Two empty eatery spaces in downtown Colusa to fill up

Two downtown Colusa restaurant spaces that have sat empty for a number of months are about to get new occupants.

Tom Indrieri is expanding his popular Market Street cafe into the old Mi Ranchito Mexican Restaurant at Market and Fourth streets, and a brand new bar and grill is coming to the former Brick House restaurant on Market Street across from the courthouse.

Indrieri said he hopes to open the doors of his new and much larger site in September, but it will more likely be in October.

He said he will keep the name Tommy's Market Street Grill, and the menu will stay basically the same except for one big addition.

"We will be offering dinner on Friday and Saturday nights," Indrieri said.

The plan is to change the dinner menu every month or so depending on the season.

"Then the more popular dishes we will bring back more often," Indrieri said.

Indrieri is toying with the idea of keeping some of the Mi Ranchito flavors associated with the former business, but said it would be on a specialty basis only.

"We might try a Mi Ranchito weekend," he sad, "but when I start my Friday and Saturday (dinners), I want to keep things fresh."

He likened it to many of the Napa Valley restaurants that frequently change their menus to feature what is fresh on the market throughout the year.

With the new restaurant also comes nine additional jobs.

The remodel work on what was the Brick House is under way with Kirt Stassi and his crew giving the inside a more open and brighter look.

Carolee Ornbaun and Don Litchfield purchased the building from Bill and Sandy McGinthy, who opened the Brick House in 1993.

A fictitious business name was filed with the county for Rocco's Bar and Grill on July 6.

Ornbaun said that when she was filing some of the preliminary paperwork that they hoped the restaurant would offer something different for the area.

The new owners were not available for comment, but the goal is to have the restaurant open in September.

Indrieri is not sure what might replace his restaurant at the old site, but believes a bakery has inquired about the space.