seem an unnecessarily long hike to some.

"and the space doesn't really lend itself to intimate dining."

There is something about that space that I find unappealing. I liked Carberry's a lot but something about the changes since by the last 3 businesses (or maybe it was just Au Naturals that changed it)made the place feel uninviting to me.

[ron_newman]

It does not look to me like you deleted your comment above.

[ron_newman]

And unfortunately their web site still says they are open on Sundays. I think the irregular and inconsistent hours hurt them.

[ron_newman]

If the space feels too wide-open, surely it could somehow be partitioned?

[cos]

That is exactly what I was thinking, and what I came here to say in a comment.

I'm convinced that no restaurant type place will survive there, but a community space could.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

I deleted my response to _mattt, with the details.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

A diner would be great, and I think, if it could actually be open diner hours, would even do well in that location.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

before the Green Tomato moved in there, after Boloco announced they were out, i had been thinking it would be ideal for the community kitchen idea i keep toying with.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

i never get, as well, that all the restaurants in the cambridge/somerville area that find they're dying....cut the hours back to lunch hours...instead of saying, 'to hell with it, lets not open until 4pm and we'll stay open until midnight when everyone else is closing at 9.

[ron_newman]

Mike's did more or less what you suggest here, and it seems to work for them. They used to have breakfast, but now don't open until at least 11, and they stay open to midnight or later.

[teko.livejournal.com]

Very much so. I tried to go several times during the hours posted on their website, only to find them closed. And when I did go, the service and food was mediocre (with the exception of the crab cake salad mentioned above, which was indeed awesome).

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

B. Good is unique in that I would have lunch there every day ;-).

You're right, though; I can't see most restaurants doing well there.

[divasue.livejournal.com]

Chacarero! Actually I think that might be doomed as well, even though I love them.

[divasue.livejournal.com]

I mean that they might be doomed in that location. The Downtown location seems fine!

[ron_newman]

Chac is different enough from anything else in the area that it just might work there.

[lefauxfrog.livejournal.com]

I've always thought that space lent itself best to a coffee shop. I don't know why Carberry's failed but a similar business would probably fare okay.

[elements.livejournal.com]

Ok, I'm from Rochester - let's play favorite diner. Mine was Jay's, on West Henrietta Road near Marketplace, cos we could walk to it from the apt where I grew up.

[elements.livejournal.com]

I would go to Chacarero if it were there, but it might be the only restaurant that could survive.

Where is Trish and her community connection space plan?

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Ah, Marketplace! I lived in "the city," specifically the Monroe Ave neighborhood, so my diners were Gitsis, the Princess, and Mark's Texas Hots (which doesn't sound like a diner, but it was). I lived in those places! I couldn't eat like that every day now that I have middle-age metabolism, but I could fill a truck with the omlette and fries /w gravy plates I consumed back then!

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

It's all hard surfaces and exposed pipe/ductwork, which means it's very loud space. The lack of partitions of any kind also leaves the whole interior feeling exposed, with no "cozy" sheltered spaces to sit down in. Diesel has exposed ducting, but they also have booths and interior divisions of various kinds, which helps it.

I think if even one of the places had hung some fabric panels or something on some of the walls, it would have gone a long way to making the interior more pleasant.