Tex Mex Bar and Grill has opened in Midtown, while a continued loss of business led the long-time original to close downtown. Owner Mike Keolanui said he's focusing on his newest restaurant, Tex Mex Bar and Grill, and opening two more in Davis and Roseville after "furlough Fridays" and the recession doomed Texas Mexican Restaurant. He’d initially planned to open Tex Mex as a sophisticated sister restaurant to the establishment that operated just off K Street Mall for 19 years. But Keolanui closed Texas Mexican quietly a month ago, without even posting a note on the door, after losing too much money. "It was really sad," he said. "The furloughs were killing me. I just couldn't survive."

A downtown restaurant, Sofia on 11th, is expected to close Saturday — another victim of the recession and Furlough Fridays, as well as a somewhat obscure location. Jeremy and Vicki Bennett, both Mississippi natives, took over the restaurant four years ago with partner Martin Tejeda. Staff was reduced to a skeleton crew in June. Jeremy Bennett shared news of the closing with employees and customers on Thursday. "It just got to the point where I couldn't hold on anymore," he said. Bennett helped seat people when Sofia filled during the lunch rush. Wearing a black T-shirt as he poured iced tea, the most visible sign that he was the owner was the strain on his face. Dinner business droppe