Nick Badovinus Does His Own Thing

This much is obvious: Nick Badovinus wasn't long for the Consilient Restaurants world. As founder Tristan Simon expanded his little Henderson Avenue fiefdom (Fireside Pies, Hibiscus, Cuba Libre, The Porch) into the exurbs, Badovinus' role as dining room personality was diluted. He was governed more by economies of scale and professionalization than wry quips and spice improv as kitchens gradually assembled beneath him. "I don't think I was built to be the guy behind the guy," he says. So by January 1, he cut loose. Off to do his own thing, taking with him a small equity stake in Fireside Pies and potentially fertile relationships with Consilient's investors. What is that Badovinus thing? He's tight-lipped. "Maybe it's an entire build-your-own mac 'n' cheese concept," he says. "Give a little nod to the Genghis Grill, ya know?"

Speculation: Martini Park in the Shops at Legacy is poised to shutter in the wake of a liquor license imbroglio. Reality: "Absolutely not," says Martini Park general manager Bill Arnold. "Rumor control. Everybody is speculating that, but that is not the case at all." Rumors of the demise of the bites-and-sips joint for the over-30 set followed its requested mixed-beverage license change. Arnold wouldn't comment on those changes but its renewal application at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is flagged with two violations last April related to on-premise promotions and sales to an intoxicated person, resulting in fines of $18,000...After nearly 22 years serving dim sum, authentic Vietnamese cuisine and Americanized Chinese, Arc-en-Ciel in Garland is gone. Owner Mickey Luu had grown weary of running the 450-seat restaurant, says a source (Luu could not be reached for comment). Arc-en-Ciel expanded to an ill-fated 1,275-seat Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant in 1995 that was subsequently sold off and shuttered...Chantal Cookware Corp., the Houston-based maker of haute pots, pans and teakettles, announced a promo deal in New York last week with ex-Abacus chef and Top Chef star Wilcox. Wilcox will hawk Chantal's Copper Fusion line at various trade shows and events. Copper fusion melds a copper plate to a carbon steel core harnessing the heat performance of copper without the cleaning and polishing hassles.