Lunch spot to open next to Athena Jewelry
Douglas "D.J." Pitts is returning downtown with a new restaurant concept. Pitts first opened 626 Douglas in 2004 at 626 E. Douglas.
He's now opening D&K Kitchen at 217 E. Douglas in the former Stang space next to Athena Jewelry .
So says Athena owner Sophokles "Steve" Anthimides , who says he's leasing Pitts the space.
Pitts couldn't be reached for comment.
Anthimides says D&K will serve American and French cuisine.
He says the new restaurant initially will be open only for lunch. Hours eventually will expand.
One restaurant deal that won't happen for Anthimides is Eaton Steakhouse reopening in the former Lancers space in Century Plaza at Douglas and Main.
"I changed my mind on that," Anthimides says.
In November, he told Have You Heard? he was negotiating with Steve and Stephanie Compton to move to the space.
They'd recently been evicted from Eaton Place for failure to pay rent.
"There were certain problems for them, and I just didn't want to get involved," Anthimides says of lingering issues.
But now he has to find a new tenant for the space along with one for a banquet hall on the second floor and a tenant for 6,000 square feet of restaurant space on Century Plaza's first floor.
If Anthimides can't find a tenant, he says he may have to open a restaurant himself.
He had Court of Athena Restaurant and Club at the Garvey Center in the 1970s.
"We might have to do the same thing."
What's cookin'
Delano Bakery, which actually is at 1025 W. 29th Street instead of its original Delano space, is now going to have a presence in College Hill.
On Monday, the bakery will begin selling its products at Dolci & Joes at 3425 E. Douglas.
"It's the face of the bakery," co-owner Brant Dumford says of using the restaurant as a retail outlet.
Delano Bakery already supplies a signature bread for the restaurant's sandwiches.
"It only made sense to start some other joint projects together," says Dolci & Joes owner Joshua Crowe .
Crowe says the first three months of Dolci & Joes have been fantastic.
"We've really appreciated the reception we've received."
The restaurant's bread will now be for sale along with other kinds of loaves and brownies and cookies.
Also, Dumford says the bakery will create a new type of cinnamon roll for the restaurant each week.
Delano Bakery also has some of its products in area Dillons stores, but Dolci & Joes will feature a wider selection.
The deal came about just this week.
"The launch of it's going to be pretty rough," Dumford says.
On a happier note, his father, Kelly , who was seriously injured in an August fire at the bakery, is fully recovered.
"He's 100 percent," Dumford says. "He's baking every day, pulling 16 hours. He's a crazy baking madman."
You don't say
"It gets more affection than my husband or my kids."
—Natalie Moyer of J.P. Weigand & Sons , speaking of her iPhone at the first iPhoneatics (www.iphoneatics.com) meeting Friday
This story was originally published February 13, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Lunch spot to open next to Athena Jewelry."