This week, five Walla Walla restaurants announced they were in various stages of closing their doors. We reported earlier that 26Brix had closed. This was followed by news stories in the Union-Bulletin that Luscious by Nature, Destination Grill, Pine Street Grill (formerly Elmers) and Caravaggio (at the airport) were closing.

For those who thought that for some reason Walla Walla might be spared, this is the hard reality of the nationwide slowdown. While the underlying fundamentals differed for each business, December’s winter weather and the snapping shut of disposable dollars hastened the inevitable conclusion ~ things were not going to get better quickly or in time to save their businesses.

If you follow the link to the UB stories, be sure to scroll all the way down to the comments from locals.

26 Brix restaurant and bar closed their doors this past week ending the dream of a Walla Walla French Laundry for Chef Mike Davis and his family. During the four years they were in business, the restaurant often struggled to find its niche and audience. However, there was never any question about the quality of the food, the talent of the owner/chef and his creative presentation of his dishes.

In the end, they were never able to recapture the acclaim their first season delivered. By year two, customers reported high prices coupled with inconsistent service. The doors almost closed then, until angel investors stepped in with bridge financing in February 2006.

After that, the menu changed to more moderately-priced American bistro fare in an attempt to attract more casual diners. However, the restaurant failed to maintain its share of customers especially as more casual, trendy eateries opened.  Over the past two years, the bar at 26 Brix was usually packed while the restaurant went virtually empty most weekends.

As recently as a few weeks ago, rumors were flying that that investors were ready to step in and give the business another injection of confidence. Then the word came down that the business would be closing their doors for good.

There was a farewell event this past week as friends and well-wishers turned out for a final night at the bar.

Whatever is next for Chef Mike Davis, we wish him well and we are quite sure that we will hear his name again.

Read the UB story and comments from Chef Davis.