Dead Red?

The saga of loft district restaurant and bar Red (1130 Washington Avenue) continues. As my colleague Kristen Hinman reported ("Seeing Red," March 5, 2008), onetime partners Derek Onstott and Kirk Apazeller are feuding over who owns Red, with both sides accusing the other of inappropriate behavior.

At the time Hinman's article was published, Red remained open for business. However, as of Friday, March 21, Red is closed. The front door is padlocked, and most of the furniture has been removed from the bar area at the front of the restaurant. In separate phone interviews, both Onstott and Apazeller declined to comment on Red's status.

Another downtown hotspot appears to have closed, if only temporarily. Restaurant and "ultra lounge" Dolce' (200 North Broadway) was dark and locked during its scheduled lunch hours on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week and its scheduled dinner hours on Thursday. Also, its phone number is no longer in service.

Sofia Bistro (7401 Pershing Avenue) has closed. But a sign on the restaurant's front door suggests this might not be the end, promising to announce a new location in local newspapers.

Also closing this month is the downtown location of Dierdorf & Hart's steak house. The Westport Plaza location remains open.

YET ANOTHER NEW restaurant has opened at Lumière Place: House of Savoy, whose menu features traditional Italian cuisine, is located in HoteLumière, which is just east of the casino proper. The restaurant is open for dinner 5-11 p.m. Sun.-Thu. and 5 p.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat.

The U will open at 3108 Olive Street in midtown on Monday, April 7, according to the restaurant's Web site. The menu features sandwiches and salads with a collegiate theme. SLU students and night owls should be happy to note the new joint's hours: 11 a.m.-3:30 a.m. Mon.-Sat. The U is located on the same strip as two other new restaurants, brewpub Buffalo Brewing Co. and barbecue joint Pappy's Smokehouse.

Speaking of barbecue: Visit the Gut Check blog (see the URL at column's end) for my review of Dickey's Barbecue Pit.

ARE YOU OPENING a new restaurant? Know of a place that has closed? Something else for me to chew on? Drop me line at ian.froeb@riverfronttimes.com. For daily updates, check out this column's virtual doppelgänger at http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck.