Sidewalk Cafe for Balderose Fine Foods

They said they'd be doing it and they did. The owners of the yet-to-open Balderose Fine Foods in Fair Haven have been granted permission to host sidewalk cafe dining in front of their new eatery in the warmer months.

The eagerly anticipated gourmet market and caterer will not have seating inside, save for a Manhattan-style window-lined leaning bar where people can gather their things regroup for a few minutes, co-owner Bill Dodge had said.

Though he also said the seasonal sidewalk cafe was a definite. And it is. It's encouraged in Fair Haven, Mayor Ben Lucarelli had said. The governing body feels that a lot of work has gone into the Streetscape beautification program, of which the sidewalks are a feature, so they should be used. Balderose was second on the list of eateries approved for the season. Tavolo Pronto was first.

But when is Balderose opening? That's the question of the day in Fair Haven, as Dodge had estimated namesake and owner/chef Anthony Balderose would be filling local gullets with his gourmet goods by now.

He did say that in revamping the inside, a few glitches had set the opening back a bit.

On the eatery's Facebook page, the only clue is that the opening will come soon. "We will be sending some emails out very soon with details on our grand opening date," an April 8 post read.

If you take a glance inside, it looks just about ready for customers — freshly painted, equipment and lighting installed and relatively cleared.

So, since this Patch editor is waiting for the grand opening along with everyone else, let's wager a guess as to what date you think Balderose will actually open. The winner gets some Patch swag.

Leave your guesses in the comments section below and, while you're at it, tell us if you've ever had a Balderose catered event and, if so, what your favorite dish was.