Chuan Lu Garden will reopen later this month at 1011 E. Colonial Drive after an extensive six-month, floor-to-ceiling renovation. Gone is the space’s signature chinoiserie and in its place, a contemporary aesthetic similar to sister restaurant
.
With the new look comes a new name:
A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine.
Owner Joyce Cai said she was all but forced to modify the restaurant’s moniker after Chuan Lu Garden’s original owner, Leon Liu, unexpectedly altered the marquee of his own restaurant, Peter’s Kitchen, to read “Chuan Lu Garden.”
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“I’m very upset,” Cai says. “It feels like I’m being backstabbed. “[Liu] used the time when we were closed for renovations to put the ‘Chuan Lu Garden’ sign in front of Peter’s Kitchen and produce menus with Chuan Lu Garden’s name and logo.”
As we reported last month, Cai’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Liu, but so far, she hasn’t heard back. “I think [Liu] will ignore it,” Cai says.
“Hello, Peter’s Kitchen!” said a staff member when I called the restaurant, so maybe the message has gotten through to Liu.