Encore

I was a little surprised to hear that the Encore Bistros were closing, because I thought they'd gotten on track. But with a little reflection, not so surprised. There was some weird dealings with Paul Sturkey where he basically lost control of his own restaurant and own name, which was all very secret, so I can't explain it. There was bad management, and really bad food for awhile. It's hard for a restaurant, let alone a small restaurant chain, to go through that many changes and come out OK. Too bad. The basic concept---good, thoughtful food with all the trappings that make suburban chains successful--was a really good one. Those are some nice properties available. I hope someone figures out a good new use for them.