Alex & Ika Will Be Closed, Replaced

With Cantina de Salsa, Owner Says

COOPERSTOWN – After 18 years, the celebrated Alex & Ika restaurant, relocated from Cherry Valley to 149 Main St. in recent years, will be closed, proprietor Alex Webster announced this morning in an e-mail to customers.

In its place, Webster said, he plans to open a second Cantina de Salsa Mexican restaurant in downtown Cooperstown site.

The Cantina de Salsa in Cherry Valley WILL REMAIN IN OPERATION.

"Almost two decades later," he wrote, "the landscape has changed. More ethnic restaurants are opening all around us. It is no longer impossible to find a good Thai curry or Japanese noodle dish outside of the City. Offering an array of foods from around the world has been an enjoyable and interesting challenge, but now I would like to focus on one type of cuisine."