Closed: Galo's Restaurant
Galo's Restaurant closed on New Year's Eve. Friends of Noshing say that the owner wants to reopen in another location. If you know the owner, Galo Hurtado, please ask him to contact me via the e-mail address above to alert us of his future plans.
Closed: Saguaro Corners
This blast from the past closed on Dec. 16, 2007. The owner, Frank Calvert, operated the restaurant from 1964 to 2003, and then passed the torch to his son, who decided to retire. I fondly remember that Saguaro Corners had brewed iced tea, a formality rare in today's restaurants; simple but delicious egg salad sandwiches; and desert wildlife peering in the window.
Closed: Casablanca
Last week, Casablanca Bar and Grill (in the space formerly occupying the Mountain Oyster Club on Stone Avenue) closed abruptly. Calls to owner Jeff Wer were not returned. Wer also owns the Shish Kebab House and Mediterranean Garden.
In Limbo: Latin-Up
Within the walls of Casablanca, another budding restaurant, Latin-Up, served Brazilian and Cuban sandwiches during lunch for the last eight weeks. An oral agreement was struck between Jeff Wer and Sonny Charles Urbine: Five members of Urbine's family helped Wer in exchange for space to operate Latin-Up. Since Casablanca closed without warning, the Urbine family (as of our deadline) has been unable to retrieve belongings--including two small prep refrigerators, cooking utensils, signs and framed reviews--from within the padlocked restaurant, although they have an appointment to do so on Friday, Jan. 25. Urbine and Irene Echeandia formerly owned Irene's downtown from 1999 to 2003.
