[EastSideHBG]

Owner plans transformation of restaurant

Saturday, May 29, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

It's time for 5:01 Downtown to close, owner Ron Kamionka says.

But the Harrisburg restaurant renowned for its fresh fish won't be dark for long, and the corner of Walnut and Second streets will retain the New Orleans flavor of 5:01.

While the eatery will close on June 5, Bourbon Street Station, a new establishment under the same ownership, will open on the site the following Thursday, June 10, Kamionka said.

Bourbon Street Station will open daily at 4 p.m., primarily as a "beverage operation" with a raw bar, he said.

"The profit margins are a lot less in food than in beverages, so I've decided to focus on beverages," Kamionka explained.

Bourbon Street Station also will fit better with Kamionka's other properties, which include Eclipse and the Hardware Bar in Harrisburg and the Hardware Bar and Vertigo dance club in York, he said.

Kamionka also manages NOMA and Mars in downtown Harrisburg and plans to open BD Sports Bar and Cherry Lane Cafe in York on June 15.

5:01 Downtown opened in December 2000, replacing the former Dewey's Dry Dock.

Kamionka sounded almost sentimental yesterday. "5:01 was my first place in downtown Harrisburg," he said. "It's an extremely successful restaurant. ... It's a matter of profit margin."