Ups and downs at downtown restaurants; downtown project and dirt lot list updates

The 101 Bistro/Pita Jungle experiment has apparently come to an end, as the landlord exercised its rights of forcible entry and detainer and changed the locks on the doors and kicked out the tenant. All the cool patio seating is gone, as well as every trace of the restaurant inside. Too bad; Pita Jungle seemed like a perfect concept downtown.

Around the corner, Thai Elephant appears to have extended its hours and is open until 9 p.m. on weeknights and weekends.

Girlfriend of Downtown_resident and I tried out The Bread Fruit (Jamaican restaurant) a few nights ago and were somewhat disappointed. However, I'll leave the restaurant reviews to Silverbear and the Railfood blog. Maybe they're just working out the kinks in the first few days; at least we didn't have to wait an hour to be served like you do in Jamaica.

The Downtown Phoenix Project List and Downtown Phoenix Dirt Lot List have been updated.

Build it

The proposed 400-foot towers at the southwest corner of Camelback and Central have everything Phoenix needs-- pedestrian orientation, height, and compatibility with the light rail line. The developer, Reid Butler, has a track record of quality downtown projects (Roosevelt Commons and Legacy Bungalows). And, in true Phoenix form, the project is meeting with resistance from the neighbors.

Protesting height is a reasonable argument in areas where the height doesn't yet exist. But Central Avenue is dotted with high-rises and has been for 30 years. Residents already live in the shadow of towers, so their arguments against this development sound weak.

The guy who really needs to get off the fence in this matter is Phoenix councilmember Tom Simplot. Light rail was built to facilitate this kind of development-- and without an ample supply of residents who can walk to its stations, Metro won't be a success. Why should this matter to Simplot? He's on Metro's board.