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EaterWire: Knitting Factory Sold, Marquee's First Night Back, and Replating
TRIBECA— The Real Deal reports that the Knitting Factory has sold for $12 million: "The building, which also has 18 apartments, was expected to sell for more than $15 million when it went on the market in April, 2007...Gothamist reported in February that the club might be looking at 504-508 East 14th Street...The Sun reports the club could be moving to Brooklyn..." [TRD]
CHELSEA— DBTH stopped by Marquee last night to check out their first night of business after last weekend's big police raid and Missy Eliot's b-day bash: "When we got inside, the main floor was a bit empty, but the upstairs was wall to wall. The Misses had about 6 tables roped off for her and her peeps near the DJ booth, with pink balloons everywhere because that how she rolls. Doesn't everyone? Things really picked up around 1 AM. The birthday girl rolled in around that time and the place took off." [DBTH]
How to Replate your food.>>
Eater Guides: Boozy Roof Bars for the Holiday Weekend
Summer '08 has been a fruitful season for roof bars in New York. About half a dozen new venues touting skyline views and schmancy grub have opened up to join the exclusive standbys at the Gramercy Park Hotel and 60 Thompson and the more egalitarian (and always mobbed) 230 Fifth. The following map includes all the new and notable places, along with a few veteran favorites. Have another roof you plan on hitting up over the holiday weekend? Let us know and we'll add an update.
To the MAP!!>>FlorentWire: R&L Restaurant Open, Empty, Sad
A special Eater correspondent headed over the R&L Restaurant to check out the festivities for its Grand Reopening at 8 a.m. this morning. As somewhat expected, the gutted Florent space was none too festive: "R&L open. 3 customers, 7 staff visible front of house. Manager talking about redecorating - 'I have an old picture of 14th Street I could bring in.'. Coffee hot...Also, it kinda feels like a hospital cafeteria." Let's just say it's no Florent at 9 AM. But we should give Joanne Lucas & Co the benefit of the doubt—that could be a really great picture of 14th St.
· Vital R&L Update: Florent Excised, Opening Tomorrow! [~E~]
Week in Reviews: Bar Milano Gets the Deuce
Krieger, 4/10/08
Frankie Two Stars strikes again this week, giving Jason and Joe Denton's glossy Italian joint Bar Milano the standard deuce. Like the other critics, the Brunz takes the bros to task for the pasta, along with a number of other missteps:
"Bar Milano bungles its pasta dishes. Not all of them, but too many, sometimes in small ways, sometimes in big ones...That it still manages to be impressive, and at times immensely enjoyable, says a great deal about the seriousness that its proprietors and chefs bring to it...In the end it looks like the entrees are what earn the two spot, perhaps with some help from the cocktail menu: "Desserts aren’t one of Bar Milano’s strengths, but drinks certainly are...throw back a few of these and you might not even notice the pasta." [NYT]Smooth, handsome wood surfaces define the lively bar are,..That menu channels some of the ’ino and ’inoteca spirit, though much of what I sampled during lunch there was curiously off key.
The dining room conjures a spirit of its own. One design element trumps all others, and it’s one of the restaurant’s missteps: a long, mesmerizing wall of marble strips and rectangles in different colors. The owners must have paid a fortune for it, and are still paying for it, in terms of the room’s awful acoustics.
Kobe Beach Club, Ago, and the Elsewhere, ahead.>>
EaterWire AM Edition: McNally Opening on the Bowery!
Are you already picturing the outdoor tables, the groups of ladies sipping rose?
THE BOWERY— According to the July Community Board 2 agenda, Keith McNally is adding the East Village/Nolita area to his portfolio of conquered downtown neighborhoods. The restaurateur will be turning the Adams Restaurant Supply Store at 282 Bowery into a restaurant should all go well with the powers that be in the community over the next month. The storefront, which sits at the southwest corner of Bowery and East Houston (just down the street from Whole Foods) and was once rumored to be taken over by Starbucks, is, like all McNally operations, sizable but may require renovation to make it restaurant-ready. If you're just tuning in, please note that the man is currently revamping Minetta Tavern, to reopen this fall with a "classic French bistro menu," so he's dealt with the same CB committee very recently. He got unanimous approval for Minetta; we'll see if the same thing happens with the Bowery. More details to come.
· First Word: McNally Getting Closer to Minetta Deal [~E~]
EaterWire: Ryan Skeen at General Greene, Benoit Discontinues Breakfast, Rain Closes and More!!
FORT GREENE— Friday's rumors that Ryan Skeen was out at Resto have now been confirmed. According to press materials for the restaurant he will be the consulting chef for General Greene, a Fort Greene endeavor officially opening tomorrow. The spot is owned by Skeen's friend Nick Morgenstern: "Nick helped him out when he was opening Resto and he is now taking his turn helping Nick out. He is in fact no longer with Resto but is ONLY consulting on The General Greene. His plan is to take the summer off and then focus on new opportunities." [EaterWire]
MEATPACKING DISTRICT— DBTH reports that nightlife hounds Kyky and Unik have opened Bijoux a club and lounge underneath Merkato 55. Urban Daddy has the full reveal: "Inside, you'll find a low-ceilinged, mood-lit paradise, complete with a custom-carved ceiling, black-and-gold posters of one owner's wife in the nude and a fog-covered well in the center, in case the journey left you parched. Then again, there's bottle service for that, and a leather banquette in an appropriately shadowy corner that you'll want to seek out with your date later in the evening." [DBTH; UD]
Benoit & Rain, coming up next.>>DOH Chronicles: What Really Happened At Cabrito?
