Royal Treatment

Just when it seemed as if King Louie's couldn't get any hotter, an outdoor wood-burning grill is being added.

Fresh off the restaurant's major expansion last year, chef Kirk Warner and owner Matt McGuire are finalizing plans for the new cooking station in the deck area, which will serve outdoor diners plus those seated in the bar area. Warner is looking to feature caught-in-the-wild fish and hormone-free meats, as well as vegetables from the ever-growing list of specialty-produce farmers in the area.

"We'll list the source on the menu, sort of like local credits, and we may even have a place to sign up for subscriptions," says Warner. (Subscriptions to produce providers result in weekly deliveries, right to your home or to a central distribution point, throughout the growing season. Warner is also examining the feasibility of selling fresh produce directly in a mini-farmer's-market type of set-up.)

The schedule currently calls for a late-May or early-June completion.