Olives in Charlestown, the restaurant that put Todd English on the culinary map when it opened in 1989, closed last week after an unsuccessful second act.
A grease fire shut down the restaurant in May 2010. It reopened in May 2012, but controversy continued to haunt English and the eatery, ranging from tax and financial trouble to bad reviews and bad karma: Bostonians long ago turned their back on the former favorite son.
There were also ill-advised English antics (his toy gun frightened guests at a New York restaurant opening earlier this year) and even a case of vandalism: somebody tried to throw a brick through the glass of Olive’s soon after last year’s reopening.
English issued this statement Friday that put a happy face on the closing, saying instead the restaurant will evolve and relocate elsewhere in Greater Boston.
Here’s the Friday statement:
Boston, June 28, 2013 — Todd English announced today the relocation of his signature Charlestown restaurant, Olives. The landmark establishment that opened its doors in 1989 on Main Street, and moved to City Square three years later, is once again moving to a new location in the greater Boston area.
“Charlestown is and will always have a special place in my heart. It is with sadness that I will be leaving this neighborhood. We have been here since 1989 and so many wonderful memories are tied to this place,” says Todd English. “But with the incredible way America’s culinary landscape has been evolving, I have decided that Olives – my first and signature restaurant – must also evolve.”
Olives will reopen at a new and shiny location. “I am very excited about this rebirth of Olives. Together with my eldest son, Oliver who I am proud to say has just come onboard, and the whole English culinary family, we have been working for some time on the reinvention of our signature restaurant,” explains English. “What will Olives version 3.0 look like? Well, lets just say it will be a surprise. It will be a true representation of the evolution of America’s hunger for freshness and diversity, but also stay true to Olives Mediterranean roots. Stay tuned!”
The relocation of Olives is also part of a larger project to open additional restaurants in the Boston area. Plans are already underway to open a TE Food Hall and TE P.U.B., two of English’s most successful recent ventures, in New York, Las Vegas and Birmingham. During the relocation, guests in Boston can still enjoy Todd English’s two Figs locations as well as Isabelle’s CurlyCakes for their cupcake fix. For Olives fans who cannot wait, the New York, Las Vegas and newly opened Mexico City locations are just a short train or airplane ride away. In addition, Olives Paradise Island is slated to open this summer in the Bahamas and Olives Abu Dhabi in 2014.