Meatpacking Makeover: Pizza Bar to Go Dry; Gin Lane to Make Way for a RestaurantWe’ve learned from nightlife broker Alex Picken that Pizza Bar has been bought out by its landlord and is likely to be repurposed for dry use. “Meatpacking rents have gone up,” says Picken. “You’ve got guys paying peanuts, and you’ve got fashion stores paying the cheese.” (Landlords are asking as high as $300 a square foot, we hear.) Picken has also heard that the space that recently housed Gin Lane is acquiring a new lease holder who will turn it into more of a restaurant. Picken, a meatpacking expert of sorts, is unfamiliar with the operators, so we probably aren’t talking about Kyky and Unik, who were recently bought out of PM and are experiencing delays with Merkato 55. More meatpacking movement: UrbanDaddy has the scoop on a new French restaurant operated by the owners of new club Kiss & Fly. It’s called Bagatelle — that’s a French word, not a portmanteau meaning “douche-bag clientele.”
Related: In the Bag [UrbanDaddy]
Meatpacking Rent Party: Lotus and Pizza Bar for Sale
Breaking: Avalon Closed ‘For Reservations,’ Other Clubs Bite the Bullet
NewsFeed
Is Gin Lane on Death’s Doorstep, or Will It Soon Be Reborn?Eater recently “deathwatched” Gin Lane on the basis that the place wasn’t picking up its phone and its OpenTable page was offline. Fair enough — and now we’ve discovered the silence is because the kitchen closed three weeks ago and the dining room isn’t being used. A person involved in the restaurant’s operations says it’s getting a new chef (yet to be determined) and that the place isn’t for sale, but an industry source has heard rumors that the venue is hurting to such a degree that liquor suppliers who would normally give them a credit are delivering bottles COD. We wonder if this might pique the interest of Kyky and Unik, the boys behind PM and the upcoming Merkato 55, who, according to our source, were at one point interested in acquiring the space. Either way, Gin Lane is remaining optimistic — last night a sign outside the bar said “Welcome to Gin Lane. ENOUGH SAID.”
Related: Deathwatching: Gin Lane Likely Finished [Eater]
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SLA Tells PM to Take the Month OffDown by the Hipster brings news that the State Liquor Authority will suspend PM’s liquor license for 30 days in January owing to a history of underage drinking, disorderly conduct, physical altercations, and yadda yadda. We’re not sure how this will affect Kyky and Unik’s plan to do something in the Sascha space (assuming they still have a claim on it), but it should make them even more eager to get their hands on 1 OAK (assuming they are indeed partnering with Emilio Barletta, the restaurateur who is suing for the space). We just called Kyky, and he says he knows nothing about the ruling, despite the documentation on DBTH — a shout-out to that site for being ahead of the curve?
Related: Breaking News: PM Lounge Shut Down [Down by the Hipster]
Earlier: PM Owners to Open Harlem Restaurant, Bistro-Bakery-Club in Sascha Space
Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano War With “Jealous Competitors” Kyky and Unik of PM
NewsFeed
Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano War With ‘Jealous Competitors’ KykyLast week the Daily News brought word that Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano are being sued for $120 million by developer Emilio Barletta, who claims he’s the rightful lease holder of the space that houses the Butter boys’ club 1 OAK. What the News doesn’t mention, but our inside sources do, is that Barletta, owner of Zanzibar, was planning to partner in the space with PM owners Kyky and Unik, last seen plotting a now-abandoned Italian bistro in the Sascha space.