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| - Merriam Webster defines "Fracas:" a noisy quarrel, a brawl.
Well, that sounds more like the old Johnny Malloy's, which used to occupy the space. But it also describes the strange clash of ideas about what this place should be.
One reviewer lamented that such an interesting space needs food to match. I find myself having the complete opposite experience. I had the Gnocchi with blueberry sausage, and thought it was unique and fantastic. But the atmosphere and space were half-baked, at best. The building has been renovated so many times in the past twenty years, from movie theater to bar, and now to 'gastro-pub,' that it's a frankenstein of a space, with scars from every previous occupant. They had real guts opening up with virtually no renovation, and I fear this bet will cost them sorely. Sitting in a GIANT box of a room that makes up the whole restaurant with no windows is just confusing and strange. The ceiling may be more than 100 feet up. But what to do with this space? There are no easy answers. My one free suggestion would be to dangle hundreds of small lights from the ceiling down to just above our heads to create the feeling of a more intimate space. Then if people choose, they can look beyond and marvel at this awesome bizarre room.
The service was very friendly and very attentive, but definitely inexperienced. If I were opening up a restaurant where the average entree was about $27, I'd go raid top-tier restaurants to find staff.
It's not too late for this place to make some literal renovations. I hope they pull through.
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