Openings

Sam Talbot’s Mondrian Hotel Restaurant Delayed Till Next Fall

Photo: Dreamtard

The hotel on Grand and Sixth Avenue is coming along (it got a name yesterday—the James!), but its Soho neighbor, the Mondrian, which was due to open early this year, has now announced that it will actually be opening in the fall of 2010. That means it’ll be a while before you get to experience Sam Talbot of Top Chef’s “interpretation of modern day east coast seafood” (per the flyer) and his restaurant’s “layers of experiences from a lush enchanted garden to informal social setting.” Without getting into specifics, hospitality consultant Steven Kamali, who worked with Sam Talbot at Surf Lodge but isn’t involved in this project, tells us he’s not surprised by the delays, given the economy. But he says he expects the area to become “the epicenter of fashionable restaurants. I think that corner of Lafayette is going to be prime restaurant real estate.” Kamali says he’s working on two projects, one of them a “lounge” and the other a restaurant, directly in the vicinity of the hotel. The lounge, he says, will be run by “an up and coming operator with a big name.”

Mondrian SoHo a No-Go Until Next Fall [Hotel Chatter]

Sam Talbot’s Mondrian Hotel Restaurant Delayed Till Next Fall