Vernon Circle Restaurants: The Open, The Almost Open, The Closed

VERNON, CT — In the bustling Vernon Circle area, one restaurant has opened, another has extended its opening timetable and a third has caused a firestorm of commentary by "closing temporarily."

Let's look at the scenario:

The Open

This week Poke Sushi had a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony with town officials. The restaurant is located at 129 Talcottville Road, next to a Verizon store and near Wendy's.

It had a soft opening late last month.

Owner Andrew Lin said the restaurant's vision is to revolutionize the concept of traditional Asian food takeout.

"We strive to infuse our dishes with the rich traditions of our Asian roots while elevating the takeout experience for our customers," he said.

Lin is joined by partners Chef Jerry and Sushi Chef Jie Chen, who want to offer, "an exceptional takeout experience that honors our cultural heritage while embracing the dynamic culinary landscape of today."

The partners also have a restaurant in downtown Hartford.

The Almost Open

Birdcode had initially scheduled a tentative formal opening for July 18, but has pushed that date out to a tentative July 25, according to Vernon Director of Development Services Shaun Gately. The exterior signs have been up for some time as crews work on the interior.

Birdcode is located at the Tri-City Plaza at 35 Talcottville Road and will occupy a space in the former Papa Gino's location next to Mo's Southwest Grill and will operate jointly with Mo's, Gately said.

Birdcode currently has two locations in Connecticut — its mothership restaurant at 120 Park Road in West Hartford and its Darien eatery at 151 Post Road. Expansion plans not only include Vernon, but at 101 Albany Turnpike in Canton and at 488 Hartford Road in New Britain.

According to its website, Birdcode features "farm-fresh, 100 percent air-chilled, never-frozen, steroid- and antibiotic-free chicken," locally baked brioche buns, fresh local produce and "one-of-a-kind french fries."

The Closed

Well it's temporary, according to a sign on the door at Franki B's Tavern and Gately, who indicated he spoke to the property owner of 346 Kelly Road.

The "temporarily closed" sign has emerged not only on the door, but on the Frankie B's website and social media pages. It cited "renovations," which seemed odd because it opened in the spring of 2023.

The posting seemed to open a platform for Facebook pontificators to rail about the situation from former staffers to disgruntled customers to those who said they liked the place. Some said the place would never open again and other said they missed it already.

Gately said the likely scenario, based on conversations with the property owner, is that it will resurface in some way after some "renovations" and "re-organizing."