Restaurateur to open ‘upscale-casual neighborhood place’ in former Bandera location

A Rocklin couple’s restaurant concept is under construction at Bandera’s previous location near the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Howe Avenue.

Bennett’s kitchen & bar is expected to open at 2232 Fair Oaks Blvd. in The UV shopping center around next October, co-owner Brian Bennett said. He described it as an “upscale-casual neighborhood place,” with dinner entrees anywhere from $20 to $40, but no set type of cuisine for now.

“We’ve got a little work to do as far as fleshing out what we’re going to do there,” Bennett said. “We’re going to do what we’ve always done, which is use great food sourced from great produce and animals and put great meals on the table. What exactly that shape or form will be is something we’re not sure of yet.”

Bandera left The UV in June after parent company Hillstone Restaurant Group claimed the shopping center’s ownership group, Merlone Geier, tried to implement a “substantial” rent increase. Merlone Geier said Hillstone wasn’t interested in a long-term commitment and was determined to leave.

East Sacramento and Arden Arcade residents regularly kept Bandera’s wait time at more than an hour as they dined on skillet cornbread, pan-seared ahi and an array of steak cuts. Mayor Darrell Steinberg tweeted in May that he was talking to Hillstone about keeping Bandera in Sacramento after its UV closure, but no deal has materialized. Neither Steinberg nor Hillstone responded to a request for comment Wednesday.

“I loved what Bandera did. They didn’t want to be there, so it’s an opportunity for us,” Bennett said. “We can’t recreate nor are we going to try to recreate Bandera. We have to be ourselves, and hopefully we’ll be able to create some new memories where people say ‘Oh, well, they don’t have cornbread, but they have this other dish I like.’”

What’s known so far: Bennett’s kitchen & bar will have a dual rotisserie oven capable of simultaneously roasting meat and vegetables without cross-contamination, a wood-burning oven and a full bar. Fish options will match up with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch sustainability guide, and a separate happy hour menu will complement a deep wine list, Bennett said.

Bennett co-founded Paul Martin’s American Grill in Roseville in 2007 and helped it expand to 10 additional locations before leaving last year, though he retains a minority ownership stake. He has more than 40 years experience in the hospitality industry, including a stint as Chevys Fresh Mex’s vice president of brand operations, and lives with his wife and business partner Susan in Rocklin.

A second Bennett project under construction at 1595 Eureka Rd. in Roseville, Bennett’s kitchen.bar.market., is more defined. The 4,600-square-foot building will have a counter service restaurant for nearby medical workers on short lunch breaks as well as a grocery component. It’ll be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner in March with a Peet’s Coffee stand, rotisserie oven, full bar and 1,600-square-foot patio capable of seating nearly 100 people, Bennett said.

Bennett’s kitchen & bar will join Zocalo, Aji Japanese Bistro, Buckhorn Grill and several other restaurants in The UV, formerly known as University Village.