Sadly, though, Encore has reached the end of its act: The restaurant will close its doors after a final brunch on Sunday.
"We ran the gamut of emotions this week, for sure," says Reilly, who owns the restaurant with his sister Aileen. "But we're at an impasse with lease negotiations here." In a statement, the siblings divulged that the restaurant "received a letter from its landlord's counsel stating the landlord was unable to execute on an agreement reached earlier this year regarding the lease for the premises going forward."
Encore occupies a part of the Lowenstein Theater complex that was once the theater lobby, a space that will be hard to duplicate -- but the siblings are already looking for another spot. "We're looking forward to doing something at a new location," Reilly says. "Whether that's the same concept or not remains to be seen."
And exactly where that spot will be is up in the air. "It's going to be a space that best suits our style," says the chef. "We had been looking around, and we just hadn't found that perfect spot."
Despite the fact that Encore is making its final bow this weekend, Reilly is staying optimistic. "I'd really like to say thank you to our amazing staff that has handled the news like the professionals they are," he says. "We're really super-positive about the future."
And he's also hopeful that this last weekend will be a big one: "I'd invite anybody who's had a dining experience here to come down and hang out this weekend."
And have one last brunch.
