When restaurant biz veteran Ed Nafei bought the old Hong Kong Buffet building on Emmet, he thought he’d be opening his new restaurant, Savour, in a few months. That was almost two years ago. Since then, Savour’s sign has become a familiar site along that section of Route 29, especially since Nafei has amended it from time to time to say “soon,” then “very soon,” then “very, very soon.” As a result, Savour may be the most familiar restaurant in town where no one has eaten yet.

Well, all that is going to change, as Savour’s new General Manager Jeff Hale, of Northern Exposure fame, has announced that Monday, July 7 will be the mystery restaurant’s grand opening date.

The Hook recently got a sneak peek at the decor.

“This will be my last big project,” Nafei told the Hook back in May. “It’s all I know how to do, and I want it to be a Charlottesville landmark.”