EDIBLE: Bistro Beaujolais closes, new owners at Lafayette Kitchen & Cafe go heavy French.

Way back in January 2008, right before stock markets around the world crashed, I wrote a news story for the Weekly about a little restaurant ruckus on the bottom floor of Carmel Plaza.

Longtime local restaurateur Ken Spilfogel and his New-York-style Lenny’s Deli – with the matzo ball soups, big salads and specialty sandwiches like the Rudolph Giuliani (pastrami, corned beef, turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing on rye) – were getting the boot. (Yes, we had a Jewish deli in Monterey County.) He wasn’t happy about it at all, claiming his landlords discriminated against his blue-collar style. (They said, in a word, “False.”)

Now in January 2018, almost exactly a decade later, drama is dropping in on that same spot, as longtime local restaurateur Firok Shield, who bravely dove into the recession economy after Lenny’s left, isn’t renewing his lease. He’s blaming ongoing construction in front of his Bistro Beaujolais, where his popular patio was once a big draw, as the reason he’s leaving – and the reason he has had a disastrous few months. Apparently noisy construction and “Danger” signs aren’t good for business. “Try being in my shoes for the last nine months and see what you complain about,” he says.

The Carmel Plaza renovation started in March on the third floor and took over half the ground floor in April, before shifting to the other half this fall. Unfortunately for Shield, given his central location, both halves interfered with his entrance. “It’s still a mess,” he says.

Plaza GM Gayle Speare contends the first update since 2005 – with new staircases, fire pits, planters, railings and cedar paneling – is well worth the hassle, even as it’s lasted well past its projected Nov. 20 completion date. “We’re making some necessary repairs that were beyond the scope of the cosmetic renovation,” she says. “This may add a few weeks to the schedule, and we’re anticipating completion in the next 90 days. We’ve received very positive feedback from customers. We think everyone will appreciate these efforts.”

Beaujolais’ demise comes on the heels of its sister Da Giovanni’s own closure Nov. 8 because its landlords are transforming it into apartments.

“We’re at the mercy of these landlords,” Shield says. That leaves Carmel Bistro Giovanni (626-6003) as the last of his restaurants. ThreeCarmelRestaurants.com is ready to be renamed.

There is good news. Carmel Plaza already has real estate broker John McCormack looking for a restaurant tenant. Carmel Bistro has added favorites from the other restaurants like Mediterranean meatballs, cannelloni and Alaskan halibut baked in phyllo dough with Jamaican molasses sauce. And its liquor license has comforted Da Giovanni clients used to just beer and wine.

Ken Spilfogel, meanwhile, is expanding his portfolio of projects like Shield back in the ’00s. He and Soerke Peters (who is also reinventing Village Corner) are partnering on Lafayette Kitchen and Cafe on Dolores (238-6010), which they took over Jan. 1, and where they are dramatically deepening the wine list with French and Monterey County wines. They’re also adding dinner as soon as the end of next month, with a focus on old-school French – pâtés, house mustards, custom mangalitsa charcuterie and more.

Spilfogel has run eight restaurants, seven in Carmel, since 1978, through war, earthquakes, 9/11 and recession. “The roller coaster ride goes back to the ’80s,” he says. “If you want to be good at restaurants, you really have to love it.”