A sad day for Dallas diners: Cremona, the charming Italian joint nestled at the end of Routh Street, has been arrivederci'd by a three-alarm fire that began sometime during the wee small hours of the morning today. Notes WFAA-Channel 8, "The roof of the restaurant collapsed as balls of fire roared through the building"; a firefighter was injured; and investigators note the "likelihood" that the fire started next door, at the Paintball Doctor.
Food may not have been the always toppest of notches, but Cremona satisfied far more than it disappointed -- and the low, low prices ($8.95 for crab claws doused in lemon, butter and garlic) were outmatched only by the joint's funky, cozy outdoor-patio-gone-indoor vibe. So, yes, we'll miss the place about which we wrote, 13 long years ago, "You can't help but like it, odd as it is." --Robert Wilonsky
