PHOTO BY SARAH FENSKE

Balentine's in happier days.

There is again a huge hole in the heart of Lafayette Square.Balentine's, the world cafe-turned-sports bar that filled the 5,400-square-foot space on Park Avenue just west of Square One Brewery, closed this weekend after just eight months in operation.Owner Pierre Balentine, a first-time restaurateur, opened with a concept that reflected his three decades of travel with the military — 21 years in the Army followed by ten years servicing military bases — an eatery that served food from all over the world, from an Italian panzanella to "German nachos." Three months later, he switched to a classic sports bar menu . But neither concept drew big enough crowds to fill the restaurant's sizable footprint.Before Balentine opened on site, the space held a Belgian brewery called Tripel. That eatery lasted just one year before closing in June 2014 . The space sat empty for more than a year before Balentine's opening.