Juniper & Rye Pulls Out of St. Johns' Central Hotel

Less than three months after debuting in St. Johns' still-under-renovation Central Hotel, cocktail bar/restaurant Juniper & Rye has called it quits. According to an official announcement, co-owners Chris Bollenbacher and Julie Waldman "have ended our contract... at the proposed Central Hotel location" effective last Wednesday, with the hopes of taking their concept elsewhere in St. Johns. Per the announcement:

"While we already miss our loyal guests and our incredibly talented team, we are hoping to find a more stable and permanent location near or in St Johns for Juniper & Rye. We have other efforts in the pipeline and have been receiving many requests to do consulting, private catering and bartending gigs; this will give us the time we need to find that perfect new location within the St. Johns community."

Bollenbacher, formerly of St. Johns' Cathedral Kitchen (and an alum of Seattle's Serafina and Cicchetti), had been earning solid buzz for Juniper's cocktail program. Meanwhile, the sprawling ground-floor space (which can seat 120 in addition to pool and ping-pong tables) is open as the Central Hotel Restaurant and Bar.
· Juniper & Rye [Official site]