Chris Shott | The New York Observer

Bikini Babe Fernanda Motta Risks Modeling Career on 'Thrilling' Pesto Pasta at Le 55

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:26:02 -0400

Restaurants are notoriously risky investments, especially for a supermodel.

"I cannot come here," Fernanda Motta told the Daily Transom the other night at Le 55 in the meatpacking district, "because I love Italian food."

Despite the inherent danger—every carb-laden bite of pasta a potential career-ender for the slender, four-time Sports Illustrated bikini babe—Ms. Motta and her husband, Roger Rodriguez, remain partners in the renamed, revamped and relaunched restaurant, formerly known as Merkato 55, located at 55...

Countess Luann de Lesseps Conjures Lascivious Mae West at the Night Hotel

Thu, 28 May 2009 20:50:20 -0400

The classy Countess Luann de Lesseps is a big fan of the old bump and grind.

"I love burlesque!" Ms. de Lesseps confessed to the Daily Transom on Wednesday night, May 27, during intermission at former Roxy and Palladium promoter Lee Chappell's risque weekly Foreign Affairs show in the dimly lit lounge at Vikram Chatwal's Night Hotel on West 45th Street.

Sporting a slinky black Michael Kors dress, the 43-year-old co-star of the popular Bravo...

Lily Pond on Fire! Stereo Refugee Mike Satsky Exults in East Hampton, Trashes Greenhouse, Mum on New Manhattan Spot

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:39:14 -0400

Impresario Mike Satsky has what he calls a "LeBron James attitude" when it comes to his Lily Pond nightclub in East Hampton.

"Our product and what we bring to the table we feel is extremely valuable and we feel like we’re the only ones doing it, even though there are other people in the business, just like there are other basketball players who are incredible," Mr. Satsky told the Daily Transom last week.

The swanky 7,000-square-foot...

Graydon in the House! Vanity Fair Boss Testifies About Brooke Astor's Writing Skills

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:19:22 -0400

No need for the maitre d' to issue the standard announcement of his arrival.

Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Loewy did just fine: "The people call Graydon Carter."

At 3:48 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, the 59-year-old Vanity Fair editor in chief entered a Manhattan courtroom sporting a royal blue blazer with brass buttons, striped shirt, polka-dotted tie, gray slacks, maroon shoes and, of course, his trademark silver pompadour.

He promptly took the witness stand and immediately...

Hockey Star Sean Avery Drops the Puck for Boozy Offseason at New Tribeca Bar

Mon, 18 May 2009 09:58:57 -0400

Tempestuous New York Rangers left-winger Sean Avery won't be lacing up the skates any time soon, following his team's anticlimactic exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But he still knows how to tie one on.

"How do you say 'cheers' in the Jewish language?" the flashy forward asked guests at the opening of his new Tribeca bar and restaurant Warren 77 on Friday, May 15.

Danny Meyer Drops Out of Race for Tavern on the Green

Mon, 18 May 2009 07:35:43 -0400

Popular restaurateur Danny Meyer no longer has his eye on the late Warner LeRoy's illustrious Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

Bids on the city's top-grossing eatery are due on Monday, May 18, but Mr. Meyer, an early favorite for the famous space, has decided to withdraw his name from the competition.

According to a statement from Mr. Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group:

“After careful consideration, we have elected not to submit a...

Waverly Inn Chef John DeLucie, Macin' and Cheesin' in Full Book-Tour Mode

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:36:42 -0400

Chef John DeLucie has been serving celebrities at Graydon Carter's exclusive Waverly Inn since November 2006. Lately, he's been soaking up the spotlight himself.

"Someone, somehow told Hugh Jackman that I was doing the food for Graydon’s Vanity Fair Oscar Party," Mr. DeLucie told the Daily Transom. "So I walk over to his table and Hugh Jackman says, ‘Hey, I hear we both have Oscar gigs.'"

The affable chef was dumbfounded. "Is there a...

Gabba Gabba Goof! Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Finally Honors the Late Joey Ramone

Thu, 14 May 2009 17:28:53 -0400

How low can a punk get?

Joey Ramone, the late, lanky, leather-clad lead singer of the seminal New York punk rock band the Ramones, finally got his just deserts on Thursday afternoon, May 14, at a brief ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in Soho.

"This is a day of kind of not necessarily new beginnings, but a day to really do what we can to right a wrong," said Joel Peresman,...

