AROUND TOWN

Auction Likely Brings
Rathskellar Era to an End

It’s not often you can take a seat in history. Bidder No. 22 did just that Feb. 2 — in fact, he took seats by the booth, all eight of them for $4,500, at the auction to sell The Ramshead Rathskeller’s assets to pay its back taxes.

The first of more than 200 people began lining up shortly after 8 on a chilly Saturday morning to buy memories of the restaurant that served overloaded dishes, many with extra cheese, at affordable prices since 1948. Francis Henry ’ 67, sole owner of the below-ground eatery since 2002, owed the taxes. The restaurant closed in mid-December, under an agreement with the N.C. Department of Revenue. Henry had closed the restaurant once before, for repairs in summer 2006, reopening in time for the students’ return that August.

“It’s a strange thing. It’s a legal entanglement that has more to do with the people who own the building than the tax situation,” said Henry, making reference to a long-standing dispute he has had with the building owners over the need for repairs, which included a leak that closed the popular Cave Room for several months. The restaurant, in Amber Alley off Franklin Street, also faced increasing competition from a wealth of new, better-lit cafes that have mushroomed along Franklin over the past couple of years.

Court records showed that the Ramshead Rathskeller LLC owed $159,651.57 to the federal government, $49,427.66 to the state Department of Revenue and $2,626.11 to Orange County. The amount netted in the auction is not public record.

Auctioneer Tony Furr of Classic Auctions in Locust explained how an auction works to the crowd packed into the warren of rooms, with more in the alley pressing to enter. A beefy aide with a long, gray ponytail hoisted a large stockpot. Strategically posted spotters scanned the room, alert to the flick of bidders’ cards that indicated they were interested in the item. Furr took a deep breath and reeled off a staccato patter of ever-increasing numbers. Seconds later, bidder No. 97 had bought a piece of the Rat.

“Pass the pot to No. 97,” Furr said, and

the aging hippies in the crowd snickered as ciates, speculated that the closing stemmed the vat was surfed toward the alley from a shift in emphasis by the BW3 chain entrance. from a student-oriented bar to a family-

Bidder No. 22, aka Jim Lilley of Jim Lil- friendly restaurant. ley Properties, banded with two other local Liz Parham, executive director of the businessmen, spending several thousand dollars to buy big-ticket, irreplaceable items such as tables and booths with an eye toward allowing

Morris Commercial, which manages the building housing the

D TH/KELVIN YEUNG

Francis to reopen at some point. Johnny

Morris III, president of

Rathskeller, and Bob Auctioneer Tony Furr closes a deal as fans spanning several generations

_{Britt, co-owner} _ofpacked the Ramshead Rathskeller auction Feb. 2, snapping up pans,

_Merritt’s _Store _& _Grill,signs and other fixtures. The restaurant, which opened in 1948, closed in December and sold assets to pay back taxes.

completed the trio.

Bidding grew heated over the Cave Room entrance sign, but Kyle Smith ’ 97 won out for $340 and found out later he was bidding against a friend.

“It’s worth it,” Smith said. “The $340 I’ll forget about, but I won’t forget about the sign.”

Moments later, he snagged a framed caricature of Dean Smith for $200. “I thought it would go for twice that,” he said. He and his sister, Jomarie Zon ’ 99, and their parents drove from Cary, as they had every month for years to dine at the Rat. “Until I was 18, this was the only restaurant in Chapel Hill I’d ever eaten at,” Smith said. “The Cave was where we always sat.”

In October, Kyle and Jomarie’s father, Larry Smith ’ 66, collapsed at a Carolina football game, was rushed to the hospital and underwent lengthy heart-bypass surgery. As the hours wore on, Kyle and Jomarie went out for what was to be their last meal at the Rat.

“We sat in the Cave Room, waiting for Dad to get out of surgery,” Kyle said, “and ate Gamblers.”

Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, pointed out that there are still 81 restaurants downtown. Within days of the closing, she received inquiries from four businesses interested in taking over the space.

Shop Serves Teas With Blend-Ins

Wings Restaurant Closes

Buffalo Wild Wings took flight the end of December, closing the West Franklin Street sports bar a month shy of the Super Bowl party season. BW3’s landlord, Antoine Puech, president of Prestige Asso-

Chill Bubble Tea counted among those 81 downtown dining options, for the liquid lunch crowd. Bubble tea is a tea-based smoothie, blended with a selection of ingredients from one of three categories. Chill Classics are just that: flavors such as coconut, cherry, strawberry and the more adventuresome lychee, mango, taro and purple Oreo. Fresh Fruit bubble tea blends in the likes of banana, kiwi and pineapple. Chill Creations cater to your wild side, with flavors named cool blue raspberry, cotton candy and strawberry shortcake. More flavors are available depending on the season.

The bubble teas are priced in the $3 to $4 range.

The Chapel Hill store of the franchise has upstairs seating overlooking Franklin Street. The decor is colorful and contemporary: hardwood floors, leather couches and flat-screen TVs.