Remember when Curbed announced that Libation was on the market for $5.5 million, prompting a flurry of mock-elegiac blog posts and even a rumor that it might become a downtown outpost of the 40/40 Club? Eight months later, the place is still alive with customers who line up on weekends. As of this week Libation is under a “new management” team that doesn’t plan to change much.
Terence Tubridy, one of the “managers” (a group that also includes owners of Mannahatta, Professor Thoms’, Metro 53, and Saloon) tells us the name will stay the same but there will be a renewed emphasis on bottle service. Take that, gloating hipsters! The kitchen is closed until Mike Dalton from the Cherry Valley Country Club and Chris Grauwiler, a consulting chef from Southern Hospitality, come up with a menu offering finger food over fine dining. Between this and last week’s opening of the Blue Seats, it looks like the Lower East is still well on track to becoming the Upper West.
Related: Hipster War Ends, No Winners in Sight [Curbed]
