After a few days of soft opening, both Iron Factory (the new Korean BBQ spot at 255 W. Washington St. downtown, in the former Farm 255/Echo space) and La Puerta del Sol (Bruno Rubio’s new project, on Cedar Shoals) are open for bidness.
Iron Factory is brought to you by Jay and Diane Suh, of Shokitini, and its kitchen will be open until 1 a.m. (bar until 2 a.m.). Tables have been fitted with ranges and individual hoods, to allow guests to cook their own food, and the menu is pitched at a slightly more upscale crowd than you might expect if you’ve only experienced bulgogi and the like in their previous form in Athens (i.e., hard to find, cheapo).
La Puerta del Sol has been a restaurant of considerable drama, from its origins dating back a decade, when then commissioner States McCarter clashed with supporters of the project wearing matching T-shirts during M&C meetings, to the sheer amount of time it took Rubio to get to opening.
For the moment, Rubio may not be 100 percent of the way to his ambitious goals, but you can go check out the results in the former Cofer’s spot, across from the high school. If you still miss Pollo Criollo, Rubio’s departed, chicken-focused restaurant that used to occupy a tiny space at Prince and Satula, you can get some of its menu items. If you are normally a Cali ‘N Tito’s customer but you live on the Eastside and don’t feel like driving into town, you can get plenty of its offerings, too.
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