Red Rooster doesn’t open till this weekend, but it has already stolen some VIPs from Sylvia’s. We’re told that after his concert at the Apollo, Sir Paul McCartney hosted an after-party that brought in Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Val Kilmer, Tony Bennett, Chris Rock, Paul Simon, Ben Stiller, Lorne Michaels, Jimmy Fallon, and much of the Saturday Night Live cast. Naturally, the menu was strictly vegetarian. Apparently the fete went into the wee hours, so it’s safe to say the booze was flowing, but don’t assume that’ll be the case when Marcus Samuelsson opens his doors to the plebes on Friday.
According to the State Liquor Authority’s website, the liquor license is still “pending,” which partly explains the delayed opening. A rep for the restaurant confirms that although they expect to hear from the Authority any day now, there’s a possibility they’ll have to pull an Ai Fiori (which is now serving cocktails, by the way) and open sans hooch. Maybe Samuelsson was asking for this when he named the place after a speakeasy?
Earlier: First Look at Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster, Opening Saturday
