About a week before Election Day, with little fanfare, the Bloomberg Administration announced its one hundredth zoning change since the mayor came into office in 2002. In New York City, zoning is one of the most important regulatory tools available to government in its efforts to enhance sustainability and the quality of life available for Read More
His landlord might think "the meatpacking district is about to shift 500 feet to the west" with this month’s soft opening of Andre Balazs’ hugely anticipated Standard New York, but Hotel Gansevoort owner Michael Achenbaum emails The Observer that his location is still the hub of trendiness in the neighborhood.
"In our Read More
Hotelier Andre Balazs’ hugely anticipated, High-Line-straddling Standard New York is finally opening its doors to guests, albeit only partially, beginning Dec. 10.
Five floors of the towering 300-room behemoth, Mr. Balazs’ largest hotel, are ready for company; its sprawling food and beverage program won’t be ready until sometime 2009.
According Read More
Celebrity chef Mario Batali’s critically acclaimed Del Posto restaurant earned a more dubious distinction on Sunday, when state Senator Jeff Klein set up outside to announce his second annual round-up of New York City’s dirtiest restaurants.
Mr. Batali’s three-star eatery on 10th Avenue flunked a city health inspection this past June, racking up a total Read More
Scarpetta chef Scott Conant may be "too modest" to say it, but here’s proof that Italian is the new French.
Literally, in this case: beloved former French bistro Cocotte in Park Slope is being converted into some type of red-sauce joint, described simply as an "Italian restaurant," according to some new signage Read More
"This is an awesome space, an awesome location," chef Scott Conant said, during a packed-house grand opening party at his new digs in the meatpacking district–er, at least, sort of in the meatpacking district.
"It’s not really in the meatpacking, it’s on, you know what I’m saying?"
Meatpacking district stalwart Novac Noury has graciously asked neighborhood restaurateur Florent Morellet to move into his underutilized building on Little West 12th Street once Mr. Morellet’s iconic Florent diner closes for good because of a huge rent hike this summer.
"I gave him a call yesterday and we may be in talks to Read More
Eater is reporting today that iconic Florent diner is now officially on the market.
Winick Realty is shopping the space for $700,000 per year.
That’s roughly $58,333 per month — a substantial increase from the restaurant’s current $6,018 monthly rate and quite higher than even the $43,000 estimate that one Read More
Restaurateur Florent Morellet called today to clarify something from last week’s Observer article on the fate of his iconic Florent diner on Gansevoort Street.
That $150,000 he’s seeking from landlord Joanne Lucas in court? "What we’re claiming is not really damage," he said. "It’s being overcharged."
Specifically, the landlord was supposed to charge Read More
Florent Morellet just called to chat about today’s news that his eponymous eatery may, before too long, close its doors for good.
“It’s funny, the Internet, it’s like SARS,” Mr. Morellet joked, referring to the way today’s news has spread on the Web. “It’s going to be a process. I’ve been a Read More
