Follows Graze and Sanctuary Diner

The flog learned this evening that the Beacon, the stylish, South Beachy lounge with surprisingly creative food has closed. It follows its neighboring businesses that anchored the ground floor spaces of the Sanctuary condominiums. Both Graze and Sanctuary Diner closed last month.

Anyone who visited the Beacon would not confuse it with a restaurant. The layout was a bar and lounge, there were no dining tables. But you'd have been hard-pressed not to call it a fine dining restaurant after a tasting of the menu. The food was first-rate, and the servers, who were usually bartenders doing double duty, could teach some full-time waiters a thing or two about proper service.

It's just the beginning of the summer season, historically a tough time for restaurants in good economic times. This is starting off to be one of the most brutal summers ever.