Business

Japanese Restaurant Coming To Forest Street

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The owner of a commercial space on Forest Street that’s been vacant for more than one year said Thursday that a Japanese restaurant is preparing to renovate the interior space for an opening next year. According to Frank Elmasry, the restaurateurs will need about three or four months to complete the work. “They are committed and so are we and we are going to try and make a go of it,” Elmasry told NewCanaanite.com. “It is going to be a very unique situation—meaning it is not just another restaurant, since we have quite a few of them. This is going to be Japanese cuisine.

Government

New Restaurant Proposed for Forest Street; Property Owner Seeks P&Z Approval To Pay Fee To Meet Parking Requirement

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An experienced restaurateur wants to open a new eatery on Forest Street that would include a sushi bar, but before pursuing that plan, the building’s owner is seeking the town’s permission to help meet a difficult parking requirement, records show. That vision for the space at 11 Forest St.—vacant since Peachwave frozen yogurt closed one year ago—represents a proposal only at this stage, the property’s owner told NewCanaanite.com. What’s needed in order to kickstart the project is approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission for Frank Elmasry of 3-11 Forest Street KKE LLC to pay a fee instead of figuring out some way to provide the estimated eight physical parking spaces that would be needed if the commercial space is re-classified from “retail” (as it is currently) to “restaurant.”

In an Aug. 2 application to P&Z, Elmasry said: “The potential restaurant owner plans to make significant investments in the fit-out in order to provide a venue that is aesthetically pleasing and in harmony with the existing establishments on Forest Street, adding to the attractive character of the town. The owner has a track record of success in New Jersey and New York and this would be his first location in Connecticut.