In 35 years, the Cat 'n Fiddle restaurant has hosted George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. It has held church Easter dinners and the ritual meals that follow traditional Greek funerals.

On Sunday, longtime owner Nickolas Barous retired, closing the Manchester Street restaurant. New owners will open a Japanese steakhouse there in February or March.

"I've been here 35 years with all my family," Barous said. "I decided to retire and be friends with my family. When you work together and live together, it's not simple."

Barous, 74, bought the restaurant after emigrating from Andros, Greece. John Cassidy, a Concord Rotary Club member and the Ward 10 moderator, said he first met Barous when Barous was working for a restaurant called Garbos on Main Street. Cassidy said Barous then became one of the four original owners of the Red Blazer.

In 1973, Barous bought the Cat 'n Fiddle, which had previously been Chase's Restaurant. In 1979, he added banquet rooms, and in 1982 he expanded the restaurant's dining room with additional seating. Barous's wife, son and two daughters have all worked there, and his grandchildren were planning to work there, too, Barous said.

About two years ago, Barous decided to list the property confidentially, said Stephen Kassaras of Prudential Verani Commercial, who represented Barous.

Barous said that at 74 years old he had enough of working 50- to 70-hour weeks. He still owns a house in Andros and would like to travel there every year, but he has not been able to because of the restaurant.

On Wednesday, Barous closed the sale with Danica Li, who plans to open a Japanese restaurant there. Li bought the restaurant for $1.55 million, including the furniture, fixtures and equipment, said Wendy Keeler of Fairway Real Estate, who represented Li.

Li, who lives with her husband in Concord, said she has 15 years of experience owning restaurants in New York and Massachusetts. "Right now a lot of people like Japanese food, so we want to open a Japanese restaurant," Li said.

The new steakhouse will have a sushi bar and a hibachi table, where a chef cooks out in the open, Li said. She expects to open it within two months, after she renovates the building. It will be called ICHBAN, the Japanese word for "very good."

Although the Cat 'n Fiddle officially closed Sunday, Barous will serve his last meal there today, to the Concord Rotary Club, which has met at the restaurant for at least 20 years. Rotary Club President-elect Richard Bean said the restaurant's function space was one of the few places in Concord that could handle a weekly meeting of about 100 people. "It's very convenient, has great parking," Bean said.

Guests who spoke to the Rotary Club there included Bush Sr., Carter and Reagan when they were campaigning for president. Bean said he met John McCain, Laura Bush, Gov. John Lynch and Sen. John Sununu there, when they spoke to the Rotary Club.

"I was blown away when my wife said she just heard the Cat 'n Fiddle closed," Cassidy said.

In addition to the Rotary Club, the restaurant also hosted regular meetings of the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Club. Barous was active in the local Greek community and opened his restaurant for church dances and Easter dinners, said Ernie Toumpas. Toumpas said his father met Barous after they both immigrated from Greece. Toumpas held his wedding reception at the Cat 'n Fiddle. "Me being Greek, them being Greek, we support one another," Toumpas said.

Customers say they will miss the restaurant's food and atmosphere. The restaurant specialized in seafood and prime rib, also serving homemade soups and a salad bar. Its walls were covered with murals and photos of Barous's homeland, as well as paintings of turn-of-the-20th-century Concord. A brick fireplace and wooden walls gave it a homey feel.

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