Anyone who has ever tried to carve our a place in the local restaurant scene can tell you it can be tough going, no matter how charming the owners and host may be; no matter how talented the chef, no matter how glorious the Ramos Fizzes.
And they were glorious.
After serving as standard bearer for Lamorinda’s finest restaurants the last eight years, the unassuming but always convivial “little restaurant in the little house on Brown Avenue” has said “no mas,” and leaves us to pursue their passion for Peruvian cooking at their new establishment – Lima – in Concord’s Todos Santos Plaza.
Chef John Marquez has chalked up the decision to leave the city and the appreciative audience of diners they have served since 2009 to rising food and rent costs. It was not immediately known what business, if any, will occupy the space once the door keys change hands.
Marquez, his family, barman/host Edris Noor and a disciplined wait team never failed to deliver the goods, be it a hard-to-find and harder to pull off Ramos Fizz or one of their wine-paired nights of culinary exploration, during their years here.
As a frequent guest, NEWS24/680 wishes them well in their new endeavor.
Went there on a date and it was really good food. My date was impressed and I came off like James Bond.
Bummer!!! Loved that place!!
That’s a loss for Lafayette.
Love the Artisan… So sorry to hear this. It has been a place of happy occasions for my family, and this is a blow. I thank the proprietors for the pleasure they have given, but I will miss them.
@Gregg – Indeed. Nicely said.
There is a sense of loss, of nostalgia, as we move on from good memories to new and unexplored territories, but I think it is quintessentially American to keep moving forward. At our best we are a nation of immigrants and explorers seeking new opportunities, and while the frontier may be shrinking we are not done. Best wishes to them on their new adventure!
That’s a shame. It was a great place.
They never disappointed. Best of luck and success in the future…