Bambu on Hickman, the restaurant in the Partridge Inn, shut down Saturday night after a four-year run.

David Jones, the inn's general manager, said the decision to close the Asian fusion restaurant stemmed from renovation work on the first and second floors of the historic structure.

"To try to support two restaurants during the renovation would be too much," he said. "We're going to swing all of our efforts to the P.I. Bar & Grille."

The Bambu space will be used for food service when the P.I. Bar & Grille is under renovation, and it might reopen under another reincarnation when renovations are complete.

Executive chef Philippe Chin left the restaurant July 14; he said he realized it was time to move on to a new endeavor, where he could have full control.

"I always felt I had a lot of freedom in my creativity (at Bambu); unfortunately, I think the new management was going to manage people a little more," he said. "I don't want to check with three people if I'm going to put red snapper on the menu tonight."

His new restaurant, Cuizine, will open Sept. 15 in downtown Aiken. As at Bambu, the menu will include an eclectic assortment of dishes that draw influences from around the world. Mr. Chin said portions will be divided into small and regular sizes so diners can make dinner an event or a casual affair.

"It's not just going to be a destination; I want it to be a neighborhood restaurant, too," he said. Reach Cuizine at (803) 644-1234

French Market Grille is on the verge of opening a third location, on Columbia Road near Patriots Park, called French Market Express. The new business will seat about 50 people and will feature the most popular items on the menus at the other two sites.

"We want to kind of grow with that area, but not overbuild," owner Chuck Baldwin said. "We said, 'Let's offer the most popular things, like the shrimp po' boys and the peanut butter pie.' "

Hours at the restaurant are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reach them at 210-1300

Skyline Cafe in Martinez closed this month after about 16 months at La Pavilion shopping center. Owner George Harrison said he would reopen in late January at 12th and Ellis streets downtown. The menu will be expanded beyond the wraps that failed to catch on at the Martinez location.

Bonefish Grill, the seafood-centric cousin of Outback Steak-house, opened this week at the Washington Crossing shopping center on Washington Road. The 7,600-square-foot restaurant features market fresh fish prepared over an oak-burning grill. Hours are 4 to 10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4-10 p.m. Sunday. Reach them at 737-2929.

Hot Foods by Calvin has made another foray downtown. Owner Calvin Green will open a second location at 756 Broad St., formerly the Seven Fifty Six Sandwich Shoppe. Mr. Green opened a second restaurant in 1999 in the former Days Inn on Broad Street but closed it after differences with the building management. The new business is scheduled to open Aug. 28. Tentative hours are 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Lokal Loudness Live, the all-ages rock club on Ellis Street, has changed its name to The Venue. Diana Calloway, the club's booking agent, said her parents, Doug and Alice Calloway, took over ownership this month. Mr. Calloway used to run the Metal Shack on Peach Orchard Road, and Diana Calloway said The Venue would also book bands with a hard edge. John "Stoney" Cannon, who did booking for the club and whose Broad Street record shop bore the Lokal Loudness label, said he'd parted ways with his former partners, but is still promoting local music through his Web site.

Reach The Venue at 726-4379 or 821-6896.

Reach Patrick Verel at (706) 823-3332 or patrick.verel@augustachronicle.com.