Clary’s to reopen Wednesday with same name

Greene County Judge Miles Sweeney opened the door for Clary on Monday when he denied the restaurant’s previous owners David and Lynee Fender’s request for a temporary restraining order against Clary to prevent him from using the same business name.

The Fenders filed the request July 5, less than a month after closing the restaurant that they purchased from Clary in August 2006. The Fenders then filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 6, according to their attorney, Angela Acree.

Acree said Mid-Missouri Bank holds a lien on all of the closed restaurant’s assets, and as a result, Judge Miles Sweeney declared the Fenders were not the proper parties to bring forth the restraining order request. Mid-Missouri could, however, opt to auction the Clary’s name with other restaurant assets, Acree said.

While embroiled in the name-ownership dispute with the Fenders, Clary closed his Fish restaurant in Battlefield Marketplace, 900 E. Battlefield, in June, and spent six weeks renovating the space into a new version of Clary’s. Clary held a VIP opening Sunday, which he said drew about 225 people and raised nearly $8,000 for Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks.

“People were really very impressed with the look of the new restaurant, the food and the staff,” Clary said. “It’s hard when you’ve had a place for 18 years – people have certain expectations. You can never recreate a place like that.”

Clary changed the space’s interior to include earth tones and natural elements, such as bamboo and leather. The restaurant now has two private dining rooms; one seats up to 30 people and is closed off with soundproof curtains, and another, dubbed “Camelot,” seats 20 people and has a round table that can seat 14 ¬– suitable for small business meetings, Clary said.

Other new elements include a classic cocktail bar, a tapas-style appetizer menu, a nine-course tasting menu that can be paired with wines, and live music every Monday and Friday.

About eight of the approximately 50 employees from Fish came on board at the new Clary’s, and Clary has hired about 52 more to round out the staff.

The restaurant will open only for dinner this week, starting at 5 p.m. Regular hours starting Aug. 6 will be 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until midnight Friday and Saturday. It will be closed Sundays and during lunch on Saturdays.