Sometimes as a longtime customer, it can hurt to love a restaurant. You witness it grow from a promising idea into something truly special, only to watch it all suddenly crash into a heap of hot spaghetti on the floor, steaming for all to see with the acrimony of dysfunctional relationships and a bitter gravy of “he said/she said” accounts competing to untangle the mess.

For some restaurants that’s the end, especially when a talented chef makes an exit. Others manage to survive the breakup with new personalities at the stove and the will to embrace a fresh chapter.