Governor Will Not Reopen

The owners of Colonie, Gran Electrica, and Governor announced over the weekend that, due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, they will not be reopening Governor.

"In the aftermath of this dreadful storm, we assessed the destruction at Governor caused by five feet of water, and we were determined to rebuild our fledgling restaurant.  But despite our commitment and the subsequent and remarkable outpouring of support in all forms--from individuals, the restaurant industry and the community, we have, regrettably, been forced to accept that the scope and scale of repairing the damage to our restaurant is beyond our means financially.

It is with a very heavy heart that we must humbly face up to this fact."

We had the good fortune of eating at Governor shortly after the restaurant opened, but the unfortunate news serves as a reminder of the storms severity. We're sad to see the restaurant close, as it had quickly received city-wide acclaim, neighborhood praise, and two stars from Pete Wells in the mere four months it was open. Benefits held and donations made since Sandy have raised over $50,000 for the restaurant, but Tamer Hamawi, one of three owners, "estimated the damage at $300,000 to $350,000," writes Wells in an article for Diner's Journal. The owners are offering to return all the donations.

Along with Hamawi, Elise Rosenberg and Emelie Kihlstrom will continue to pour their efforts into their other two projects, "We will continue to operate Colonie and Gran Electrica and refocus our efforts on making these businesses viable in their Brooklyn neighborhoods for the long term." The statement also reveals that Brad McDonald, who served as the executive chef for the restaurant group, will be moving on "to spend time with his wife and two young children." [StongBuzz] [Diner'sJournal]