Brewery District Bistro Bids Adieu

10 TV: An award-winning restaurant in the Brewery District is closing its doors after 18 years. The meals will end at Handke's Cuisine on June 20....

The restaurant's founder, master chef Harmut Handke, sold the eatery last year. The new owners are blaming the economy for the restaurant's closing, saying that business is down more than 40 percent in the past six months.

Handke's Cuisine is the third high-profile fine-dining establishment to shut down in recent months. RJ Snappers in the Short North closed its doors in October, and Thom's on Grandview Boulevard became a victim of the sour economy just last month.

Richard Rosendale, who operates restaurants in the Short North, understands why diners are staying away from high-end establishments. "They are not really concerned about where they are going to eat Friday night as they are the condition of their retirement package," Rosendale said…

Rosendale said he has changed his menu to have more bistro fare at lower prices in order to keep customers. The lower prices appear to be attracting more diners, Rosendale said.

Handke's Cuisine won numerous awards, including being named the state's top restaurant four years in a row in Zagat surveys earlier this decade. The restaurant has been in business since 1991.