For Pham, up-and-down year takes more twists

Last September, Thom Pham seemed at the top of his game. His restaurants Thanh Do and Azia were wildly successful. He had parlayed his popularity into an expansion of Azia, with a sushi bar and adjacent lounge.

He announced plans to open a martini bar on E. Lake Street and a fusion restaurant a few blocks away, hoping to help revitalize that area just as he had the corner of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.

But when a space opened up at 12th Street and Harmon Place near Loring Park, Pham put his E. Lake plans on hold. Instead, he banked on his restaurant Temple, an upscale French-Asian place with moody lighting, an aquarium and cocktails with names such as "Innocent Geisha" and "007 Russian Love."

Two weeks ago, Pham was attacked by a group of at least a half-dozen men, who beat him with sticks and bricks. He and police believe it was a targeted attack. The assailants didn't take his car or his money, but they sent him to the emergency room with lacerations to his skull and face, a broken eye socket and a concussion.

On Wednesday, Pham was back at work for the first time since the attack, his face still bruised and numb. He wore sunglasses because light hurt his bruised eye. Like many, he was pondering why someone would attack him so viciously, and he talked about newly learned realities about his public persona and the restaurant world.

His business dealings are both far-reaching and complicated: Temple has yet to make a profit; Pham is involved in a lawsuit -- and a squabble with his Azia landlord over a development proposal; his car was recently vandalized, and a number of his properties -- two commercial buildings and several houses -- are up for sale.

The restaurant business, he has learned, can be both glamorous and brutal.

A risk taker

Pham is a gentle, soft-spoken man known for his loyalty and generosity. He's also an admitted workaholic and risk taker. His attack has stirred questions and rumors in the neighborhood and on local blogs. Some speculate he was the target of gangs or a hate crime. Others wonder whether he had gotten into debt or a bad business deal.

Pham has offered several possibilities to police, though he says he has no clue who might be out to get him. There have been no arrests.

Pham acknowledged Wednesday that Temple was not "as wildly successful as we wanted." But he said that business has rebounded since he revamped the menu this summer and that he is close to breaking even.

Meanwhile, his Lake Street properties -- once destined to become "Mix" restaurant and "Manhattan Martini Bar" -- have been put up for sale. One has sold and the deal will close soon, he said.

Pham also owns seven residential properties, most bought within a several-month-span last year; four of them already have for-sale signs in the yards. Combined with the Lake Street properties, they are worth more than $2 million.

This week, workers were rehabilitating a home Pham bought for $280,000 last year in Kenwood. When it's finished, he hopes to sell it for close to $1 million.

"Things could be better, but they could be a lot worse," Pham said. "But I guarantee you 100 percent, [the attack] has nothing to do with any financial problems. I don't have any investors, and if I have a loan, I go directly to the bank."

Pham has been engaged in a lawsuit with his landlord at Azia over structural repairs. The landlord, Huey Fung, is planning to redevelop the block with a boutique hotel and retail. Azia would remain under those plans.

Though Pham has expressed concern in neighborhood meetings over the possibility that construction could initially hurt business, according to minutes from the Whittier Alliance, he said he supports development of the block.

On Friday, Fung accused Pham of trying to stop his development. "He may say that to the newspaper," Fung said, "but behind my back he's trying to stab me in the back."

Asked whether police had interviewed him about the assault, Fung said his lawyer had advised him not to talk about it.

Previous bias crime

Early on Aug. 13, Pham called police to report that someone had scratched the word "fag" into his black Mercedes. Pham, who is openly gay, says slurs against him are rare.

While it's possible the person responsible for the vandalism was also the person who beat him, Pham doesn't think so. He says they probably would have called him names during the assault. But none of his attackers said a word.

Police records show that Pham or his employees have called police several times in the past two months, complaining about customers or passersby at Temple and Azia. One call was about a person who refused to leave, and one was about someone who was abusing patrons outside. He gave police further information about those incidents.

In July, Pham apprehended two men who had eaten a large, expensive meal at one of his restaurants and then left without paying. He dismisses speculation they had anything to do with his attack.

"They were very genteel," said Pham's business manager, Liz Grzechowiak. "They weren't violent at all."

They were also black. Pham's attackers were white and Asian.

The attack has unsettled him. "It's scary, it's creepy and I don't like it at all," he said. "I can't understand how someone can do this kind of thing."

But though he still feels vulnerable, he also has supporters. Last week, Azia was lined with bouquets of flowers sent by friends and customers.

"I'll feel down, then I'll pick up the phone and there will be nice messages," he said. "That's why I will keep doing this."

Jon Tevlin • 612-673-1702

Jon Tevlin • jtevlin@startribune.com