'We've only had one complaint,' Williamson said, 'and that was a misunderstanding.'Īccording to Williamson, the second renovation cost around $65,000, while the restaurant's entire conversion from a western to an eastern theme cost around $1 million. Patrons have been pleased with the new decor. An Asian symbol has been placed over the fireplace in the main dining room. Beaded curtains have been placed in front of the eating stations located behind the bar to give that area a more Asian feel. '(They're) really good at Pan-Asian cuisine.'ĮNSO itself is a sacred symbol in Zen Buddhism that is one of the most common subjects in Japanese calligraphy.īesides removing the hunting trophies, ownership has redone all of the former Dakota's booths and put new chairs and tables in the dining rooms. 'One of the things that (ownership) really wanted to do was focus on what they're good at,' Williamson said. They came in and saw this beautifully renovated space, and they went into the dining rooms and saw the hunting trophies up, and they saw the menu and they couldn't figure out what was going on. 'We had a lot of people who would come in and thought it was just a reinterpretation of Dakota. 'That whole Dakota relationship with Da'Koto? It never sat well with people,' he said. 'They did shut down rather abruptly, but they did that with a plan in mind. 'They put a lot of effort into it,' Williamson said, referring to the second makeover. It includes offerings from a variety of Asian cultures, including Chinese, Korean, Malaysian and Thai. The transformation took about a month, with the new restaurant opening with a new manager, Tom Livengood, in early September. 'Unite the aesthetic,' said David Williamson, who represents the owner of ENSO Asian Bistro. Da'Koto opened last December, but when the concept didn't pan out, ownership closed the restaurant abruptly in early August and remade it into an eatery that offers only Asian cuisine.

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