According to a recent New York Times article, Auberge Laurent will be closing soon and changing its name to Tapis Rouge. The wine bar at Lenox Avenue and 120th Street in the Mount Morris Park Historic District is not even four months old but owner Lawrence Page has decided to convert it into a full service French restaurant instead of a place for small plates and wine. As for Mr. Page's Pink Teacup reopening in Harlem, that too has changed in plans. The shuttered downtown venue will be moving to 6th Avenue by 14th Street and will not be making its presence in Harlem. Read more in the Times:
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Great call on the owner's part. I think a restaurant will do much better than a pure wine bar. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteGood move, but what about his comments regarding "As for Harlem, he said residents there 'spend their money downtown, and the people from downtown are not coming up here.'"?
ReplyDeleteI think he is probably right to some extent, but the tide is certainly changing.
Wise move, and good for it’s neighbors, this will add the third leg of the stool to support Mount Morris restaurant row being Il Cafe Latte along with Settepani and now Tapis Rouge. A French menu has also proven popular in Harlem and will complement its neighbor’s menus.
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ReplyDelete@Chris:
ReplyDeleteI agree with pretty much all of Page's comments as I have often though the same thing myself.
But I also have to say if Page had been able (he couldnt get a liquor license for Auberg's space) to open a full service pub like Lenox Social or Harlem Tavern, the place would have gotten a much warmer reception.
Folks around here seem to want Bars, Pubs and Beer Gardens more than they want winebars.
A French place should do well in the area as that immediate area is a bit of a restaurant row with Native, Settipani and Il Cafe Latte nearby.
Hopefully Page gets to buy the Lenox Lounge so he can take on Red Rooster head to head:)
I agree the lack of a liquor license doesn't help, but Bier doesn't serve liquor and does well. It's not a destination, but a neighborhood spot, which is fine by me. A french restaurant with a well-thought out menu could do well. I might go more belgian than french if I were him given the proximity to Chez Luccinne and Cedric, and the opportunities to keep the menu accessible: feature belgian beers, frites with a selection of dipping sauces, Belgian waffles at brunch, etc.
ReplyDeleteLots of big talk and precious little action from Page. Closing after 4 months. There's a lesson here: don't back off your original plan and then tell the world you're settling for your 2nd or 3rd best.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't anyone in the Lenox area do a wood burning pizzeria? French we have plenty of, or more than most. Or how about Thai or Ramen? Variety is the spice, so they say.
ReplyDeleteBecause installing a wood burning oven is an insurance nightmare.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping Mr Page reads the local market better for his new venture than he did for the wine bar.
@Pignoli:
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it was with a wood burning stove specifically, but Settipani did want to start up a pizzeria, but the economics of the situation were against it at the time.
How about, like, a, ya know, REGULAR pizzeria? We haven't had one since Slice of Harlem closed 5 years ago!
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a slice joint on 8th and, what, 121st?
DeleteWell the best Pizza I have found so far on the Lenox Corridor is the Pizza Stop. On Lenox between 136th and 137th the Grandma Pizza is wonderful!!
DeleteNot for nothing but I never liked pizza from 'Slice of Harlem'. Maybe it was coincidence all 5 times but the flavor was seriously lacking. The truth is that good pizzerias are as much a rarity as quality sushi in Harlem. Only three pizzerias have made the cut in my book. King's Pizza on 145St n Lenox, Olga's Pizza on Bway bet 138th and 139th and good ol' Koronet on 110 and Bway(technically morningside but close enough.
DeleteI believe the building was having a helluva time trying to get permits and insurance, et al.
ReplyDeleteI just pray to god that they get rid of the chasity belt in the bathroom. As a woman, I found it a disturbing piece of decoration.
ReplyDeleteI spent money at Auberge I liked that it was not as crowded as most of the other bars on Harlem sorry to see it go but I don't thing french bistro is a real game changer here
ReplyDeleteNot being crowded is an owner's nightmare--lol!
DeleteIs Setti Pannis Pizza place Dead??? I was looking fwd to it after the bad service (but good food) at Bad Horse
ReplyDeleteNot that anyone has asked me, but I would die for a good ole American fare place: you know, good salads, burgers, some entrees with a slight twist, breakfast, desserts...kind of like the Coffee Shop on Union Square or Cafeteria in Chelsea. Cafe Latte is a wonderful addition but we can certainly use add'l similar places where one can regularly "fsll into."
ReplyDeleteI think this would be the perfect season to reopen/resurrect the Pan-Pan Diner! It's historic and the retro vibe it used to have would fare nicely today.
ReplyDeleteI agree--I so miss Pan Pan and M&G! Would so look forward to something like that but an ever so slightly cleaned up version. The original Pink Tea Cup concept that was on Grove St would be a home run.
DeleteI would love to see a more varied menu, French is great but we need good Thai, Latin, Middle Eastern etc. I was not crazy about the wine bar concept. I'm all for a Mt Morris restaurant row. Great pizza would be amazing too!
ReplyDeleteWe have tons of friends who live downtown, brooklyn etc who are very excited about coming up to Harlem and see whats going on. I think that he offered the wrong thing. Wine bars have to be more than people walking around offering wine, cured meats and a bit of cheese. I love wine and I expect more. I want to be introduced to new wines, teach me something, the staff was nice but I didn't feel that they knew much more than the names of the wines and grapes. People who live here are spending money at Corner Social, Red Rooster, Harlem Tavern even Beir who's service is in need of a lot of help. I seems like he didn't do his homework.
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