For months, it sat there -- immaculately decorated and gathering dust, just waiting to get rolling.
Then came the approvals. Within hours, the doors swung open.
On Jan. 11, Tomo Sushi & Hibachi Restaurant and Lounge hit the ground running. The Japanese restaurant -- 1293 West Ninth Street, 216-357-8200 -- opened after a lengthy construction and renovation of the building, which sat empty for years after housing the old Flex bathhouse.
The basement, first floor and mezzanine level were rolled out to passers-by who stopped in out of curiosity to check out the unveiling of the menu, the sleek bar, mod decor and that big golden Buddha.
Tomo will eventually open five floors, according to co-owner Benny Yang, who also operates Japanese restaurants in Long Island, N.Y., and at Cedar Point.
"We have hibachi grills and sushi bars on two floors and food service on the mezzanine," said Yang. "We're also going to have a lounge and another floor for receptions and private parties."
Yang was quick to point out that there are many steps before getting there -- not to mention kinks that need to be worked out before Tomo's grand opening on Monday, Feb. 11.
"We waited for a long time to get the approvals. And once we did, we opened right away -- so it isn't going to be perfect," he said. "We just want people to come in and try it out."
Tomo still needs to fill out its staff, he added.
"Hibachi and sushi chefs aren't so easy to come by, but we want to hire all local people," he said. "We also need servers and bartenders, but we're hoping to get there by the time we do our grand opening."
In other words, it's a work in progress. More on Tomo later.
