It's also been almost two years since Menlo Park's Bradley's Fine Diner closed on New Year's Day 2017, reportedly because celebrity chef Bradley Ogden had undisclosed disagreements with owner Ogden Hospitality Group's CEO Christopher Vestal. (This is in the former Gambardella's Ristorante Italiano space at 1165 Merrill St., and next door to 1195 Merrill St., where Crepes Café cratered, in the same building, Menlo Square, across from the CalTrain station.)

According to a Feb. 2017 story by The Almanac's Kate Bradshaw, Ogden Hospitality Group got dissolved shortly after that, and Mr. Vestal claimed his new company Cherry Pie Hospitality would be soon opening a new restaurant in BFD's space with a 'brand new concept' that is 'light and bright' with flexible space for private events, plus a 'larger menu and a more expansive wine and cocktail list'.

Posters went up on the doors announcing the wunderkind restaurant arriving soon, with a matching Web site where you could sign up to get news -- and then nothing at all has happened for two years.

I see that, since May, those two addresses, i.e., the entire Menlo Square property, has been listed for sale through commercial realtor Colliers International. If anyone has a spare $1.8m burning a hole in one's pocket, now's your chance.

Rick Moen
[email protected]

Still loving the classics, such as Flea St.

No mention of Traverna? Seems like an oversight.

@RickMoen, you read my mind. I've been wondering why the former BFD space is still empty as well. Thanks for the backstory. Looks like that "Cherry Pie Hospitality" entity has gone belly-up as well. If you Google them, it says they're being sued for over 1 million dollars by some ice cream shop lease dispute in another state.