When restaurant biz veteran Ed Nafei bought the old Hong Kong Buffet building on Emmet, he thought he’d be opening his new restaurant, Savour, in a few months. That was almost two years ago. Since then, Savour’s sign has become a familiar site along that section of Route 29, especially since Nafei has amended it from time to time to say “soon,” then “very soon,” then “very, very soon.” As a result, Savour may be the most familiar restaurant in town where no one has eaten yet.

Well, all that is going to change, as Savour’s new General Manager Jeff Hale, of Northern Exposure fame, has announced that Monday, July 7 will be the mystery restaurant’s grand opening date.

The Hook recently got a sneak peek at the decor.

“This will be my last big project,” Nafei told the Hook back in May. “It’s all I know how to do, and I want it to be a Charlottesville landmark.”

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On Wednesday, July 2 at 11:00am the assets of OXO–all the restaurant equipment, including tools, furniture, and furnishings–will be sold off “in a single lot” at a public action to be held at the restaurant on Water Street. According to co-owner Alice Kim, who ran the restaurant with her partner John Haywood for nearly a decade, she and Haywood had finally grown tired of running the restaurant, and with carrying some outstanding debt. The auction, she says, is all part of a pretty complicated sale agreement to get out of the business.

“The auction is knowingly a part of a creative selling of the restaurant,” she says, declining to get into anymore detail until after the auction is over. “It’s a harsh but necessary part of the agreement we made. In hindsight, we should have taken the time to gather better information about our options, which would have allowed for a prettier ending, one we hope doesn’t take away from the great memories and times that OXO provided.”

And who knows, maybe the OXO name will live on. Word on the street is that a certain local collector of restaurants is interested in buying OXO, adding yet another jewel to his Downtown restaurants crown.

However it turns out, Kim and Haywood appear to be taking it in stride, and with a dash of humor.

“We had a magical, intimate funeral and memorial service for OXO Restaurant this past weekend,” says Kim, ” complete with a casket, burial and eulogy.”

So, if you’re interested in buying a restaurant show up at OXO around 9:00am on July 2 to preview the goods, or call lawyer Donald Long for more information: 434-979-1400. Oh, and make sure you bring a big wad of cash, as the high bidder will have to put down 10 percent of the sales price on the spot.

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Last summer’s spat between some Downtown Belmont residents and area eateries over noisy outdoor music seems to have blown over, as La Taza has announced a “Night of Music” tonight (Live music is from 7:30-9 and $5 cover charge), with a DJ spinning records next door at Saxx Jazz Club until 1am. Given the fact that some Belmont residents have said they’ve already got a problem with Friday After Five shows at the Pavilion being too noisy, this might seem like a recipe for disaster.

In March, the City passed a new ordinance that limits sound levels to 75 db(A) when measured outside a restaurant after 11pm.

However, according to La Taza owner Melissa Easter, the music on La Taza’s patio tonight will be acoustic, low key and stop at 9pm. And those promoting the Saxx event say the sound outside the venue will be at an acceptable level. (more)

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L’etoile Fine Virginia cuisine with a French touch. Exceptional wines. Right across from the Amtrak station. 817 W. Main. 979-7957.

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In March, Fraidoon Hovaizi took over the space on Route 29/Rio Road formally occupied by Zandi’s and opened Zam Zam Kabob (Zam Zam means “holy pure water” in Arabic, Hovaizi says). Since then, word about the Iranian-style kabob shop has leaked out slowly, as Hovaizi chose not to advertise too much in the beginning. However, next week Zam Zam Kabob will finally have its “Grand Opening,” and Fraidoon appears ready to spill the beans– or perhaps the Persian saffron rice– and give us the scoop on this new ethnic addition to the Charlottesville restaurant scene.

“We realized there was no kabob shop like this in town,” says the Iranian-born Hovaizi, who emigrated to the U.S. 30 years ago and has lived in Charlottesville with his wife and family for the last decade. “There are many places like this in Northern Virginia, but nothing like it here.” (more)

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