DelMar

Former Baseball Player To Sell Off Failed Restaurant

Filed under: Dining, Sports, Celebrity Design

Many sports figures tend to get into the restaurant business. For some this can be a great investment but it doesn't always have a happy ending. Baseball player Steve Finley has filed bankruptcy on behalf of BRG Restaurant Group, the company that owned his upscale, San Diego area Flight Restaurant. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that last year, Finley ran into trouble, handing out paychecks that bounced. Finley has said he still wants to pay his former employees but that the business ran out of money because of the economy and management problems which left him as the restaurant manager at one point.

In January, Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation papers were filed but this week Finley canceled the bankruptcy because he is close to a deal to have someone else take over the restaurant and pay back wages. Finley is a World Series champion and five-time Gold Glove Award winner who opened the restaurant with a team of investors. It overlooks the polo fields at El Camino Real and Via de la Valle in Del Mar. The restaurant served pricey Italian fare but also had a bar with a nightclub atmosphere. It once featured dancing girls dressed as angels, a nod to one of Finley's former teams (he played a brief season for the Angels in 2005).

UPDATE: A picture of Chuck Finley was mistakenly used in an earlier version of this story, we regret the error.

Gallery: Celebrity Restaurants

Tags: del mar, DelMar, restaurants, san diego, SanDiego, steve finley, SteveFinley

L'Auberge Del Mar Opens

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Last week L'Auberge Del Mar re-opened in Del Mar, California with a new design that's more like a high end private estate than a typical luxury resort. The renovation cost about $25 million dollars, or $200,000 per room, and the result is a combination of both upgraded appearance and upgraded services and amenities. There's too much detail to talk about it all here but some of the new features that caught my attention are the Waterfall Terrace (which includes a 14-foot illuminated waterfall) and the 4500 sq ft luxury spa. The rooms all have walk-in showers, marble-topped vanities, the best in technologically advanced amenities (i.e. 42" plasma TVs and iPod docking clock radios), and many have fireplaces. Where do I sign up?

Gallery: The New L'Auberge Del Mar