Eatery variety on the upswing

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January 20, 2011

By Denise Richardson Staff Writer The Daily Star Thu Jan 20, 2011, 02:30 AM EST

ONEONTA _ Eating options downtown are increasing, as restaurateurs open and alter eating spaces, adjust menus and compete for dining dollars.

Stella Luna, which has renovated space, is serving pizza. Fiesta has expanded capacity. Owners of Bella Pockets and Forest Lane Bistro are collaborating, and construction continues for Prime 289, a steak house.

Oneonta's downtown between Market and Elm streets has about 20 restaurants or coffee shops, not including bars that serve food. Mike's Dirty Dogs, a Main Street eatery that featured hot dogs in a variety of garnishments, has closed after less than a year in business downtown.

The restaurant industry captures about 50 percent of a food dollar, double the percentage in 1955, the National Restaurant Association said.

Some local restaurant owners this week said they have been looking for ways to sustain and improve business.

Fiesta, a Mexican restaurant in Clinton Plaza, re-opened Monday with expanded space after closing Dec. 23 for renovations, Jim Baldo said Wednesday. Capacity in the dining and bar areas, previously at 49 people, will about double, he said.

Baldo said he and his wife and restaurant owner Jacki Hunt decided to expand into space formerly occupied by a hair salon to meet demand because sometimes customers had to wait for a table.

Plans are to add Spanish cuisine to the Fiesta menu soon and to offer salsa dance lessons Wednesday nights starting next month, Baldo said.

Vincenzo Avanzato, a co-owner of Stella Luna Ristorante, said last year's slow economy has prompted changes to attract customers. The restaurant at 58 Market St. was renovated in October to provide more space, amenities and privacy, he said.

A brick oven was installed so that Stella Luna can serve pizza and sell pies for take-out, Avanzato said, possibly picking up customers who remember the Avanzatos' pizza from their days operating the Italian Kitchen on Church Street more than a decade ago.

Avanzato said he and his brother Antonio opened Stella Luna 10 years ago and continue striving to get word out that families are welcome, and the menu prices aren't steep.

"We want to run a family restaurant," he said. "My brother and I are always looking for something different."

At Bella Pockets, 281 Main St., work is under way to introduce dinners by Christopher MacLeman's Forest Lane Bistro.

Paul Maerz, owner of Bella Pockets, said he will continue to serve Mediterranean-styles lunches "with an American twist."

MacLeman made a "great name" for himself with the bistro at Woodhaven Golf Course in West Oneonta last year, Maerz said.

MacLeman said that was a seasonal operation, and he was interested in a permanent location. The two restaurants will be at the same site and operate under existing names, the owners said, but later one name may be chosen for the partnership.

"I'm very happy this came up," MacLeman said.

Maerz and MacLeman grew up in Morris. Maerz graduated from Morris Central School in 1993 and studied culinary arts at Johnson and Wales University, and MacLeman, a 1998 Morris graduate, attended the Culinary Institute of America.

The two men said they recognize challenges generated by the recent slow economy but look forward to combining their professional experiences to prepare reasonably priced meals for families, workers on lunch breaks and dinners. MacLeman said sandwiches cost $6 to $8, entrees cost $12 to $18, and Sunday brunch offers $5 items.

Recently, walls were painted crimson and gray and plans are to install booths, among other improvements, they said.

"Competition is always good," MacLehman said. "People always want to go out to eat no matter what the economy. If you serve a good product for a good price, they'll be back."

A few doors away, construction continues at Prime 289 for a restaurant. David Zummo, owner of the Latte Lounge downtown, plans to open a steak house at the former Sego Café and Wine Bar.

No date for opening has been set, he said Wednesday.

John Gallucci said he opened Rail Benders at 5-7 South Main St. on Oct. 31 and is shopping for kitchen equipment to add a restaurant to the tavern business by summer.

He previously owned the Silver Bullet on Main Street downtown for 18 years, and the new restaurant will offer the same menu.

Rail Benders' "excellent local clientele" has kept the tavern busy, Gallucci said, and he expects to be busier after the restaurant opens.