Heavy metal: Zinc patio gets zincier

Zach Snider of Alloy prepares a new walkway from Main Street into Zinc on May 8.
PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER

Passersby along West Main Street may have noticed a new look emerging for Zinc restaurant as a crew nears completion of a patio makeover that includes bold new sheets of shiny metal in keeping with the restaurant's industrial feel–- if not precisely with its name.

Co-owner Thomas Leroy says he and business partner Vu Nguyen were inspired by the flat metal plates outside of Mas, over in Belmont. But after talking to the folks at a local design/build firm, they opted for corrugated steel. So why not actually use Zinc?

"It's a little pricy," explains Leroy, adding that the metall should weather to resemble zinc, which already covers the restaurant's bar inside.

Sunday brunch begins May 10, with the updated patio including new plantings with herbs and tall grasses–- as well as a rope-lighting system and a gate to allow easy access to the sidewalk.

The work is being done by Alloy, a firm with a principal (besides rocking out in the band Straight Punch to the Crotch) who has twice competed in a million-dollar drilling competition sponsored by Irwin tools.