Tucked behind the Cinema in a former nail salon, Muddy Waters Coffee House will, when it opens in late January, fill an empty niche in the otherwise diverse strip of businesses along South Clinton near Goodman. Owner Jake Kane, a sales representative for a Boston publishing firm and 10-year Mulberry Street resident, has waited for this location to become available since his commuting days, when he longed for a neighborhood place to grab his morning cup. He hopes the spot will attract 490-bound travelers from Swillburg and the South Wedge.

Beans from Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters will be blended in-house into Breakfast in the Wedge, the Highland, and other brews; the standard chai- and espresso-based drinks will be sold, too. Kane is proud of the organic, "community friendly" coffee - an über-fair-trade model of farmers' cooperatives - he's purchased, through Finger Lakes, from Guatemala. He'll also offer organic Zumi teas. Kane's friend Steve Scarpula, a local pastry chef launching a wholesale business, will provide the pastries, single-serving items like muffins, biscotti and rugalach.

Kane and manager George Kastrinos will hold off the opening until the last few elements fall into place, such as retail items and artwork. Like Boulder, Muddy Waters will recruit local artists to display their work on the walls.

Though passionate about music, Kane - who sings and plays harmonica with local band The Mud Kings -cites the postage stamp-sized seating area as a hindrance to live performances at Muddy Waters. It is, however, not just a drop-in coffee counter for commuters. Its proximity to the Cinema and the care taken in the seating areas' design are the makings of a neighborhood hangout for caffeine fiends. Keep an eye out for the opening later this month. (752 S. Goodman St.; hours and phone number TBA)

A botched pizza oven and a fired contractor delayed the Gate House Cafe's planned Thanksgiving opening, now scheduled for the second week of February. Located in the Village Gate space formerly occupied by Salena's, the gourmet burger and wood-fired pizza restaurant will also offer small plates and salads.

Most menu items are familiar favorites, with a twist. Chef-owner Kristen Flores-Fratto - who was executive chef at Pomodoro and subsequently entrusted by owner Sami Mina with opening the kitchen at Brio - calls it a high-end approach to the region's cuisine. Take, for instance, an upscale pig-in-a-blanket: Zweigle's White Hots baked in pastry and served with sweet onion relish and spicy mustard sauce. On the burger list, the Wease - all of the sandwiches have local namesakes - sports toppings of smoked mozzarella, fried onions, and horseradish sauce. A Wagyu beef (the trendy, super-marbled meat also known as Kobe-style) upgrade is available for any burger.

Flores-Fratto, whose husband and business partner Michael Corson she met at Pomodoro, brings wood-oven experience from her stints there and at Brio. Her pursuit of authentic neapolitan pizza begins with Italian flour and tomatoes and ends with a 700-degree oven - not 500 degrees, which puffs up the crust.

The couple had hoped to open a Brazilian steakhouse where Feta Chinni once was (now Lento); the concept was squeezed out by the intimacy of the Salena's space. They have embraced its coziness, hiring designer Lucy Piper (of Positive Environments, which designed Black & Blue) to soothe the eye with earth tones and curves. Green architecture was out of the budget's reach, but the look brings the outdoors in (there will be patio seating, too). Boards line the ceiling like fins, or ribs, and they're within easy reach if firewood runs out.

Gate House will be located at 274 N. Goodman St. (in the Village Gate), 473-2090. Monday-Tuesday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Wednesday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m..

Short bites

Ariana Kabob House is not dead, as rumor had it, but reopened in October after a small but smoky kitchen fire forced owners Sarah and Mohammad Katawazi to close for three months of repairs. The Afghan restaurant on South Clinton offers lunch and dinner buffets and a full menu; vegetarian options are plentiful and delicious. (1009 S. Clinton Ave., 244-3202. Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. & 5-9 p.m.)

Changes along Park Ave.: Jack Lavere's and First Taste Grill both closed before the end of last year. Jines will expand into the space next door; construction is already underway. 

Take and bake and make and take: Make and Take Gourmet, the meal prep service with numerous locations in the Rochester and Syracuse areas, has partnered with Pennsylvania-based Old Forge Pizza Express to carry its line of take-and-bake pizzas. Old Forge Pizza is a style of pizza that originated in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, which is officially trademarked "The Pizza Capital of the World."