Kozy's Closing Down in Favor of Pittsburgh Blue

"It comes down to dollars and cents," said Bill Kozlak, Jr., owner of about closing the eatery and bar in the Galleria that he and his wife Dana opened in 2005.

That year, Kozy's took over the spot where Daniel's once stood. However, on March 26 it will shut its doors for good, as the upscale shopping center's clientele never quite sparked to the place. The cute patio and key location near the Westin Hotel were simply not enough to lure Edina eaters into the Jax Cafe owners' supper club foray into the south suburbs.

The space won't be vacant for long, though. According to Kip Clayton, Parasole Restaurant Holding's Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, the company is already finalizing a lease with the Galleria.

"We plan to open the Edina location of Pittsburgh Blue in the fourth quarter of 2011," Clayton said. "Hopefully September."

The new restaurant will be similar in both decor and menu to the outpost of Pittsburgh Blue that the company already operates in Maple Grove, known for both its hopping after-work bar scene and its steak.

"We believe that there is a 'steak gap' in Edina's dining options that Pittsburgh Blue will fill," Clayton explained.

Parasole will keep the private dining room near the patio intact and after their renovations, it will seat up to 55 guests.

The name Pittsburgh Blue refers to, "the way steelworkers used to eat their steak: charred black on the outside, cold and raw on the inside," according to the restaurant's website — though nobody from the Parasole camp recommended eating it that way.

The Galleria didn't officially comment on the changing of the guard, but Edinians seem unsurprised.

One local woman said she, "saw it coming," and others chalk it up to the popularity of the nearby restaurants Crave and Good Earth. Both are Parasole properties, so this is old hat for them. In fact, Good Earth moved into the shopping area ages ago, in 1987.

Meanwhile, Kozlak wanted to remind gift certificate holders to come visit Kozy's before it's all over.

"It's been tough times," he admitted. Nonetheless, they will serve some special dishes on that final Saturday.

And, of course, diners who miss Kozy's can always make the trip to Northeast Minneapolis' venerated Jax Cafe, which generations of the Kozlak family have run since 1933.