Blue Ocean (6335 Delmar) will be closing before the month’s end—the victim of an eviction it tried to fight. The late-night sushi and ramen spot was a familiar landmark in the heart of the Delmar Loop for 17 years.
General manager Ben Sawyer recently took over the restaurant from its founder, Eakachai Ploentham. Sawyer says the restaurant fell behind on rent during the pandemic, but he believes Ploentham had an oral representation from its longtime landlord not to worry about it. He says the matter didn’t come up for years after that. He was surprised when, earlier this year, the landlord cited those missing payments as a reason Blue Ocean needed to vacate in 30 days.
Citing a 15-year lease that wasn’t up until next year, Blue Ocean tried to fight back, but in July, landlord Hofgrit LC filed for an eviction, alleging $70,295 in unpaid rent, as well as $35,608 in utility payments. (The landlord’s attorney, Christine Travaglini, didn’t respond to a message seeking comment yesterday.)…