Bistro 51?

Lots of remodeling going on at the former Icebox Bar and Grille, nee Jays.  Workmen have gutted the interior for the past couple of weeks and a Bistro 51 logo has gone up on the awning facing West Main Street.  I assume the plan is to capitalize on positive reviews of the original Bistro 51, considered one of Carbondale's top restaurants before it closed several years ago.

The original Bistro 51 did prove it possible to run a successful restaurant in the Icebox's location.  It required a reputation for good food in an upscale atmosphere, as well as parking facilities to deal with the little parking available to the building.  The original Bistro 51 dealt with this by offering valet parking so that patrons did not have to deal with it themselves.  It will prove interesting to see how the new Bistro 51 approaches the situation.

Icebox/Jay's Remodel

Walked past the Icebox Bar and Grill/Jay's location this morning.  Both the Icebox and the Jay's logos have come off the awning and the front door.  Construction workers are extensively remodeling the inside into whatever it becomes next.

Icebox?

It appears the Icebox Bar and Grill may come back under another name.  The "Icebox" has been removed from both the awning and front door and people have been inside the building the past several days.

Icebox Closed

Notice of an Order of Possession signed by Judge Charles Grace on Jan. 23 against Kevin Kirkwood d. b. a. Icebox Bar and Grill, ordering Kirkwood to surrender the premises at 227 W. Main Street to the property owners immediately and to pay them a judgment of $28,740.  The notice is taped to the back door of the Icebox and the front door has been barred shut from the inside.

Icebox Party

A reader of the blog forwarded this video of a party at the Icebox Bar and Grille. The video was posted October 3 and is described as a Reggae Party in September 2012.  No indication if this was the same event going on last weekend, though, that attracted the group that resulted in the shooting nearby

Downtown Shooting

Shooting at the corner of University and Main about 1 a.m. Sunday morning about a block away from the Icebox Bar and Grille  There was a small group of men in front of the Icebox around 10 p.m. or so Saturday night and it appeared the restaurant has security people in front of the building but that was several hours before the shooting.

Kirkwood Raided

Carbondale Police raided the home of Kevin Kirkwood, owner of the Icebox Bar & Grill, in a search for a recording Kirkwood says he made of a conversation he had with former C'dale mayor Brad Cole, regarding Kirkwood's attempts to obtain a liquor license for the restaurant.  Under Illinois law, it is illegal to record a conversation without the knowldege of all parties concerned, so if Kirkwood did record the conversation with Cole, he is looking at a felony charge.  That probably accounts for his backtracking in the June 7th story, where he says it was a mental recording:

I’m saying I did not (record the conversation),” Kirkwood said. “I have a mental recording of every conversation that I have, especially dealing with this liquor license situation.

This bit from the story is also quite interesting, as Kirkwood claims he was originally contacted by the C'dale police seeking the recording as evidence in a corruption investigation of Brad Cole:

Kirkwood said shortly after the article was published, two officers showed up at his barbershop, Illusions, and gave the impression they needed his help. He said Lt. Stan Reno told him an investigation was being conducted on Cole for corruption and they needed his assistance. Kirkwood said he received a phone call a few days later from Reno in which the lieutenant asked for an SD card that contained the recording.
“I told them, ‘I don’t know where it’s at. I can’t find it,’ because in all actuality, there wasn’t a real recording of me and Brad talking,” Kirkwood said.

If this is true, it's the first I've heard of  any investigation of Brad Cole's activities while mayor.

Icebox Bar and Grille

The Icebox Bar and Grille's application for a class A2 liquor license at city council tonight.  On the plus side for approving the license:  1)  there have been no problems with parking or crowding around the facility since Kevin Kirkwood assumed ownership of the restaurant, 2)  the police have reported no citations during the same period.

On the other hand, the police have also reported the advertising on Twitter and Facebook of several late evening events at the restaurant  in violation of city ordinances. The events were canceled when police contacted the restaurant about them.  This willingness to brush against the law is not a good sign, given that the Icebox is applying for a license that requires 51% of its receipts to come from food sales, a line that restaurants with similar licenses have had problems with in the past.