Rudy's Replacement

As you know, Rudy's Music Stop closed this year, another casualty along dead and dying West 48th Street's Music Row.

Here's what replaced it:

Frankie & Johnnie's

After 89 years, Frankie & Johnnie’s steakhouse has closed -- and is moving not far from its origins.

Florence Fabricant noted in the Times last week:

"The steakhouse that started as a speakeasy in 1926 is moving a block from West 45th Street, where its building is being put to another use. The last day of service there will be Saturday [12/26], and the new location, once B. Smith’s, will open in early January: 320 West 46th Street, 212-997-9494, frankieandjohnnies.com."



I tried a few times, but never got to eat in this place. For a detailed report, see Brooks of Sheffield's 2012 piece in Eater, where he notes:

"Despite having dodged the wrecking ball, the owners of Frankie's nonetheless found a way to wreck the joint themselves. Soon after being saved, they ripped out the old hidden bar upstairs—a wonderful, ramshackle little getaway if you knew how to find it, where Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lanskey once drank alongside John O'Hara and Frank Sinatra, and Jason Robards Jr. pilloried Richard Nixon to his face. They then installed a faceless, blah bar on the ground floor, and scrubbed up and widened the entrance to the old staircase that winds it way up to the tidy, second-floor dining area.

These renovations were mistakes, and noticeably decreased the seedy charm of the place. Still, Frankie & Johnnie's retains more charm than most. Tucked away 15 feet above Eighth Avenue, its small windows shaded, it still feels like a speakeasy, the most Runyonesque of Times Square eateries. The bill of fare remains avowedly old school."

2015 Vanishings

At the end of each year, since 2007, I offer a list of places that vanished during the year. These are the ones I covered on the blog, but there were many more. Please add those not included here in the comments. Click the highlighted name to go to the post for more info. And for previous years' vanishings, just scroll down to the bottom.


Avignone Chemist
Since 1832. Killed by its new landlord, a hedge fund that tripled the rent.

The Unicorn
Just 21 years old. Another piece of gay Chelsea gone. Rent increase.

La Parisienne
Since 1950. Cause of death unknown.

Winnie's
28 years in Chinatown, beloved by gangsters and karaoke kids alike. Could not get a new lease from the landlord.

Moran's
Since 1957. Building sold, a new restaurant took over the space.

Caffe Dante
100 years old. Sold by the owners.



Penn Books
Since 1962.

Eagle Provisions
Over 75 years old. Owners opted to close in a neighborhood where they no longer fit.

Louis Shoe Rebuilders
On the site of the Empire State Building before the Empire State Building was even built, the shop had been here since 1921. After 94 years, the landlord did not renew the lease.



Rudy's Music Stop of 48th Street
Music Row is dead and dying.

Tribeca Cinemas
Since 1996. Building sold for development.

Charlie Mom
Since 1983. Death by rent hike.

The Palm Restaurant
90 years old--and gorgeous. The owners sold the building. The cartoon murals were destroyed.



Cafe Borgia II
Since 1975. Lost their lease.

Market Diner
Since 1962. Sold to the Moinian Group development corporation, closed for demolition and a new luxury tower.

La Taza de Oro
68 years old. Forced to close by the city due to bricks falling from neighboring building. After several months of losing income, the owners decided they could not reopen.

La Lunchonette
28 years old. Closing New Year's Eve. The landlord sold the building for more High Line development.




Previous Years' Vanishings:
2007
2008
2009: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4
2010
2011: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4
2012
2013
2014

Bickle Hawk

This is the mohawk wig that Robert DeNiro wore to play Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver.



If you want to commune with it "in person," you can find it at the Museum of the Moving Image.

Merry Christmas.

Cafe Edison: 1 Year Later

One year ago this week, after a mighty fight to save its life, the great Cafe Edison closed its doors. The Polish Tearoom, as it was lovingly known by its many fans on and off Broadway, had been in the Hotel Edison since 1980.



Last winter, the new owner of the hotel denied a lease renewal to Cafe Edison, despite passionate pleas from the Broadway community, magicians, local politicians--including Mayor Bill de Blasio--and thousands of fans who made our case via national and international news.

