Central Standard was one of the several restaurants owned by a company called Restaurants-America to open in Dallas and close not long after. Primebar, Park Tavern, Townhouse Bar + Grill, Boca Chica, Mockingbird Taproom -- they all went down. Apparently they're not doing so well in Chicago, either.
Central Standard closed last summer, after a very brief tenure in the 1400 Hi Line building in the Design District. Not long after, it was announced that Primo's Bar and Grill would open in the shuttered space, and after some light renovation work it looks like they'll finally be open soon.
The signs over the doors went up recently, calling out the restaurant's name in cool, blue neon. Inside, finish carpenters are currently working on trim. One of them told me the space should be open in about three weeks and from the look of the progress, it doesn't seem like much more than the interior finish of the space will change.
A Primo's location in Garland currently operates successfully, but last year, the Uptown location closed after more than 20 years of operation. The new Hi Line location is a guaranteed success, though, because it is located on the first floor of a high rise luxury apartment building. Hundreds of people will have to practically pass through a Tex-Mex restaurant on their way to evening dinner plans. The lure of chips and salsa will be too much. Residents may never leave the property again. Thank God there's an on-site gym!
Even if those residents do make it out, they have to come home eventually, and plenty of other customers will surely stop in. The Design District needed a Tex-Mex spot to round out all the burger, barbecue, diner and other heart-palpitating restaurants. Soon, it will have one.
