Back in the halcyon days of spring 2007, with the Mint Plaza construction just underway, the good folks behind the project proudly announced the impressive lineup of restaurants, cafes and bistros that would litter the pedestrian-only public plaza on the 290-foot stretch of Jessie Street between Fifth and Mint Streets. Among the star attractions would be a second Chez Papa, a fourth Sushi Groove, a massive 800-square-foot Blue Bottle Cafe (aka coffee mecca) in the Provident Loan building and last but not least ... "a two-story Nuevo-Latino/Peruvian restaurant-lounge" headed by the people behind Limon.
Since the initial announcement, someone has gotten cold feet, because there has been absolutely no mention/acknowledgment of the mega-Latino project. In fact, it appears to have been abandoned completely. The Mint Plaza site has no record of such a thing; the only evidence that proves we're not crazy lies with a pair of offhand mentions.
So what happened to the Nuevo-Latino/Peruvian two-story restaurant? Might Senor Bauer's summer surge of harsh reviews for upscale Latin American restaurants be at blame? (See Exhibit A, Exhibit B and Exhibit C)
Could this be the first time that a powerful food critic has closed down a restaurant before said restaurant even opened?
Discuss.
· Mint Plaza [Official Site]