High Times With Greg Brier: Impresario to Conjure Old Times Square 10 Stories Up

Tue, 12 May 2009 16:13:48 -0400

Greg Brier likes it on top.

In June, the 42-year-old proprietor of Highbar, Amalia and Aspen Social Club plans to open his second rooftop nightspot in the past year with the debut of Ajaxx, high atop Vikram Chatwal’s 10-story Stay hotel on West 47th Street.

“If you want to experience New York, you cannot be in a more central location than this,” Mr. Brier, dressed in a blazer and Ben Sherman-designed t-shirt emblazoned with...

HBO Gets Ill: Adam Yauch's Protest Flick Brings New Meaning to 'Fight for Your Right (to Party)'

Fri, 08 May 2009 10:57:12 -0400

What's the time? It's time to get informed.

On Thursday, May 7, Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys joined HBO Vice President Sara Bernstein in hosting the New York premiere of Burma VJ, director Anders Ostergaard's brutal documentary about the 2007 uprising in Myanmar, at the network's headquarters at 1100 Avenue of the Americas.

Prior to the screening, guests sipped sangria and chewed on skewers of chorizo, artichoke and red pepper, whilst mingling with three robed...

Axis Spies? Alex Who? Four Seasons Guys Get Treated Like Guests at 50th Anniversary

Wed, 06 May 2009 10:50:59 -0400

"With friends like you, who needs relatives?" quipped Alex von Bidder, co-owner of the illustrious Four Seasons restaurant, after enduring a rollicking tongue-lashing on Tuesday night, May 5, from such luminaries as Pete Peterson, Martha Stewart and Liz Smith.

Hotelier Jonathan Tisch and restaurateur Drew Nieporent also piled on, during a Friars Club-style roast of Mr. von Bidder and his charismatic partner, Julian Niccolini, in celebration of the renowned midtown power-lunching spot's 50th anniversary. It...

Drew Nieporent Has a Dog Pile Premonition of James Beard Awards Glory

Tue, 05 May 2009 14:35:33 -0400

Jovial restaurateur Drew Nieporent stood outside of Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall on Monday evening, May 4, holding an umbrella in one hand and a smoldering stogie in the other.

A Cuban? Never! “You’re too young to remember, but Ken Aretsky almost went to prison for that!” Mr. Nieporent said, referring to the proprietor of midtown’s Patroon whose well-stocked humidor was raided by customs agents back in 1998.

“[Publicist] Jennifer Baum has...

Who Needs Todd English? Hotelier Jason Pomeranc Becomes His Own Restaurateur

Fri, 01 May 2009 15:42:54 -0400

Less than a month after splitting with celebrity chef Todd English, hotelier Jason Pomeranc announced on Friday, May 1, the name of the restaurateur who will replace him: Jason Pomeranc.

Mr. Pomeranc and his partners in the Manhattan-based Thompson Hotel Group, Stephen Brandman, Larry Pomeranc and Michael Pomeranc, are creating their own restaurant and nightlife company called Do Not Disturb Restaurant Group.

"The bars and the restaurants are so much a part of the guest experience...

Julian Niccolini Turns 21 For the 35th Time as the Posh Four Seasons Turns 50 For Real

Fri, 01 May 2009 09:51:33 -0400

"Ladies and gentlemen, let it rock!" charismatic restaurateur Julian Niccolini announced as sultry singer Diego Garcia kicked off a special live performance at the Four Seasons on Thursday, April 30.

The occassion was Mr. Niccolini's birthday—his 21st, if you believe the winking invite.

"Fifty-six, actually," noted the irreverent impresario, dressed dapperly as ever in a pinstriped suit and red tie.

So that's, what, 21 shots plus 35 shots?

"Absolutely, I think we should do that!" the good-humored Mr....

Daniel Boyle Is Done as State Liquor Authority Chairman

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:27:39 -0400

Daniel Boyle, the tough-talking former Syracuse cop who unsuccessfully tried to sink Giuseppe Cipriani's Manhattan restaurant empire, has been replaced as chairman of the scandal-plagued State Liquor Authority.

Governor David Paterson, whose aides Mr. Boyle once accused of trying to exert undue pressure on the liquor board, announced on Thursday, April 30, the nomination of Assistant Attorney General Dennis Rosen to take over Mr. Boyle's duties as chairman.

Only last year, Mr. Boyle ranked No. 21 on...

