People will finally have a chance to sit and relax inside Perry’s Inverness Park Grocery. Last week the store’s owner, Dan Thompson, opened the space next door as a casual dining room called Gather at Perry’s. It will double as a rotating art gallery and a cafe-style setting that will allow the shop’s chef, Ed Vigil, to see his “food on plates.”
“I’ve had my eye on it for decades,” said Mr. Thompson, who has owned the deli for 34 years. “I’ve always wanted to have a place where people can sit down and hang out.”
Mr. Thompson plans to install a pass-through window that will connect the kitchen to the neighboring space, creating the option of “higher-end” night service. A license to sell beer and wine is another recent addition, he said: “We can really feature some fun wines and even have a wine club.”
Mr. Vigil already prepares dinner specials that are sent out weekly by email for people who subscribe. “What I want is food on plates,” he said. “I want a place where I can utilize the fine-dining experience.”
Mr. Thompson, who said he worked as a kid at Perry’s Delicatessen in Fairfax, seems open to a host of uses for the space, from renting it out for private functions and nonprofit meetings to pop-up dinners. (He is very clear to note that there will not be any bands playing at Gather at Perry’s.)
This go-with-the-flow approach is more or less in keeping with Mr. Thompson’s vibe. Clipboard in hand, he saunters along the aisles, checking inventory and consulting with Mr. Vigil. But he also takes meticulous care, which is apparent in annex’s interior and the display of local artworks that adorn its walls—photographs by Daniel Dietrich and a kelp sculpture by Lina Jane Prairie are among them.
Gather at Perry’s, located at 12301 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, is open during the same hours as Perry’s Inverness Park Grocery: Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.