If you haven’t yet been to Riverside’s highly-praised Restaurant Omakase / Bistro O, you’ve got ’til the end of the month to give it a try.

That’s because the founders of Restaurant Omakase / Bistro O will close its doors March 31 in preparation for their new restaurant, The Salted Pig, which is projected to open in early Fall 2010.

In a press release, Brein Clements, executive chef and co-proprietor with his wife, Roryann
Clements, said, “We are sad to bid farewell to Restaurant Omakase / Bistro O, our labor of love over the past four years.”

“But, we are excited for the opportunity to create a whole new restaurant offering for the community, one that can be described as a casual, inviting and ‘whimsical’ restaurant which will offer a quirky combination of a rustic pub and upscale steakhouse in both its atmosphere and menu items.”

A farewell celebration has been planned for March 24 through 31 where Chef Brein will offer customers a glimpse at some of the various snacks and appetizers he has created for The Salted Pig’s diverse, internationally inspired menu. They will be offered at a special price during the restaurants regular dinner hours.

The Salted Pig will also offer a wide variety of international and domestic beers including six local super craft brews as well as 20 bottles of craft brews from around the world. In addition, the
restaurant will bring with it the featured and highly acclaimed wines offered at Restaurant Omakase / Bistro O.

The menu will only offer certified humane meats, will bake all breads and pastries in-house and the majority of the produce will be from a local organic kitchen
garden.

Restaurant Omakase, 3720 Mission Inn Ave., seats 40 in an intimate
setting. The Salted Pig, which will be located a few blocks away, is approximately 8,000 square feet, will seat 86 and will accommodate up to 100 people for private events.

Late-night diners, rejoice! The Salted Pig will be the only restaurant in downtown Riverside to serve food after 10 p.m.

Brein Clements will be the executive chef, Roryann Clements will act as general manager, and the owner of the restaurant is Riverside-based Fierro Foods lead by Ronaldo Fierro.

For a glimpse into what Restaurant Omakase has to offer, follow this link to read a review
from Sun/Daily Bulletin food critic David Cohen.