With Culinary 'Cold War' Over, Chris Cannon and Michael White Get Marea-d

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:42:33 -0400

Restaurateur Chris Cannon has rebounded quite nicely from his public split with former chef Scott Conant, though he readily admitted, “It was kind of a cold war for a while.”

On Friday, May 1, the 48-year-old operator of acclaimed midtown eateries Alto and Convivio will debut his latest effort, Marea, an Italian-style seafood spot in the former San Domenico space at 240 Central Park South, with a splashy party benefiting the charity Citymeals on Wheels.

The...

Goldring's Club Turns Sapphire: Pamela Anderson Stars in Rejiggered Jiggle Joint's Splashy Striptease

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:23:02 -0400

"I've got bigger tits than the broads in here!" quipped the jovial Steve Schirripa.

The Brooklyn-born actor perhaps best known for his role as Bobby Baccalieri on HBO's The Sopranos had just arrived at the boozy grand-opening party for the newly rebranded Sapphire New York strip club on Monday, April 27, looking very "legitimate businessman" in a silky black short-sleeved shirt.

He was a long way from Satin Dolls, the real-life suburban New Jersey backdrop for...

Jersey Gets Glitzy With Jamie Foxx at Boozy W Hotel Debut in Hoboken

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:54:43 -0400

Standing on the 10th floor of his new Standard Hotel in the meatpacking district last January, hotelier André Balazs looked out on the Hudson River and the ever-rising New Jersey skyline in the distance, marveling at how much the area was beginning to resemble Hong Kong harbor.

"I had exactly the same comment," agreed Eva Ziegler, the Austrian-born global brand leader of W Hotels Worldwide, whose brand-spankin' new 223-room, Gwathmey Siegel–designed W Hoboken sits directly...

John Varvatos Does His Best Simon Cowell Impersonation

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:35:03 -0400

Designer John Varvatos is stealing a page from American Idol creator Simon Fuller's playbook, announcing the launch of his own "Free The Noise" battle of the bands contest to be broadcast on the Spin magazine Web site SPINearth.tv.

The fashionable 50-something self-professed "music junkie"—whose past ad campaigns have featured rockers Perry Farrell and Scott Weiland—will join a group of "special guest judges" in weeding out the most talented performers from a pool of up-and-coming, unsigned...

Out of Plumm: Judge Orders Evicted Impresario Noel Ashman to Collect Belongings, Liquor

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:41:39 -0400

Employees of impresario Noel Ashman's embattled nightspot The Plumm were permitted to return to the building at 246 West 14th Street on Thursday, April 16, "for the sole purpose of removing personal items and liquor only," according to court papers.

A city marshal shuttered the onetime celebrity hotspot on April 9 over some $113,727 in unpaid rent, court records show.

In an affidavit, Mr. Ashman said he was "blind-sided" by the eviction. "We do owe money,"...

Danny Meyer, Culinary Closer

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:17:31 -0400

Location: You get a lot of credit for sparking the retail renaissance in this neighborhood with opening Union Square Café back in 1985.

Mr. Meyer: I get credit for having been here since 1985—that’s all I get credit for. Survival is a good thing.

In hindsight, that obviously looks like an amazing move. I’m sure people thought you were crazy at the time.

My parents thought I was crazy. First of all, Union...

‘Beautiful People’ Ooze With Confidence at Overcrowded Paper Magazine Party

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:38:58 -0400

So many revelers turned out for Paper magazine’s annual “Beautiful People Party” at the Maritime Hotel’s Hiro Ballroom on Thursday, April 9, that even A-list heiress Lydia Hearst was turned away at the front door.

So, she took the back door.

The waifish 24-year-old model had been having dinner with her publicist, Ryan Brown, at chef Tadashi Ono’s Matsuri restaurant inside the hotel. After dinner, the pair headed for the...

'Master Baker' Jim Lahey Chews On His Lone-Star Review

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Jim Lahey, the charismatic chef and owner of the hugely hyped, high-concept pizzeria Co. at 230 Ninth Avenue, has some advice for New York Times food critic Frank Bruni:

"Ray's is right down the block!"

On Wednesday, April 8, the influential Times critic awarded Mr. Lahey's stylish new eatery, backed by the formidable food-industry duo of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez, just a single star.

Mr. Bruni had raved about Mr. Lahey's prowess with his pizza crusts...

Embattled Ruby's Bar Gets Back to Business on Coney Island

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:30:20 -0400

Astroland is gone and fiesty seaside merchant Dianna Carlin's popular Lola Starr Souvenir Boutique has been banished from the boardwalk.

But historic and architecturally challenged Coney Island watering hole Ruby's Bar & Grill will open for the season on Easter Sunday, April 12, after operator Michael Sarrel and family successfully negotiated a new lease with landlord Joe Sitt's Thor Equities.

The full announcement from the Ruby's crew:

Ruby’s Opening Day is once again upon us for 2009...

The Gig is Up! Rose Bar's Kung Fu Master Nur Khan Whips Out His Rock Star Rolodex

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:31:02 -0400

Nightlife impresario Nur Khan was bummed that rock singer Chris Cornell had pulled the plug on him.

“Am I upset that we’re not doing the gig tonight? Yeah, it would’ve been really cool,” Mr. Khan told the Daily Transom. “But we’re going to shoot for something in May.”

The charismatic 42-year-old operator of the artsy Rose Bar at Ian Schrager’s posh Gramercy Park Hotel had been planning one of his “stealth gigs” on Monday, April 6,...

Popular Beatrice Inn Too Populated

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:34:46 -0400

Downtown's ever popular Beatrice Inn was apparently too popular on Friday, April 3.

The city's Department of Buildings shuttered the subterranean celebrity hangout at 285 West 12th Street in the wee hours of the morning after counting 163 patrons inside the roughly 2,000-square-foot space, according to the agency's Web site.

That's 38 bodies over the legal capacity.

An inspector also noted an inadequate number of exits.

In addition to the overcrowded conditions, proprietors Matt Abramcyk and Paul Sevigny...

In The Comfort Zone: Michael Ferraro Shakes Things Up at Delicatessen

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:20:36 -0400

“We want it to be about the food,” said Michael Ferraro, executive chef at Delicatessen, the trendy yet critically trashed restaurant at 54 Prince Street. “We want to turn this into a food restaurant, where people are not just coming for the scene and because it’s cool.”

Bon chance!

Behind him, in the background, a camera crew was setting up for a television shoot.

“The Real Housewives...

Cheap Shots! Fashionable Hockey Star Sean Avery Gets Into the Bar Business

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:50:36 -0400

Pesky New York Rangers forward and former Vogue intern Sean Avery is getting into the bar business—and no, the new nightspot will not be called "Sloppy Seconds."

The popular, if somewhat controversial, 28-year-old Broadway Blueshirt is partnering with Beatrice Inn proprietor Matt Abramcyk in opening an intimate bar and restaurant called Warren 77, located at 77 Warren Street in Tribeca.

The pair have been friends for some time. Mr. Abramcyk recently...

The Grill Can’t Help It: Gotham Bar & Grill Turns 25

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:22:54 -0400

Retired politician Jerry Kretchmer didn’t know much about fine dining when he opened Gotham Bar & Grill 25 years ago.

But he liked what he saw in stylish young chef Alfred Portale: “Alfred came in wearing a mauve sweater, corduroy slacks and a great-looking watch. I said to him, ‘Alfred, if you cook as good as you look, you’ve got it made.’”

Mr. Kretchmer was right. Within five months, the fashionable French-trained...

Ace in the Hole

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:59:12 -0400

Like many hospitality moguls, Alex Calderwood is a consummate optimist. Just ask him when his long awaited Ace Hotel at the corner of Broadway and 29th Street will finally be open for business.

“I can’t actually give you a firm, firm date,” Mr. Calderwood told The Observer during a brief tour of the as yet unfinished, 258-room Roman & Williams–designed lodge on the afternoon of March 12. “It will either be the last...

Aspiring Tavern Takers Converge on Central Park

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:59:47 -0400

A number of prominent restaurateurs (or their reps) turned out on Thursday morning at a meeting for potential bidders on the lucrative contract to operate the iconic Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

"Some big players," noted dapper Capitale owner Seth Greenberg, as he peered around the room at the competition on hand.

Smith & Wollensky founder Alan Stillman and Boathouse owner Dean Poll also attended, alongside representatives of Giuseppe Cipriani, Donald Trump and Danny...

Penthouse Boss Buys Sexy Scores Building

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0400

The notorious West Chelsea nightclub where the actress Lindsay Lohan honed her pole-dancing skills may soon be back in business.

Real estate investor Robert Gans has purchased the shuttered Scores West building at 533-535 West 28th Street, where scantily clad dancers entertained numerous celebrities over the years, ranging from radio host Howard Stern to hockey star Mario Lemieux. (The actor Owen Wilson once pulled up on a bicycle!)

Property records...

Roll Over, Nathan’s: Hot Dogs Go Haute With Lamb, Truffle, Baguette

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:31:25 -0400

Grabbing a hot dog these days ain’t what it used to be. The traditional frankfurter has been literally turned on its head.

“Usually, you have this horizontal sausage, and you really can’t eat it while you’re walking—you’ve got stuff falling everywhere,” said Mike Hewitt, chief operating officer for Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System, located at 26 East 17th Street. “We’ve turned it into a pedestrian meal. It’s a vertical sausage that...

Chocolate Bar Returns to West Village! (For Real This Time)

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:23:35 -0400

Chocolate Bar owner Alison Nelson's strange saga to return to her beloved West Village is finally over.

Ms. Nelson has signed a new 10-year lease for 450 square feet of retail space at 19 Eighth Avenue. (Seriously this time; The Observer has seen the actual document.) She plans to reopen the trendy sweets shop on April 28.

The new store is located just down the street from her original Chocolate Bar location, which closed last spring—and...

Eat It! Giraldi Tries Pizza

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:07:03 -0400

Filmmaker Bob Giraldi and his partners have invested some $30,000 in a custom-built, rotating, wood-fired pizza oven that’s unlike any other in Manhattan.

And hot! “A thousand degrees,” said Mr. Giraldi, making steamy sounds to emphasize that point.

The newfangled kitchen equipment is part of a sweeping plan to reposition his long beleaguered restaurant at 235 East Fourth Street, salvaging the seven years left on his lease and his reputation in...

Capitale King Eyes Tavern on the Green

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:02:53 -0400

Location: You cut your teeth in hospitality in Boston, owning 10 nightclubs by the time you were 30. You make me feel lazy.

Mr. Greenberg: [laughs] I started young. I was a promoter in college, graduated, developed my first club and, to make a long story short, just grew a nightclub company. I had become known in Boston as the ‘Euro Czar’ because, as a student, I was friends with...

Tishman Speyer Taps Barry Wine for Rainbow Room Restoration

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:23:50 -0400

Dale DeGroff earned the nickname "King of Cocktails" mixing fancy drinks at the illustrious Rainbow Room during its heyday back in the 1980s. "It was an amazing place,” Mr. DeGroff said. "We had a great, great bar. We also had a wonderful cabaret—Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett."

He's excited to see that history restored: "I was talking to Barry Wine, who's here tonight. He's been talking to Jerry Speyer, and they’re looking to the future—bringing...

Holy Headache! Finding Limelight’s Next Act

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:35:43 -0500

About a dozen congregants meandered about the former Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 20th Street on Sunday evening to the thumping tune of a strange but convivial hymnal.

“These sounds fall into my mind,” went the familiar refrain. It was the Bucketheads’ smash 1994 dance hit “The Bomb.”

DJ Lui Rivero was up onstage, manning the...

Retail Power Brokering, 2009

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:49:03 -0500

Last month, Robert Futterman, one of the most prominent and powerful names in Manhattan retail, sent out a press release touting his venerable eponymous brokerage’s latest blockbuster deal: “a 525-square-foot lease with Joe - The Art of Coffee at 514 Columbus Avenue.”

If square footage isn’t your vernacular, that’s about the size of your apartment. If you live in a studio. With the bathtub in the kitchen.

How Green Is Her Tavern?

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:50:18 -0500

“It’s just such an assault on all your senses,” my discerning wife, Heather, said over brunch on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 15.

We were seated at a small table near the center of the famous Crystal Room at Tavern on the Green, the largest and most scenic of all six separate dining areas within the sprawling 25,000-square-foot restaurant in Central Park.

The vast, 380-seat space is bathed in bright pastels and bizarrely...

Will Craft-y Exec Chef Damon Wise Ditch the Colicchio Mother Ship?

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:27:31 -0500

For years, Damon Wise—executive chef in charge of celebrity restaurateur Tom Colicchio’s expansive empire of Craft restaurants—has dreamed of opening his own ultra-fancy fine-dining establishment in the old-school New York tradition. “Penguin suits, stylish service,” he told The Observer. “I think a lot of that stuff is going to be forgotten before long. You barely have to wear a tie or a coat when you go out to eat at a restaurant anymore. My...

