The old Bowen's Cafe Expresso location, now Peak Grille: Bowen's Cafe Expresso/Facebook

The old Bowen’s Cafe Expresso location, now Peak Grille: Bowen’s Cafe Expresso/Facebook

Preston Center’s been abuzz with dining news this week, and now there’s even more: Bowen’s Cafe Expresso, the Italian cafe at the corner of Luther and Preston in the Preston Center, has new ownership and is slated for a grand reopening in January. That’s according to CultureMap, who reports that former owner Valerie Plaster (who purchased the restaurant in 2011) sold the restaurant to Park Cities locals and McSwiggan Pub owners Mike and Jessie Lo Johnson.

The Johnsons renamed the cafe to Peak Grille. During renovations, they are keeping the restaurant open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday, with an interim menu until the grand reopening. The interim menu makes good use of the restaurant’s wood fire oven, with offerings such as flatbread pizza, ahi tuna burgers and wood fired bread pudding for dessert for around $8-$15. Dinner menu options include veal piccata and aged ribeye, with entrees in the $15-$25 range.

The new owners have not announced who they will hire as their executive chef, but say that they will focus on serving “fantastic pizza” and offering every bottle of wine on the menu by the glass.