Grandview eatery ups ante on pub grub

After six months, the much-ballyhooed Harvest Tavern & Pizzeria in Grandview Heights closed in February.

Tony Tanner, one of the principal investors, immediately started planning a comeback.

Tanner approached Rick and Krista Lopez of Lupo and La Tavola about reopening the restaurant with a new name and mission.

Rick Lopez, a chef, had a reputation for high-quality food, fresh ingredients, impeccable service and retaining an excellent staff, Tanner said.

“Two weeks later, he said, ‘I’m 100 percent — I’m in,’” Tanner said of Lopez’s reaction.

Their latest collaboration, Old Spot, is open in the former Harvest space at 1099 W. 1st Ave.

“The best way to describe it, for me, is it’s just elevated pub food,” Tanner said. The Charcuter-”vee” Board at Old Spot in Grandview

“It’s taking familiar food and bringing it up a notch.”

Tanner and Matt Evans, both of Butcher & Grocer, a few storefronts down from Old Spot, and the Lopezes are the managing partners of the new restaurant.

The menu is far from static, Tanner said. For example, the meat pie, which is presented as more of a pot pie, recently used lamb neck— leftovers from Butcher & Grocer. But the meat and root vegetables are expected to change, depending on what’s available, Tanner said.

“Who knows what’s going to be next?” he said. “It’s like a pot pie but way better.”

The menu is limited by design, as the restaurant will

roll out its chalkboard menu, featuring up to four nightly specials, this week,tanner said.

Likewise, Sunday brunch dishes will change frequently.

Most items on the menu will cost between $12 and $18.

The 2,000-square-foot space went through a light renovation, with new flooring in the bar area, fresh paint, fresh artwork, cement flooring in the dining room and exposed brick.

“This is a great change,” Tanner said. “This is a great neighborhood for this kind of thing.”

Old Spot gets its name from an English heritage pig. Tanner said one of his farmers has an Old Spot, which she breeds with other pigs.

Second act

Bar Louie in the Arena District closed Monday for a 30-day remodeling effort and menu update.

BL Restaurant Operations LLC in suburban Dallas, which owns the brand, decided to buy back the restaurant from its franchisee, who operated Bar Louie since it opened in 2006.

Diana Isaacson, a spokeswoman for BL Restaurant Operations, said the interior will be refreshed with new paint, bar top and stools and some kitchen equipment.

Theupdated menu will feature five new burger selections made with Usdachoice beef, an ahi tuna poke dish, a revamped hummus plate, overhauled street tacos and a fresh selection of cocktails, among other changes, she said.