A Goodbye to Great Jones Cafe, a Vestige of Downtown NYC’s Old Magic

August 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment

“The Jones it was reliable, it was cheap-ish, it was good (with flashes of comfort food greatness), and there were always seats or would be seats soon, whenever you went. It was the sort of spot where you were more likely than not to be elbow-to-elbow with the sort of ambiguously and stratospherically cool people who made New York a place worth moving to. It was old downtown long after old downtown was gone, not that I was ever really here for it, having arrived to the city in 1998. It wasn’t a scene to make, but the scene was a pleasure to try to blend into.”

Read more here.

Filed Under: Closings, Cooking, Events, Heard on The Street

Restaurants Near the Steam Pipe Explosion Are Losing Tens of Thousands of Dollars

July 24, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2018-07-24 at 10.48.09 AM.png

“Flatiron restaurants are losing tens of thousands of dollars in the days following the steam pipe explosion in the neighborhood — an incident last week that sprayed asbestos throughout the area and forced dozens of buildings to evacuate.

Taj II, a two-floor lounge and popular private events space on 21st Street, is in its fifth day of closure since the explosion on Thursday morning. Operations director Christopher Collins canceled several private events over the weekend, including a bar mitzvah, and two brunch services that would have had more than 400 people at each. He lost more than $100,000 in the process, he says.

Besides restaurants and other businesses, the steam pipe explosion impacted residents in the area, many of whom still couldn’t return home by Sunday night. Though only minor injuries were incurred with the incident, many people are fearful of the longer-term health impact. The city and ConEd, which operates the pipe, has yet to figure out what caused the explosion.”

Read more here.

Filed Under: Closings, Heard on The Street, Retail Spotlight

Union Square’s Iconic Diner Coffee Shop Will Close in October

July 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment

“After 28 years of serving diner food to celebrities, tourists, and fashiony New Yorkers, Union Square’s iconic restaurant the Coffee Shop at 29 Union Square West will close.
The diner is one of the last remaining non-chain, sit-down restaurants left in Union Square, which has suffered a spate of high-profile closures like Union Square Cafe and Republic. Blue Water Grill remains open, but it’s fate is still uncertain.”

Read more here.

Filed Under: Closings, Local Market Buzz, Uncategorized

NYC Has a Ban on Black Foods with Activated Charcoal

June 8, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2018-06-08 at 10.09.00 AM.png

“The DOH has forced at least Morgenstern’s and Round K to stop selling their popular black-colored edibles.”

“Scientists are generally skeptical of the purported health benefits of activated charcoal, like getting rid of bad chemicals in the body, but in small quantities, activated charcoal is not going to hurt you, either. It’s become super trendy for cafes and restaurants with a healthy bent across the country to serve, both in beverages and in foods. Cocktails, burger buns, bagels, and juices have all been sold with the stuff lately.”

To read more click here.

Filed Under: Closings, Local Market Buzz

53-Yeard Old Le Perigord Shutters to Displace Union Labor

March 15, 2017 by Leave a Comment

The costs involved with running a restaurant in New York City have never been more daunting.  Even for a stalwart of the fine-dining breed, labor costs can undue profitability.  And when a union is involved, the costs can become insurmountable.

Georges Briguer, who has owned the old-school French institution since 1966, has closed Le Perigord as he has not been able to reach terms with the restaurant union, Local 100.  The owner and the union had negotiated for four months to no avail.  Now, legally, closing and reopening as a new business is Mr. Briguer’s path forward.  According to the owner, “We would have to increase the price of the dinner too much…we have no choice,” in order to meet the new deal that would have required an additional $80 per day, per employee–about $12,000 per week–to cover the additional healthcare and pension requests.

In six months, the restaurant at 405 East 52nd will turn the lights back on under a new name: Restaurant 405.  Le Perigord, which once served neighborhood regulars and celebrities such as Truman Capote and Donald Trump alike, will be a memory.  The revised restaurant will have a new menu, but the owner hopes to rehire his staff, sans union.

To read more, click here.

 

Filed Under: Closings, Local Market Buzz, Shopbuzz, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Colicchio & Sons to Close

August 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment

19COLICCHIOS-WEB-master768.jpgColicchio & Sons, the eponymous Chelsea restaurant from Tom Colicchio, recently announced they would close their doors after a final dinner service on September 4th The restaurant has been open for 6 years, during which it earned 3 stars from the New York Times for it’s sophisticated techniques and devotion to craft.

