NATCHEZ &045;&045; Owners of a new restaurant in downtown Natchez said they have been overwhelmed by the response to their business in the first few weeks since they opened.

Guy Bass and David Browning recently opened Center City Grill after a long and careful restoration of the building at 125 S. Commerce St. The restaurant and bar occupy the rear courtyard and dependency of a building owned by Jim Love, whose restoration will include first-floor space for a large antiques store and second-floor space for his apartment.

&uot;The Natchez people have been so incredibly receptive, sweet and supportive,&uot; Bass said. &uot;We really want to say thank you to Natchez.&uot;

The restaurant has an air of the New Orleans French Quarter about it, and that is the feel the owners sought as they furnished and decorated the space. The old carriage way leading from Commerce to the rear of the building includes tables for diners as does the courtyard.

Seating inside and outside the building has allowed the owners to serve at least 100 diners each day for lunch and up to 125 for dinner.

Customers have complimented the owners on the d/cor. Better, diners have loved the food, Bass said.

&uot;The shish-kabob has been extremely popular. We serve it with wild rice with dried cranberries. The po-boys at lunch have been popular. And we’ve had a tremendous response to the gumbo and to the fried shrimp, which are really light and beautiful.&uot;

Bass spends most of his time in the kitchen, where he either cooks or supervises all the dishes. Browning gets credit for the decorating and for the fast-paced job of keeping up with people coming in and out to dine.

&uot;David has a great eye for design,&uot; Bass said. &uot;He’s in charge of the front of the house. I’m mostly in back.&uot;

Plans to begin introducing some daily specials had to be put on hold because of the unexpected large volume of diners. &uot;We’ll be introducing those soon,&uot; Bass said.

The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., for lunch and 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. for dinner. The patio bar is open later into the night.

Taking some cues from New Orleans bars and cafes goes only so far, the owners said. &uot;Natchez is a sister city of New Orleans but there is just as much if not more history here,&uot; Bass said.

&uot;And this is downtown Natchez,&uot; Browning said. &uot;We love it. And there is so much history in this building.&uot;

Browning pointed out historical features and artifacts found during the restoration.

Layers of materials were removed to get to the original 1862 building. Bass said, &uot;The bones of the building were fantastic and unique. It’s a great old Natchez structure.&uot;

The partners, founders of Pearl Street Pasta, which they sold to new owners, left Natchez for a while to pursue projects in Florida. They are glad to be back in Natchez, they said.

&uot;A lot of people leave, but they always come back,&uot; Bass said. &uot;We’re here to stay and to work diligently to make it the best it can be.&uot;

Browning agreed. &uot;That’s the best part for us &045;&045; being a part of Natchez, being home.&uot;