Four Corners Comeback?

A restaurant on one of Albany's busiest corners has , with the re-opening of and the shuttering of a recently opened beef sandwich shop.

The owner is new but the name is the same, said manager Ramon Padilla, whose girlfriend, Wendy Ho, has taken over the lease from the short-lived  sandwich shop.

It's the same name, that is, as a previous incarnation of the cafe-cum-revolving-door that has been the fate of half a dozen businesses to try to succeed at 862 San Pablo Ave. since a longtime pharmacy closed there roughly two years ago.

"We like the name and the sign's still there, so we decided to keep it," said Padilla on Tuesday.

Four Corners, version 2.0, had its grand opening Sunday, April 10.

The closed last fall after less than a year in business. Owner Maria Recht, the daughter of the building's landlord, had said the shop couldn't make enough money to support itself, according to a note left on the door when the cafe closed.

After the pharmacy, some neighbors say there was a real estate office, a women's art boutique, then three food establishments. 

Padilla said the new Four Corners is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday it will stay open until 2 a.m. with a late-night menu. It will close Sunday at 8 p.m.

Though the tables and chairs remain the same, the layout has received a welcome transformation. Padilla has turned the food case to face the front door, so customers can see what's available from the entryway. The case is stocked with salads, of the macaroni, leaf and fruit varieties, along with slices of cake in several flavors.

Sandwiches (beef, pastrami, tuna, grilled cheese, BLT and egg salad) range from $4.50 to $6.75. For an extra $2.50, diners can get a side (coleslaw, carrot salad, fruit salad, baby greens or soup) and soda. Juice, San Pellegrino or Red Bull is available for an extra 50 cents.

The cafe offers four types of green salad, along with a daily soup. Desserts cost $4.

Padilla said the cafe has no kitchen, meaning some of the items are not made in-house.

"But we know how to cook," he said. "So that will help."

The cafe eventually will have wi-fi for computer users. Espresso drinks are already available.

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give editor Emilie Raguso a ring at 510-459-8325 or email her at emilier@patch.com.