Chris Crowley

1 month ago | grubstreet.com | Chris Crowley

Eric Huang says it might reopen, but it also might not. Tomorrow will be the last day to get a chile-chicken sandwich and dirty fried rice at the Park Slope location of Pecking House, the Sichuan-meets-southern fried-chicken spot — at least for a while. Rumors started bubbling up this week that the restaurant would close because of a rent dispute, but it sounds like something more complicated is afoot.

1 month ago | grubstreet.com | Chris Crowley

Ryan Hardy in 2019. Vinny Milburn runs the seafood wholesaler Greenpoint Fish and Lobster, and he’s used to restaurant owners who don’t pay for their fish on time: “I joke that I am not a seafood provider — I’m a source of capital who offers a zero percent interest loan.” This is because chefs don’t buy ingredients like most people. Restaurants run on credit lines.

2 months ago | grubstreet.com | Chris Crowley

When Absolute Bagels closed in December, it shocked the Upper West Side residents who had come to depend on the 30-year-old store. (It also shocked them, perhaps, to learn about the multitude of health violations they had been willing to overlook for bagels that many of its fans deemed to be among the best in the city.) And then another jolt hit the neighborhood: Last week, the news broke that someone had taken over the space and was planning to reopen it as another bagel shop.

2 months ago | grubstreet.com | Chris Crowley

For the regulars at Melon’s, the restaurant’s longtime manager was a bigger draw than the burgers. Torre, who died last week at the age of 81. Torre, who died last week at the age of 81. There aren’t many New York pubs more famous than JG Melon. It’s most widely known for its burger, a tractor beam with a side of cottage fries for the throngs who’ve descended on the place over the years.

2 months ago | grubstreet.com | Chris Crowley

The Bryant Park Grill. Last October, the people behind the 30-year-old Bryant Park Grill rang the emergency bells: Help save our restaurant. The operator, the publicly traded company Ark Restaurants, learned that it was likely getting the boot to make way for celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Seaport Entertainment. The Bryant Park Corporation (which leases the space) revealed in January that it was awarding the restaurant to the latter group. Now, the end is near.