Bear Hotel Market Bites De Niro

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:36:45 -0500

Robert De Niro and his partners in the posh Greenwich Hotel probably never wanted a mob scene in the lobby, anyway.

The fancy Tribeca lodge is geared toward people who value their privacy, like Mr. De Niro himself. It's supposed to be a quiet retreat where guys like Patrick Dempsey can lift weights in peace and where the rapper Eminem can safely avoid eye contact with other humans, entirely.

Good thing. The celebrity-friendly inn is...

Valentine's Day Agita

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:41:59 -0500

Black-clad staffers commiserated over cocktails in the back bar area at Cocotte, a cozy French bistro along Park Slope’s trendy Fifth Avenue.

An ominous sign had been posted in the front window shortly after brunch that fateful Sunday afternoon last February: “Dear Cocotte’s Friends and loyal customers, We want to thank you for your support through the years. It has been a memorable journey but sadly Cocotte...

All In!

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:14:00 -0500

Ornery old James T. Raleigh couldn’t help but snicker.

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine had just publicly christened the maiden voyage of the new Atlantic City Express Service (ACES), the region’s first direct train from New York to Atlantic City in decades, and then abruptly hopped off the illustrious locomotive at its very first stop in Newark.

“I went into Penn Station and watched him say, ‘Let’s go gamble!’” guffawed...

Manager Wanted; Historic Hotel; Masochist Preferred

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:19:45 -0500

“I just had enough,” said a beleaguered Andrew Tilley, who resigned last week as general manager of the Chelsea Hotel after barely seven months on the job. “I find the whole thing absolutely disgusting.”

Mr. Tilley, 47, is the second consecutive manager to hurriedly check out of the Chelsea after only a brief stint behind its famous front desk. His immediate predecessor, the Richard Born and Ira Drukier–led outfit...

Chocolate Bar's West Village Return Too Good To Be True?

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:10:43 -0500

Chocolate Bar owner Alison Nelson thought she had a done deal to open a new store at 23 Eighth Avenue--"literally, diagonally across the street" from her original West Village location, which closed last spring.

Not so fast!

The current occupant of that space, House of Cards & Curiosities owner James Waits, said he has no plans to retire when his lease expires next December (contrary to The Observer's prior report) and further indicated that he intends...

Embattled Soho Eatery Lola Shuttered

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:01:17 -0500

After one of the lengthiest and nastiest neighborhood liquor fights in years, embattled Soho restaurant Lola finally closed its doors last Friday.

Owners Tom and Gayle Patrick-Odeen had been banging heads with the bar-battling Soho Alliance over alcohol service and live music at their 192-seat, 3,300-square-foot eatery on Watts Street since 2004.

The longstanding struggle, which took on racial overtones, spurred multiple lawsuits and mounting legal bills -- ultimately resulting in the business filing...

Tavern on the Green: Now Up for Grabs!

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:59:09 -0500

Let the bidding begin!

The city Parks Department on Monday released its long-awaited 42-page request for proposals (RFP) from area restaurateurs seeking to operate the lucrative 25,000-square-foot Central Park eatery "currently known as Tavern on the Green."

A number of big names have been mentioned as possible contenders, including Danny Meyer, Drew Nieporent, Dean Poll -- even Donald Trump! -- though current operator Jennifer Oz LeRoy, daughter of the late legendary restaurateur Warner LeRoy, owns...

Do Not Send Back This Man's Soup

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:23:07 -0500

Location: You’ve established this reputation as a pioneer—a neighborhood-changer—with Odeon in Tribeca, Pastis in meatpacking, Schiller’s on the Lower East Side, to name a few. Conversely, your newest ventures seem to be centered in some rather well-established parts of town. Has all the culinary frontier in downtown Manhattan been gobbled up?

Mr. McNally: I’m neither a pioneer nor a neighborhood-changer. Given that it’s downtown, the space matters more to...

The Afternoon Wrap: Tuesday

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:42:54 -0500

SL Green loses $133.5 million on Gramercy Capital. [TRD]

Hotelier Hank Freid gets more flack over his controversial building conversions. [Gothamist]

Brooklyn Bridge Park may go the way of its glitzy condo-and-hotel financing plan. [Curbed]

In the gloomiest of times, a gleaming vision for light rail. [CityRoom]

The Walentases drop $400,000 on Dumbo lobbyists. [Brooklyn Paper]

Beleaguered Greenwich Hotel eatery Ago won't experience Vongerichtification after all. [Down By The...