By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

The Wine Thief, an Elmwood Avenue restaurant, is expected to move this spring to the Genesee Gateway project that serves as an anchor for those entering downtown Buffalo or headed toward the Kensington Expressway.

Owner David Cooper said he plans to sign a lease with the Genesee Gateway development team and move in the next few months. The Wine Thief has been at 427 Elmwood Ave. since September 2008. It's the first restaurant to move into the Genesee Gateway project.

The announcement comes as the building housing the restaurant undergoes a change in ownership. It was acquired by local developer Roger Chainani. Through his 1000 Elmwood Associates LLC, Chainani paid $570,000 for the three-story, nearly century-old building. The federal government auctioned the building after it was seized by DEA agents during a drug raid connected to the former owners.

Chianani said he has been eyeing the building for more than six years.

"It's got great potential," he said. "The price I paid for it was a great buy."

With the Wine Thief moving, he said he will start a new marketing campaign for the building - his eighth on Elmwood Avenue.

"I'd like to keep the first floor for retail or restaurant space and test the market for the upper floors to see if it is better suited for apartments or offices," he said.

Cooper, meanwhile, said the move to Genesee Gateway will allow the Wine Thief to expand and give his restaurant more visibility. The buildings, some of which date to the 1800s, have been renovated by the team of Doug Swift, Joe Petrella and Bill Jones.

The building Cooper will move into is located on a busy stretch of Genesee Street between Oak and Ellicott streets. Its neighbor includes Eddie Brady's bar.

The Wine Thief currently leases 2,300 square feet on Elmwood Avenue. Cooper said the new location will include 1,000 square feet of bar space, plus more than 2,000 square feet of restaurant space.

He said he's looking to add four or five tables.

The patio, meanwhile, will be large enough to accommodate 40 diners.

"I've needed more space," Cooper said.

The Wine Thief is open for dinner with a menu that includes steak, seafood, duck tacos and Irish Stew.

The move from Elmwood Avenue does not daunt Cooper, who said, "My customers will follow us and they will come along with us."