Restaurants

Wish Wash

Expect big changes at Sipango

By Mark Stuertz 

We've always thought "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" was a proverb reeking of genius. And its steely profundity came to mind late last week when Sipango founder Ron Corcoran announced that big changes are in store for his restaurant/nightclub, now that one of his wishes has been granted. As you'll recall, founding chef Matt Antonovich returned to Sipango last summer after a five-year absence to install a new upscale "Tuscan steak-house" menu.

"That food is very expensive," Corcoran says. "We had really high marks from the customers on the food, and we got Dotty Griffith [of The Dallas Morning News] to come in really quick and do a review. Well, not only did she do a review, she just kind of did a little slander job on us. You know, multiple personalities and identity crisis, blah blah blah."

Now it takes a pretty serious case of mania to openly pine for a restaurant critic to do a quick pen job on you. And since that "little slander job," the Sipango kitchen hasn't been able to get much traction. So Corcoran says he'll reorganize, and Antonovich may not be around for the transformation (Corcoran says he's weighing his options). Possibilities range from an outside operator coming in to sublease all or part of Sipango, to an outright sale, depending on how the wishes wash.

Holly Forsythe, who with her brother Kim operates Sambuca Jazz Cafes, says Milkbar, their once-hot Lower Greenville nightclub flaunting fake-fur booths, zebra-stripe walls and mannequin parts, is up for sale. The Forsythes announced recently that they are moving their Deep Ellum Sambuca Jazz Cafe uptown to the former Salve! space on McKinney Avenue...Rumors have it that Brian Black, founder of Il Sole, is making a move for Mi Piaci, the Italian restaurant founded by Phil and Janet Cobb (Janet Cobb is Black's mother). Black, who was reached at Mi Piaci, had no comment except to say, "Anything that's going to happen, we'll send out a press release."...The Hotel Crescent Court has installed Alex Chen as executive chef to oversee the hotel's food and beverage outlets, including The Crescent Club, Lady Primrose Thatched Cottage Pantry, The Juice Bar at The Spa at The Crescent and the hotel's room service and catering operations. Chen most recently served as the executive chef of Jumby Bay, located off the coast of Antigua in the West Indies, which, like The Crescent, is part of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.