Springfield steak, seafood restaurant reopens after long break

Micah Berner, the owner of Cecil & Lime Cafe at the restaurants new, larger bar. Bill Lackey/Staff

Micah Berner, the owner of Cecil & Lime Cafe at the restaurants new, larger bar. Bill Lackey/Staff

A Springfield fine dining restaurant recently reopened after being closed for more than a month, allowing for some improvements inside the business.

Cecil and Lime had been closed since Jan. 1, but recently resumed its normal schedule on Valentine’s Day, said Micah Berner, the restaurant’s long-time owner. The business needed plumbing repairs, but also used the unusual amount of down time to provide a break for restaurant staff and upgrade the restaurant’s bar area.

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The restaurant will have been open for 14 years this June, Berner said, and it’s been several years since staff members have had a substantial break. Customers also have been asking for more seating at the bar area. So Berner said the closure was a good opportunity to extend the length of the bar and double the available seating in that area of the restaurant.

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“It was cozy so this will give them a little more room to move around,” Berner said.

Berner said he’s owned Cecil and Lime, at 227 E. Cecil St., for about 14 years. The restaurant has made some other improvements in the past, including adding a deck, but that was done at least six or seven years ago.

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The restaurant, which has a menu focused on steak and seafood, hosted a soft re-opening earlier this month and has been open occasionally in February before resuming normal hours. The restaurant’s staff includes about 10 to 12 crew members, he said.

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It’s also possible the restaurant will continue to make other small changes as the staff settles back in, he said. That could include providing more local music for entertainment throughout the week.

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