Tom Colicchio announced the closing on August 18th, but did not give specific reasons. A likely possibility is that he is moving to focus on more casual concepts for financial reasons, as the market grows less friendly towards fine dining. Mr. Colicchio also plans to open a new concept, called Fowler & Wells, in the Beekman Thompson Hotel in the financial district.

To read more, click here.

Filed Under: Closings Tagged With: , ,

Bloomfield’s Planned FiDi Opening Called Off

July 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment

April Bloomfield, the chef behind NY staples Salvation Burger, The Breslin, and The Spotted Pig, has officially called off plans to open a complex of restaurants and bars at the top of 70 Pine Street in the Financial District. Bloomfield had originally planned to open the project with business partner Ken Friedman and developer Adam Rose, who is converting the the former AIG building into apartments. But by mutual agreement the plan has been called off, supposedly due to the complexity of the concept and logistics necessary. According to Rose, “we need a simple bar with basic (but nice) food to make it work 66 stories up in the air on top of a landmark.”

Rose is now working on securing another chef or operator, but has not announced any possible partners yet. He says that a future collaboration with Bloomfield and Friedman is still “highly likely.”

To read more, click here.

Filed Under: Closings, Heard on The Street Tagged With: , ,

The Wizard Retools His Lab

June 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment

David Bouley dreams of engineering a whole different concept of a restaurant.

The famous chef’s eponymous restaurant opened at 165 Duane Street, Tribeca in 1987.  According to Bouley, the restaurant will be going “on sabbatical” and then reopening in a smaller space (planned for Tribeca) with a mission of healthful eating.  The new space will accommodate only 20-25 seats and open five days a week.  The Bouley that New Yorkers have come to know over the past thirty years will be gone in a few months.

In recent years, Mr. Bouley has become obsessed with health issues.  Towards the end of the year, he will engage in a deep study of the relationship between health and food.  He plans to take nutrition classes at New York University and consult with doctors and experts, internationally.

The new restaurant’s mission will be to optimize health.  Tasting menus will be developed to address a variety of dietary restrictions and medical concerns.  “Food should give you calories that you burn off, not calories that you store,” said Mr. Bouley.

David Bouley plans to rejuvenate his restaurants and projects (Bouley, brushstroke, Bouley Test Kitchen and Bouley Botanical) and himself.  He is quoted as saying “Gastronomy and science, meeting together.  I want to learn how to do that better”.

Please click here to read more…

Filed Under: Closings, Global Market Buzz, Local Market Buzz, Openings, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Fairway Files for Bankruptcy

May 5, 2016 by Leave a Comment

03-fairway.w529.h352

As of Monday (but predicted long before), Fairway Market has officially filed for bankruptcy after losing $300 million in five years and accumulating $267 million in debt. According to a statement released by the company, they have a plan underway to restructure debt while keeping all 15 stores in operation and continuing to pay wages, benefits and other obligations.

Fairway CEO Jack Murphy is publicly optimistic, stressing that the bankruptcy deal is the grocery chain’s best opportunity to continue operating and survive the recent turmoil more or less intact. Indeed, the news that all stores will remain open comes as some surprise, since initial reports predicted that at least the poorer performing branches would be forced to close.

To read more, click here.

Filed Under: Closings Tagged With: ,

7/26: The Four Seasons Auctions Off Its Entire Iconic Interior

April 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment

fourseasons5.0.jpgDetails were released yesterday about the much-anticipated auction of the furniture and smallwares formerly used at the Four Seasons Park Avenue, and there are certainly more than a few New Yorkers out there already reaching for their pocketbooks.

The auction will be held by Wright Auctions, a Chicago-based company specializing in mid-century design. It will take place on-site on July 26th. The restaurant has long been iconic for it’s interior design and aesthetic; in fact, the architectural fittings and detailing have been landmarked (and as such are among the only items not available for sale). According to Richard Wright, founder and president of Wright Auctions, “[we] have always held a particular focus on modern architecture and design, and this interior so perfectly captures the modern spirit in heroic and elegant fashion.”

There will soon be a catalogue available of the full auction list, but New York collectors can already look forward to the Grill Room’s famous banquettes, the custom tulip tables, and bespoke small wares ranging from wine coolers to pots and pans.

To read more, click here.

 

Filed Under: Closings, Events Tagged With: ,
«Previous Page
Next Page»