Sheesh restaurant space in downtown Ann Arbor is put up for lease following damaging fire
The space that formerly housed the Sheesh Mediterranean restaurant at 207 N. Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor is available for lease, just two months after a stubborn grease fire significantly damaged the building.
The 2,684-square-foot space is listed with Foxway Realty for an annual $24 per square foot.
“All the equipment is in place and included in the lease price,” according to the listing. “Walk-in freezer and all the kitchen supplies you could ever need. This space is under renovation, so please pardon the construction.”
The Sheesh restaurant space is listed for lease after Ann Arbor firefighters put out a fire at the downtown Ann Arbor building on Aug. 22.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
A broker with Foxway Realty declined to provide any further details about the property, and the restaurant owners, Mike Ibrahim and Abe Tarhini, have not been available for comment.
But the real estate listing casts doubt on whether Sheesh will reopen in this location following the fire.
The fire on Aug. 22 displaced about 25 residents of apartments and a condominium unit in the building and closed Sheesh restaurant. The neighboring Edible Arrangements was also forced to close for a short time.
A total of 51 firefighters from four departments battled the blaze and it took hours to extinguish.
Edible Arrangements signed a lease to relocate to Washtenaw Avenue shortly after the fire.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
BobbyJohn
Sun, Nov 13, 2011 : 10:52 p.m.
I had called and talked to the owners a couple of weeks ago at their other location in Livonia. They said they would NOT reopen in A2
JimB
Wed, Nov 9, 2011 : 12:45 a.m.
Sheesh sucked. It was evident the first month open that they were cutting corners to make $. The walls and rug were soiled and filthy from the start too. If no one will clean the most obvious dirt, then I bet the not so obvious stuff was never touched. I went to La Marsa last week and their food was really, really good. Fair prices too. Better than the other new Middle Eastern place near the Michigan theater.
Hmm
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 5:29 p.m.
Oh noes! Please bring back Sheesh they were definitely quality food at competitive prices. If not back on Main st then some other location
Gordon
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 2:09 p.m.
It would appear that the Health code violations & the Insurance company might make it easier for them to rent the space then fry the space. Having been spent 4.5 mnoths as a line cook at a chain restaurant I can tell you it's no fun cleaning the out the grease in the vents. The only way to do it have a company come do it once a month and change the filters. No matter how new / good are the vents airborne grease is everywhere. If you cook at home keep that in mind. Clean your stove vents & replkace your charcoal filters.
Jojo B
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 1:42 p.m.
Well, let's not feel too bad for them. If you recall, they repeatedly had numerous health code violations, 20 total 7 critical, at their last inspection in July. They were repeat offenders and didn't seem to learn from the past. Their violations included soiled utensils, meat stored at incorrect temperatures, stove hood missing filters, residual cleaning chemicals, food kept beyond its expiration dates, employees handling food incorrectly, and this wasn't for just one inspection, this was repeated bad behavior. June 2010: 24 violations, 11 critical. Jan 2011: 19 violations, 5 critical. July 2011: 20 violations, 7 critical. If you're bored, go to the restaurant inspection site and read the various write-ups. IT WILL MAKE YOU SICK. <a href="http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/environmental_health/food_safety/eh_restaurantaccept.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/environmental_health/food_safety/eh_restaurantaccept.html</a> Of note in their July 2011 inspection just a month before the "stubborn" grease fire is this violation: FOUND THE CEILING AND AIR VENTS IN THE KITCHEN COOKING/PREP AREAS SOILED WITH HEAVY GREASY, DUSTY BUILD UP. FOUND THE FLOOR (UNDER AND AROUND EQUIPMENT) IN THE KITCHEN SOILED WITH BUILD UP AND ACCUMULATION. FOUND THE BASEMENT STORAGE AREA FLOOR SOILED WITH BEANS AND ACCUMULATION OF DEBRIS. There were several other "grease buildup" related violations over the past two years. So, is it any surprise that this place folded? The curse of 207 North Main Street has a lot to do with the incompetence and negligence of the establishments rather than any ghosts...
fjord
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 1:13 p.m.
I had high hopes for Sheesh, but the curse of 207 North Main Street spares no one.
Jojo B
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 1:45 p.m.
amlive: I bet Sheeh topped all of the previous 10 years of establishments for number of health code violations including a greasy buildup violation one month before the fire.
amlive
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 1:38 p.m.
Agreed - I thought they actually had a chance of staying for a while. How many businesses have been through there in the last 10 years???
Adam Jaskiewicz
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 12:45 p.m.
:( I only got a chance to eat at Sheesh once, but it was some of the best Middle-Eastern food I've had since moving back to Ann Arbor from Dearborn.