Buon Giorno, Chelsea Market — a new Italian restaurant may be coming your way.
We hear that upscale Da Giovanni of Rome, a traditional Italian dining spot, is set to replace 202 Cafe, an inspired yet risky shuttered clothing-shopping café concept from talented London-based designer Nicole Farhi.
Farhi used the space in a unique way, as a café and retail store, so shoppers could take a foodie break from buying pricey men’s and women’s clothing, eclectic housewares and antiques from Paris and the South of France, while dining in a reasonably priced café with good fare in a relaxed environment.
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David Burke continues his search for a new space to expand his empire with a New York steak house. We hear he is looking at space in the former New York Times building in Times Square.
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Philippe, the popular upscale Chinese restaurant on the Upper East Side, is opening up a second branch — Phillipe Boca — in, you guessed it, Boca Raton, Fla.
The 11,000-square-foot space, which includes 2,000 square feet outdoors, tiki bars and two private wine rooms, opens Wednesday in South Florida.
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SIGHTINGS … Angelica Houston deep in conversation over dinner at East Hampton’s new restaurant beachhouse while Kimora Lee was having cocktails with some gal pals.
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WE HEAR … that Chef Matthew Tropeano has left La Grenouille to head La Silhouette in Hell’s Kitchen.