Proximity to the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts is a major ingredient in Paige Gross' plans for her new restaurant, the Gryphon. The restaurant space on Burlington's Main Street is currently being restored and renovated to capitalize on its location in the historic Vermont House, most recently filled by Ramen.

Gross says she sees the Gryphon as a pre- and post-theater destination with American bistro fare and a full-service bar. "I want it to be casual and comfortable, but also a place to have an upscale, nice meal if you need to," she says.

Gross is opening the restaurant with her husband, Tom Chadwick, and her ex-husband, chef Andrea Gross, with whom she previously owned a restaurant in Pinehurst, N.C.

"He's been a chef for about 40 years; he's wonderful," says Andrea Gross' amicable ex. The chef is a native of Switzerland, but after spending recent years cooking in a German restaurant, Paige Gross says, he's burnt out on his native cuisine and looking forward to trying something new. Gryphon diners will probably find traces of Alpine fare only in a seasonal game dish, Paige Gross says. They're more likely to taste hints of spice reminiscent of her Alabama upbringing.

The 50-seat restaurant will serve lunch and dinner, as well as Sunday brunch. Though the space will boast comfy leather couches and a new bar, "I don't really want it to be a bar scene," says Gross. "We want people to come out of the Flynn and have a nice dinner."

The original print version of this article was headlined "Dinner and a Show"