While the hotel owners originally claimed they would replace Cafe Edison with a "white-tablecloth" restaurant and a "name chef," they recently announced that a local mini-chain called Friedman's Lunch would be going in. "Just like the Cafe Edison," reported the Daily News in September, "the new restaurant is not some flashy, white-tablecloth type space... It’s a modest, family business." The real-estate broker on the deal told the paper, “It’s old-school, hearty good food. We must have gotten 50 offers but the landlord didn’t want big chains or celebrity chefs. They wanted something warm. This is going to be everything the Edison Cafe was--just a few decades later."

But Friedman's is not "just like" the Cafe Edison and it won't be "everything the Cafe Edison was."

While it might try to sound like one, Friedman's is not a family name, in case you thought it might be. Remarkably, according to DNAInfo, "The restaurant's name is a tribute to free-market economist Milton Friedman." Could anything be more apropos in this city destroyed by neoliberalization?

For your holiday listening pleasure, here's the Milton Friedman choir sharing the man's definition of a corporation:


via okieblog

Anyway, needless to say, many of us who fought like hell to save this truly authentic piece of New York feel betrayed by this news.


Conrad Strohl & NBC News: photo by Barbara Nassberg -- see the video here

I reached out yesterday to Cafe Edison family member Jordan Strohl. When we last heard from the Strohls, they were busy looking for a new location for the coffee shop. Jordan told me:

"It’s hard to fathom that it’s been a year to the day that the longest show on Broadway went dark. This is certainly not the outcome that my family and I wanted. It is a sad day for my family. I try to think about all the wonderful memories, customers, and stories that we had as our home remains dark! The business was a wonderful success story and spoke volumes about what my family stands for and who we are."

"In the past year we have looked at many places with an open mind and, unfortunately, nothing has panned out. As a result, we have turned our attention to finding a way to make some of our products available for customers. We have been actively engaged in working on our product line and believe there is a market for our food. Hopefully, we will have more announcements about that very soon."

"As for the recent news on Friedman’s taking the space, I hope it is an epic failure!"


Jackie Hoffman: Photo by Jennifer Leonard

The Strohl family continues to look for a new space where the Cafe Edison can rise again, bringing people together over authentic New York comfort food.

If you know of a place, or have any leads, please leave the information in the comments section here, or write to me directly at jeremoss at yahoo dot com. 

The fight to save Cafe Edison continues.



Previously:
News breaks about Cafe Edison's forced closure
Over 600 supporters come to our first of many Lunch Mobs
Local politicians and Mayor Bill de Blasio join the fight to Save Cafe Edison
Big rally and press conference at Cafe Edison
The last day announcement
Cafe Edison Closes

Garage

VANISHING

In case you missed the news, the Garage restaurant is closing.


via Brunch Upon a Time

Reader Elizabeth writes in that the last day is January 3. She says, "their rent was going to be hiked to $50k a month. So they are closing. I am heartsick. My friend George and I had Thanksgiving dinner there many times over the years, and loved hanging at the big beautiful wood bar and listening to jazz. No plans to try to reopen in NYC."

I don't know how long exactly Garage has been on Seventh Avenue in the Village, but I guess it's been about 20 years.

Originally a garage, the building has long been a home for jazz and theater--of one sort or another. Over 75 years ago, it was the Nut Club, a nightclub that hosted cockroach races.




cockroach racing (photo via GVSHP)

In the 1950s, it was jazz club The Pad and then Lower Basin Street, where Dave Brubeck played.

After jazz, the building housed live theater as the Sheridan Square Playhouse, home of the Circle Repertory from 1969 - 1994, when they moved to a larger space shortly before folding.

Today, Garage hosts jazz every night and specializes in a jazz brunch. There will only be a few of those left.


Cars on the wall of Garage

La Lunchonette's Last Days

You may recall that last fall I reported that La Lunchonette would be forced to close, thanks to the High Line Effect that is sweeping small businesses from Chelsea.

The 28-year-old restaurant hung on longer than expected, but now the last supper has been announced. La Lunchonette's final night will be this New Year's Eve. 

Owner Melva Max adds, "A ten story building will be erected, another 'starchitect' flexing their creative muscle along the old rail line."



After the High Line opened, Max's landlord’s phone didn't stop ringing, and it was always a real-estate developer on the other end. She told me, “My landlord’s not a bad guy, but how you can you say no to offers of $30 million?” 

She also noted, “The neighborhood is so gross now. It’s all tourists coming for the High Line. People always say, ‘But wasn’t it great for you?’ The High Line has been the cause of my demise.” 

Stop in before La Lunchonette is gone -- taking its delicious lamb sausages with it.