Upscale opening set for Princeton Forrestal Village

Plainsboro shopping center to celebrate opening of Salt Creek Grille and Luxe Home Co.

By: Molly Petrilla
   PLAINSBORO — Princeton Forrestal Village is changing — and it has a slew of grand openings scheduled to prove it.
   On Monday, a new restaurant, Salt Creek Grille, and a furniture store, Luxe Home Co., will open their doors to the public inside the mixed-use complex, which is located off Route 1 and College Road.
   The new restaurant and furniture store both target affluent consumers, and both are part of the center’s rebirth, according to representatives of The Gale Company — the complex’s managing agent and partial owner.
   "(These openings) are certainly a recognition of the demographics of the area and the position of Forrestal Village in the marketplace," said Frederick T. Knapp, Gale’s asset manager and vice president for property management. "(They’re) the first major step in the repositioning of the village to upscale retail and services."
   Salt Creek Grille, a subsidiary of California-based Benchmark Enterprises Inc., will serve American mesquite grille cuisine and feature live jazz music five nights per week.
   The restaurant occupies an 11,000-sqaure-foot space in Forrestal Village and features an open theater-style kitchen, dining room, bar/lounge and banquet rooms. A patio off the bar contains an outdoor fire pit and a massive fireplace.
   Luxe Home Co. has relocated from Palmer Square — where it was known as ETC — to an 11,000-sqaure-foot facility in the Forrestal Village complex, and offers luxury furniture and home furnishings.
   "Luxe Home Co. is a logical fit for the Village," said Matthew Harding, president and chief operating officer of Levin Management, the exclusive leasing agent for the complex. "Our patrons come here seeking unique, lifestyle-focused retailers, and Luxe Home Co. is a perfect example of this category. They are an attractive addition to our retailing segment."
   According to Mr. Knapp, both facilities are attempting to tap into the area’s affluent residential and business populations — a direction the entire complex is striding toward. After all, since the complex opened 16 years ago, the population in nearby Princeton, West Windsor and Cranbury has grown substantially — and so has the depth of their pockets.
   Mr. Knapp said Forrestal Village is trying to reach white-collar business people who work in the area as well as residents, many of whom earn more than $150,000 per year. Combined, that means approximately 325,000 people within a 5- to 7-mile radius of the Forrestal Village.
   With that in mind, The Gale Company has no plans to look for low-budget tenants.
   A new fitness club and adjacent health spa are scheduled to open in late February in the 60,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by the food court, Mr. Knapp said. The old food court has relocated to a 12,000-square-foot space in the complex’s Rockingham Row, and includes Subway, Teriyaki Boy, China Chen, Valentino’s and Village Grill.
   CanDo Fitness will include a karate studio, a lunch bar and a Starbucks, while Koi Spa will offer luxury treatments, including hair and nail services.
   Mr. Knapp said his company is also in negotiations with three other retailers — a private banking group, a high-end couture bridal salon and a jewelry store — that will likely take occupancy in Forrestal Village by April 2007.
   In addition, The Gale Company is looking to fill another available restaurant space for which it already has a liquor license. According to Mr. Knapp, it expects that eatery to gross between $7 million and $8 million.
   The company has already begun looking for possible tenants, and is in talks with one particular restaurant, according to Mr. Knapp.
   The complex’s new additions join Tre Piani — the upscale Italian restaurant that has served as Forrestal Village’s cornerstone — and the Westin hotel.