Red Lotus Kitchen & Bar is expected to open as early as the first week in April — with gold Chinese calligraphy on its walls, dim sum on its tables and silk lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Chef Buu "Billy" Ngo and partner Peter Kwong are opening the contemporary Asian-fusion restaurant at 2718 J St. following their success with Japanese restaurant Kru, a few blocks down the street. The restaurant initially was expected to open in December in the spot where G.V. Hurley's closed its doors in September. A liquor license transfer held up the opening of Red Lotus, Ngo said. Following a restaurant trend toward small plates of food or "tapas," the restaurant will focus on small dishes, prima

Midtown diners and residents who have been awaiting a new Asian-fusion restaurant will have to wait a bit longer. Red Lotus Kitchen & Bar — the newest addition to the 2700 block of J Street — isn't likely to open until January, said chef Buu "Billy" Ngo, who is partnering again with Peter Kwong after their Japanese restaurant Kru has become a success just a few blocks down the street. Kru opened in 2005. They plan to open their new restaurant at 2718 J St., where G.V. Hurley's closed its doors in September. Ngo and Kwong bought the business from Hurley's owners, who had conflicts with neighboring residents. The liquor license transfer is holding up the opening of Red Lotus, Ngo said Tues

Three protests have been filed recently against a controversial establishment's attempt to transfer a liquor license to a new restaurant operator. The protests have been filed with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control within the last two weeks as owners of the now-closed G.V. Hurley's try to transfer the liquor license for 2718 J St. to Red Lotus Enterprise, said ABC spokesman John Carr. At least one person filed a protest in an effort to get the conditions of Hurley's liquor license continued to the next establishment by ABC. "The current protest is based on the fact that the past owners of that site have ignored its commitment to ABC," said nearby resident Vito Sgro

A new face is expected to pop up on a controversial Midtown party block in the next few months. An Asian-fusion restaurant named Red Lotus Kitchen & Bar is in the works to take over 2718 J St., where G.V. Hurley's closed its doors last Sunday. Buu "Billy" Ngo and Peter Kwong — the owners of the successful Japanese restaurant Kru just a few blocks down J Street — plan to serve "a little of everything" in a contemporary Asian restaurant whose culinary base will be Chinese food. "It's my interpretation of Chinese, which incorporates everything," Ngo said. Ngo and Kwong have bought the business and will lease the space from G.V. Hurley's owners, a trio of Sacramento developers who own the

Tonight's Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting could flare up over ongoing conflicts between two opposing groups. At the same time, Marshall Park neighbors and other residents will look to the city for answers after violence broke out outside J Street bars and outdoor concerts were held over the weekend without notice to residents, just weeks after controversial Midfest and Cinco de Mayo events. The two groups -- organized neighborhood association members and business interests -- have tried in the past to work out differences involving the neighborhood impacts of a block of J Street bars and restaurants. More problems and concerns arose over special events held in the area in May. Now a