By Susan E. Campbell
\nRobert Murphy is moving his Craft on 9 restaurant and tap room from Moreau to 7 South St. in the heart of Glens Falls.
\nAfter only two and a half years, his first restaurant will soon have double the seating and offer a fine dining and a high-end lounge experience.
\nMurphy took over the space at 1451 Route 9 when Luisa Italian Restaurant closed. His concept was a gastropub, with a full array of craft beers and stouts, plus wine and mixed drinks. The restaurant quickly grew to have a reputation for fast service of sandwiches, burgers and entrees and for outstanding cocktails
\n\u201cNow we are running out of room,\u201d he said. \u201cI learned over five years as the kitchen manager at Bistro Tallulah the importance of minimizing the wait on a Friday or Saturday night.\u201d
\nMurphy said he never turns anyone away. Craft on 9 is a destination and loyal customers come from all around Saratoga, Glens Falls and Queensbury.
\nHis friend Chris Patten, of Patten Property Development, bought the building where Craft on 9 will make its new home at the corner of South Street and Glen Street. Mikado Japanese Steakhouse was the most recent tenant.
\nThe Murphy family has been renovating the space and there is much to do to be ready for a grand opening in the late spring. Murphy\u2019s father, a job-site superintendent for Hunt Companies, general contractors out of Argyle, is taking the lead in completely gutting the building. Everything in the building will be new, from plumbing and electrical to heating and air conditioning systems.
\n\u201cWe even chipped out a concrete floor and poured a new one,\u201c said Murphy.
\nThe new floor plan calls for a bar and lounge out front and a separate fine-dining area in the back, serving food on both sides. He said the new dining area will be nearly the same square footage as the current space, but can accommodate a few more tables.
\n\u201cWe are really investing in the front lounge,\u201d he said. \u201cThe restaurant will become a unique, multi-level dining experience with second-floor tables overlooking the first floor.\u201d
\nHe said the new endeavor and downtown location will attract theater and hockey crowds and will enable two seatings at night
\n\u201cTurnover is everything,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd with more volume, I am going to be able to do more creative things with the menu than I could do before.\u201d
\nCraft on 9 serves only fresh food. Murphy said they freeze nothing, and with higher turnover, there are no ingredients getting thrown out.
\n\u201cThe seafood comes right into Boston Harbor, flown to Albany, and shipped up to me,\u201d he said.
\nMurphy wants to explore his creativity by expanding a little on all aspects of the menu, he said.
\n\u201cThe first chance I had to be creative was in my first management position at George Henry\u2019s in Warrensburg,\u201d he said. \u201cI was not just cooking someone else\u2019s recipes. The owner gave me a lot of freedom to fall in love with food. It\u2019s art.\u201d
\nThe restaurant website is www.crafton9.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Susan E. Campbell Robert Murphy is moving his Craft on 9 restaurant and tap room from Moreau to 7 South St. in the heart of Glens Falls. After only two and a half years, his first restaurant will soon have double the seating and offer a fine dining and a high-end lounge experience. Murphy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n