West Village: Just before the weekend everyone's favorite goaty joint, Cabrito, was shuttered by the Department of Health. A worker said it had to do with 'improper steps', not cleanliness, interesting for a DOH shutter. And when a PR rep for the restaurant, Cameron Levkoff, contacted us Saturday morning letting us know the place was back open, she also cited structural issues: "There were a few structural repairs that needed to be taken care of. As BarFry was never informed of these infractions, the owner was not aware of any outstanding issues." But the story doesn't end there. According to the DOH report— which publicists should all remember, is in the public domain— the restaurant incurred 70 violation points, and they're not very pretty:
The rodent infestation, the flies, the grease!!!>>Florent Farewell: Midnight
Krieger, 6/28/08
Beloved Meatpacking District staple Florent closed last night after holding a post-Gay Pride march friends and family night. Regulars, curious first timers, and leagues of camera toting reporters and videographers piled into the restaurant late into the wee hours all weekend long to pay their respects/document the last days. There are already a few reports up (and this great Flickr set) to prove it, but expect the media deluge to continue over the next couple days. For our part, we had photographer Daniel Krieger take a look at the 24 hour diner at different stages of the day throughout the month. He's already shown us Florent in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening, and today we conclude our photo series with this peek at the restaurant at midnight. But remember, the story doesn't end here: we now await the reopened on R&L Restaurant come Tuesday.
· Florent Farewell: 8 PM [~E~]
· Florent Farewell: 2 PM [~E~]
· Florent Farewell: 9AM [~E~]
DOH Chronicles: DOH Inspector Arrested for 'Shaking Down' Restaurateur
KENSINGTON— Last Thursday a city health inspector named Etibar Aliev was arrested for soliciting and accepting a $500 bribe and a bottle of liquor from the owner of Green Pavilion restaurant in Kensington, Brooklyn and was arraigned in court the next day. According to the complaint, after a bad inspection on Tuesday, Aliev told the Green Pavilion's owner that he would give the restaurant a pass if he got something in return. They agreed to meet two days later. When the inspector returned, someone had already complained to the DOI, which sent officers to the scene to monitor the exchange. Aliev accepted the $500 cash bribe from the restaurateur and on his way out asked if he could take a bottle of liquor from the bar. Soon after he was arrested, fired, and charged with numerous counts of corruption. If convicted he faces seven years in prison. DOH czar Dr. Thomas Frieden said he was "deeply disappointed" but did not mention any measures prevent further corruption. No word yet on whether or not the restaurant owner got to wear a wire.
· NYC investigators arrest restaurant inspector [Newsday]
· DOH Chronicles: Williamsburg Sweep Continues; Tai Thai, Lazy Catfish the Latest Victims [~E~]
EaterWire Midday Edition: Ryan Skeen Out at Resto?
MURRAY HILL— We got word this morning through the tipline that Ryan Skeen is out as chef at Resto and that sous chefs Dan Ross and Bobby Hellen are running the kitchen for the time being. The young Skeen earned the restaurant two stars from Franktastic last May and has been praised across town for his hearty Resto Burger. We're still waiting on a confirm but the response we've gotten back so far is sketchy at best. This morning owner Christian Pappanicholas was 'in a meeting with the chef' and is now MIA while the rest of the staff won't give us a yea or a nay on the matter. Perhaps he's still trying to lure Skeen back.
· The Gatekeepers: Resto's Christian Pappanicholas [~E~]
The Plywood Report: Pinkberry, Fatty Crab, The West Branch, and More!!
1) Midtown West: If a small restaurant closes in this town these days, it's almost inevitable that some sort of frozen yogurt chain will be moving in. This time it's Pinkberry coming to 596 9th Ave at 43rd St. [PLYWOOD]
2) Upper West Side: Here we have an exterior plywood shot of Tom Valenti's newest venture The West Branch. He says it's too early to spill the details on it now, but we're hoping for some nice interior shots once construction gets going. [PLYWOOD]
3) Upper West Side: We decided to check in on the Fatty Crab space on 77th and Broadway, and let's just say there's not much to report. The space is large, unfinished, and you can spot a kitchen in the back of the room. [PLYWOOD]
4) Murray Hill: A tipster writes in with some Murray Hill news: "Passed by the construction of the new Brother Jimmy's on 31st and Lex this afternoon…..slated to open in 2 to 3 weeks according to one worker….looks like they better start working over-time." [PLYWOOD]
Chelsea, the West Village, and More.>>The Florent Response: "This is the Second Best Option"
Krieger, 6/11/08
Responding to yesterday's news that his former landlord, Joanne Lucas, would be turning Florent back to the R&L Restaurant and reopening on Tuesday, Florent Morellet tells us he's happy with the idea, which he first heard about a few weeks ago. It's not a conspiracy, she's not just trying to rake in the dough while she waits for a retail buyer. Florent contends that the decision was an emotional one:
"I'm not totally surprised. There's something very special about this neighborhood in the Meatpacking District...the property has been in the family with Joanne for three generations and they have an emotional relationship with the building. I was curious to see what would happen when push came to shove with Joanne when the big bucks came to the door. It would have meant tearing down the inside...This was not a decision based on capitalism."Florent, who says he has already come to terms with closing the restaurant, urges his fans to give Lucas, his former opponent in court, a chance:
On the menu, the staff, the new restaurant.>>
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