Saint John Resto Breaking Out
SAINT JOHN – One Saint John restaurant is moving out – on its own.
After over four years sharing a space with Urban Deli, Italian by Night will soon have its own home on the city’s historic Germain Street.
Italian by Night is owned by Michelle Hooton, who is also its chef, and Elizabeth Rowe and Gord Hewitt, who also own the Urban Deli.
Hooton said after four years, it’s clear Italian by Night needs its own location.
“I think it’s the popularity of the restaurant,” Hooton said. “A lot of nights there is a line-up out the door and there just isn’t enough seats.”
It’s a unique set-up that worked for a while. Urban Deli operates during the daytime, but in the evening, Italian by Night would take over. They used this model because back in 2011, they couldn’t find the right space.
But now they have, and Italian by Night can finally stand on its own.
“We’ve always been a little bit confined with having the restaurant in the deli space, because the restaurant there was designed to be a sandwich deli. Trying to do upscale Italian food off a deli line takes a lot of imagination,” Hooton said. “What we’ll be able to do is install a kitchen specifically designed to deliver the food exactly the way we want.”
The restaurant will moving to former home of Bustin’s Fine Furniture, which closed in August after a century of business. Italian by Night will be working with Historica Developments to revamp the building on the corner of Germain and Grannan Streets, which has become a very popular area in the city’s core.
“I really don’t think they could’ve found a more perfect location,” said Keith Brideau, founder of Historica. “The building’s also ideal. It has a great facade with lots of large windows in the front, and windows on side that overlook Grannan Street. It will allow for an intimate evening to say the least. And, given that the building’s 140 years old, there’s tones of character to leverage inside. All of this is a recipe for success for these guys.”
The building will not only house the restaurant. Brideau said the upper floors will be transformed into high-quality lofts and the lower level facing Grannan Street will become retail spaces.
For Hooton, this project has been a long time in the making.
“I daydreamed about owning my own restaurant for years. Life just has a way of taking you in other directions. So the last four years I’ve been designing menus for other people,” she said. “Now I have the opportunity to do it for myself, it’s really a dream come true.”
Work is expected to be completed by September 2016.