Downtown Syracuse restaurant to close permanently amid Covid: ‘It’s been a good long run’ - syracuse.com

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Syracuse, N.Y. — Another Central New York restaurant has announced it’s closing permanently amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

And the closing of this one, The Mission on Columbus Circle, brings a halt, at least for now, to the restaurant career of one of the city’s most noted chef-owners, Steve Morrison.

Morrison opened the Mexican/Latin American restaurant at 304 E. Onondaga St., in 2000. He had spent years at other restaurants, including a decade at another downtown stalwart, Pastabilities. Among his culinary career highlights was contributing to the creation of Pasta’s famous Spicy Hot Tomato Oil.

“I’ve worked my whole life in restaurants,” Morrison said. “I’ll probably explore some other options. It’s been a good long run for me and now I may look for some kind of change.”

The Mission will be open through Saturday, Dec. 19, before shutting down.

The closing of The Mission, which Morrison bills as having “pan American” cuisine, is not a complete surprise. Morrison had put the business up for sale earlier this year, but found that selling a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic was a bit of unfortunate timing.

It might be different if he owned the building (a historic former church that dates to the 19th century). That’s also why he decided against just shutting down for now and waiting for the end of Covid, as many others have done.

“That’s really not an option for me,” he said.

“Covid is a contributing factor, but there’s just a lot of things,” he said. He’s watched other restaurant owners face the same dilemma, and said he took special notice of owner Laura Serway’s recent decision to permanently close Laci’s Tapas Bar.

Morrison posted the news today on Facebook. In it he thanked the people who contributed to the success of the restaurant over the past two decades.

“I am proud to have served the Syracuse community for nearly 21 years in our unique setting and am grateful for the various awards, accolades and recognition bestowed upon us,” he wrote. “The opportunity to host, nurture and connect with our customers will be greatly missed.”

Among the other recently announced permanent restaurant closings in Central New York are:

· The Amber Inn on Otisco Lake

· Franklin Lunch and Gill, Syracuse

· Village Burger, Liverpool

Others, like Dominick’s and Shifty’s Bar & Grill in Syracuse, are among those that are closing temporarily with hopes to reopen in the new year.

MORE ON COVID AND DINING IN CNY

NY data lists restaurants as low coronavirus risk. Owners ask: Then why is Cuomo killing us?

Why more CNY restaurants and bars are opting to shut down and wait for better times

In restricted zones or not, CNY restaurants seeing fewer diners

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

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