Highland's Garden Cafe will take a sabbatical from February 20 until June 1

Highland's Garden Cafe

Highland's Garden Cafe will soon take a sabbatical.

Pat Perry opened the Highland's Garden Cafe in a Victorian house on West 32nd Avenue eighteen years ago. The restaurant quickly became a Highland landmark, drawing diners from all over the city for romantic meals in the cozy, eclectic dining rooms or long nights one one of the best patios in the city, surrounded by plants that might be featured in the next night's dishes.

But in a few short weeks, Perry's restaurant will go on hiatus until June, giving her time to refresh the place and retool the menu with more seasonal offerings.

"Pat has been wanting to take a refresher for some time," says Wendy Aiello, who's handling public relations for Highland's Garden. "She's been a pioneer, and she's extraordinarily hands-on. She loves to cook and she loves her clients. Every time she tries to take a break, she's drawn back in."

But after this holiday season, she adds, Perry finally decided it was time. "They had a great holiday, she feels good, and the restaurant's on great ground," Aiello explains. "She finally decided to do it."

The break was partly inspired by Perry's own lifestyle changes. "She's been eating a whole different way, and she feels fantastic and looks great," Aiello says. "She wants to share some of that on her menu, but she never has time to research or try new recipes because she's always in the kitchen." But this break will give her time to do that research, and when the restaurant reopens on June 1, it will be with a new menu featuring the results of that experimentation.

And once it does reopen, Highland's Garden Cafe will take a much more flexible, seasonal approach to its hours, too. Though all that means right now, says Aiello, is that there's no set schedule for the restaurant come fall.

Highland's Garden Cafe will start its sabbatical after dinner on Saturday, February 19.