Thursday, November 19, 2009
News / Restaurants Mirror Plans to Hang It Up by Next Year
Posted by Dana Kopp Franklin on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 8:14 PM
Mirror, one of the pioneering restaurants of the boom in the 12South neighborhood, is up for sale, says Rick Bolsom, who owns the restaurant with Michael and Colleen DeGregory. The restaurant's lease is up next year, and the three hope to sell the business by sometime in 2010.
The DeGregory family is planning to move back to South Florida, where Colleen grew up. "Mike and Colleen are at the time of life that they want to get back home," Bolsom says. "They miss the ocean."
The couple met in Miami Beach, where they cooked at different restaurants. They relocated to Nashville and opened Mirror in 2000.
Bolsom says that until the recent recession, Mirror was a consistently profitable business. The restaurant witnessed dramatic changes in the neighborhood as 12South turned into a thriving retail and residential neighborhood. "It's been a heck of a 10 years," he says.
Mirror has quietly put the word out in the restaurant industry that the business is for sale, Bolsom says. (The property is owned by 1221 Partners, and a new restaurant would be able to negotiate a fresh lease.)
Several parties have inquired about the sale, Bolsom says. The restaurant is being offered as a "turnkey operation," meaning it's fully equipped to reopen under a new owner. He says if a deal is reached and the buyers can work out a lease with the landlord, "they can be in possession the next day."
Mirror is expected to keep operating until it is sold or the lease expires. One face that won't be seen there is celebrated bartender Stephanie Johnson, who made a big splash in town before leaving Mirror a few months ago.
Comments (15)
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Terrible news...losing the restaurant is one thing; losing the DeGregorys is a whole 'nother. Many many many hours spent in their place under my belt. I still sometimes crave the salmon spring roll they once had on the menu.
With my luck, another freaking burrito joint will take its place.
The Mirror staff were so dear to us when the baby was a baby and we took her to dinner with us several times. Got to go soon with Miss Baby now that she's grown up. I was just asking someone about Sunday brunch at Mirror.
In an amazing coincidence, I talked to Stephanie last night about some plum brandy and will have a post featuring her thoughts next week.
I JUST ate there Friday night! Everything was divine, as was in my previous visits. :(
Meh. This restaurant has been circling the drain for at least a year now - I for one am not surprised with this news. What with the move away from the tapas/small plates to generic food you can pretty much get at any other Nashville restaurant, the only reason to go of late was for the chocolate soup. I will certainly miss that, but the rest, not so much. As far as I'm concerned, I've been mourning the loss of Mirror long before this announcement.
I'm with Steph. I wouldn't say "circling the drain" but I haven't been back since my first visit after the switch in concept. Really enjoyed my visits to the sleek sophisticated small plates restaurant; the "diner" wasn't anything special.
The DeGregorys will indeed be missed, as will the restaurant. Jay and I had a delicious dinner there a few weeks back. Colleen was hospitable and fabulous, as always!
I do not think anyone was more disappointed by Mirror dropping tapas than the DeGregorys. At the end of the day, they had to make a business decision. The irony is that they basically pioneered something that seems only now be taking off in Nashville. They were 10 years ahead of the curve.
I wish them all the best!
This has been one of my favorite restaurants since I moved here 7 years ago and I too was sad when they switched from the tapas menu. However, they still had many of my favorites on the menu, so I just worked around it and made up my own tapas by substituting and/or ordering 2 or 3 apps.
Has anyone had their Banana Bread Pudding? it is divine. Seriously, I think it's the best dessert in Nashville. I tell everyone I know when they go there that they must get it. It's way better than the chocolate soup in my opinion.
Colleen DeGregory is truly one of the most creative persons in the Nashville food community. I've seen her pull together incredible food displays for different charity events that are mind blowing. I've long thought that Michael was one of the most talented chefs in town. I remember when he competed in several "chef" events with his arsenal of creative talents and blew everyone away. And let's not forget the restaurant that was really at the forefront of pushing GREAT martinis before martinis were cool. Here's a toast to the future success of you both! See you Friday for my favorite martini.
We've had many great experiences at the Mirror not only because of the food and cocktails but also because of the friendship that developed with Mike and Colleen over the years dining with them. My first taste of Mirror was their mushroom consomme at a soup sunday. Lars, Vincent and I wish them all the best in their new adventures. Good luck. Thanks for 10 years.
Sad....I hate it. I urge people to support local restaurants!..Yes we love them, but we need to fill seats to keep them around!
I am so sorry to see the end of this amazing saga for the Mike and Colleen. Nashville will feel their loss. The-Best-of-the-Scene party will be less fashionable for sure. Mirror was the first of its kind here, and it added style, class and culinary excitement. It's energy comes from its owners and will be sorely missed. Much luck!
Buh-bye. Rude and not particularly creative or talented bartendress (oh, the vaunted Stephanie in Scene pages), rude/indifferent/cooler-than-thou owners, and health dept. issues aside, I'm kinda sad to see the DeG's limp back to Miami. Sorry Rick, but you bet an two lame horses.
If I remember correctly, it was AIG, Lehmann Brothers, and Mirror that caused the economic lapse into recession. The DeGregorys deserve to suffer for their actions and should be given no sympathy.
Jeez, people! Gloating at the misfortunes of others makes you look fat!
A 10 year run is quite a respectable achievement for any restaurant. They obviously made more than a few people happy along the way.
