Farewell, hello and tea time

I knew leaving town during the busiest time of the year would mean returning to a bit of chaos, but I wasn’t anticipating coming back to the sheer upheaval of a Chico institution.

In between karaoke songs during a dear friend’s bachelorette party in Southern California, I checked my phone and saw post after post on my Facebook feed announcing the news: The Graduate was closing after more than 40 years in business, and with little warning.

I wasn’t a regular patron but I still felt sad knowing that I wouldn’t get the chance to say goodbye to the Eighth Street bar and grill. I was nearly 500 miles away.

But it looks as though The Grad had a great send-off even without my one last chili dog and Shirley Temple order. It closed its doors after a kill-the-keg party Dec. 15, with the out-of-town owners citing financial reasons.

Breakfast at B Street I’ve already spent plenty of column inches extolling my love of brunch, and though breakfast typically comes a tad too early for me, I’m still excited to see that one of my favorite weekend brunch spots is expanding its weekday menu to the morning hours.

B Street Public House began opening its doors weekdays at 8 a.m. in mid-December, serving coffee, espresso and breakfast. The shift comes as Alec Binyon joins the geniuses at that bar and restaurant (they have the best spinach fundido and I can’t put words to the tastiness of the trashy chicken tacos) after the unfortunate shuttering of his Great State Coffee Co. in late November.

I’m already relocating some of my out-of-office morning meetings to B Street and can’t wait to try the beignets, which I always feel classy ordering, even though they remind me of grown-up churros.

Tea Time at Two Twenty Speaking of class, I was interested to see that Two Twenty Restaurant is offering a high tea service Jan. 17 for $20 per person. One of my best friends is a high tea aficionado and nearly every Christmas we schedule a high tea date. We once had tea at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston and last year found a great little spot in Roseville to get in our cucumber sandwich and scone fix.

I’m looking forward to trying something locally, and as far as I know, Two Twenty is the only place in the Chico area serving high tea. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling the restaurant at 895-1515 or emailing info@twotwentyrestaurant.com.