After three decades operating what has arguably been one of Charlottesville’s most successful restaurants, C&O owner Dave Simpson (and a few partners) have finally decided to open a new one.

Bel Rio, located in the old Saxx Jazz Club space in Downtown Belmont, should open sometime next week if all goes according to plan, he says.

“I had a night club at the C&O that closed in 1989,” recalls Simpson. “Unfortunately, that was not my greatest hour. I was young and not very savvy, and I didn’t quite pull it together. I’ve always had a hankering to have a crack at it again.”

While Simpson emphasizes that Bel Rio will be a restaurant primarily, one of his two new partners, Gareth Weldon, says the project was born out of a desire to provide space for local musicians. In fact, Weldon says he first started talking to Simpson about the idea at the Rick Olivarez Trio’s weekly gigs at the C&O.

“I loved to go listen to Rick at the C&O, and so I started up a conversation with Dave about opening up a music venue for local musicians,” says Weldon, using what he calls “gentle pressure continuously applied” to convince Simpson it could work.

Read about Bel Rio in this week’s Dish, both in print and online.