After experiencing the vicissitudes of downtown Napa business for nearly two years, chef/restaurateur Peter Halikas closed his n.v. restaurant last Friday night.

But that doesn’t mean the well-known chef is out of work. He’s stepping into the post of executive chef at Brix Restaurant in Yountville and is taking his entire crew — sous chef Dan James, hostess and servers — with him.

Hosting a festive farewell party Friday night that included deejay, dancing and dozens of well-wishers queuing up outside, Halikas shuttered his downtown Napa eatery after being in business just one month shy of two years.

Although he couldn’t talk about the future of the n.v. site — on the north side of Dwight Murray Plaza — Halikas indicated future owners will retain it as a restaurant.

“Opening a business on your own without investors is really tough, especially in downtown Napa where (business is) still expanding and growing,” Halikas declared. “I love downtown Napa ... it will be successful. I was here, I think, a couple of years early.”

What he did talk about was his new job at Brix, a popular restaurant and wine emporium on Highway 29 that has been open now for more than a decade.

“Brix is a beautiful restaurant, but I don’t think it realized its potential (in recent years),” he maintained.

“For example, Brix had signature dishes that customers liked, like Tod’s (opening chef Tod Kawachi) black and blue tuna and the calamari. They weren’t kept (by his successors). Chefs have to realize this is a business. If an item is selling — even if it doesn’t fit into his (culinary) vision — the chef needs to respect his customers’ palates.”

Halikas said he will incorporate popular Brix dishes as he puts together new menus for lunch, dinner and the bar. While some members of his n.v. staff have already joined the Brix team and Halikas has been consulting with general manager Matt Guyot and sommelier Meghan Gohringer, the chef’s first formal day at his new post is Sept. 1.

Halikas said diners can expect menu changes to come after Labor Day.

“My style of cooking is really a philosophy,” he added. “I think it will be a good fit into the Brix world. With that beautiful garden, my garden-to-table cooking — focusing on fresh and slow food — should be a match.”

Brix has a brand-new wine room with a chef’s table seating a dozen diners, Halikas noted. “This is where I’ll be rolling out my new seven- and nine-course menus — this is where I’ll do my fine dining menus.”

“And Michael Ouelette (one of the most respected palates in the local wine business) has put together a new wine list. I think Brix customers are in for some exciting new dining experiences.”

La Prima Pizza

opens in Napa

A classic for 30 years upvalley, La Prima Pizza opened with a grand celebration Sunday at its new location at 3070 Jefferson Street — “behind the car wash,” according to owners Elizabeth and Aldo Nunez.

“The Pizza Perfectionists” will be serving pizza, sandwiches, salads and appetizers, including buffalo wings, fish and chips, baked potatoes and chicken strips seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Their pizzas, made with a whole wheat flour crust, use fresh ingredients and high quality cheese. Specialities include the spicy Aldo’s Pizza, made with pesto sauce, pepperoni, onions, jalapenos and linguica; a Mediterranean pizza with olives, artichoke hearts, cauliflower, carrots and other marinated vegetables; a pesto, garlic and baby clam pizza and a garlic chicken pizza — all in addition to the traditional favorites.