NEW: DownCity Restaurant Closes Its Doors
Monday, December 12, 2011
Not even Gordon Ramsay could save it: DownCity Restaurant closes for good.
DownCity Restaurant, a downtown landmark known for its drag brunches and hefty cocktails, and a longtime favorite among patrons gay and straight, has closed its doors forever.
The restaurant had a burst of fame this year, being featured on celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's popular Kitchen Nightmares show on FOX. Ramsay came to Providence twice as part of DownCity's makeover--once to rework the restaurant's look and menu, and a second time for a follow-up piece.
But whatever magic Ramsay worked was apparently not enough. The restaurant has closed its doors, the chef's photograph is gone from the storefront window on Weybosset Street in downtown Providence, and the state has lost one of its brightest places for convivial cross-dress events.
A message on DownCity's Web site from co-owner Abby Cabral is an emotional farewell: "I want to thank everyone and anyone that has ever walked through the doors of DOWNCITY. What owning DOWNCITY has meant to me--words cannot describe."
Cabral, who co-owned DownCity with Rico Conforti, closed this way: "My heart is also hurting for all of the customers (my friends) that I see every Friday and Saturday. Please know that I will miss those days forever!"
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Comments:
Edward Smith
12:38am on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Ramsay or not, you can't get away with overpriced club sandwiches, bland pasta and canned ragu sauce in the very competetive Providence restaurant market.