Per NYMag’s Grub Street, an upscale bistro is to open in Harlem by summer by one of the owners of PM, Kyky:
In three months he’ll launch Bistro de Paris in a 3,500-square-foot space at 129th Street and Lenox Avenue. The look? “A mix of Pastis and Balthazar.” The menu? Similar to both. Presumably there won’t be as many limos parked outside — well, unless you count Bubba’s motorcade. —Daniel Maurer
Source: Grub Street
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Posted in: New/Openings, Restaurants
warrior1
May 29, 2007
#1′s comments are grounded and sensible in some respects, but simply erroneous in others. For instance, the Lenox is now 90% sold, not 20% (and was @ just under 60% at the time of #1′s comments). And although it’s yet to be occupied by many of the owners, most residents will be moving in during the early summer months. Also, working for a firm which has done various micro-analyses on disposable income in this neighborhood (harlem above 125th), there is plenty of (potential) clientel to make this profitable.
Nobody you know
March 26, 2007
I doubt this will be in the Lenox Grand or the Lenox; there is an empty, partially renovated space on the SW corner of the intersection. It seems like a more likely bet; the Lenox space is too big, and the Lenox Grand may not even be finished in three months.
Those two buildings alone form a nice core of customers, and the area is pretty well gentrified. If this attracts a similar crowd to Settepanni, it will do very well.
Emperor’s Roe is not a good comparison; that place was just too weird.
ac
March 25, 2007
i think if citarella did better maybe other small upscale food stores would consider it…but ever time i go in there it’s empty.
as far as regular grocery stores—sadly what we have up here is just as good as just about every other manhattan area. the only peolpe who have it better are those that live close to fairway or whole foods. i used to live downtown and i can honestly say that every supermarket i’ve been to in harlem is better than the horrible food emporium’s i was forced to live off of before i moved up here.
Lauren
March 24, 2007
Can we say please lord bring us a good resturant…oh yeah and a decent food store…what do we have to do to attract a good grocery? Seriously…does anyoen know how we could lobby some stores to consider it?
d
March 16, 2007
mmmm….upscale food store sounds good to me. And poster #1 sure has a lot of time on her hands….rediculously lengthy statement and a shamefull waste of time. She apparently thinks she’s a know it all and forgot that she’s degrading the very area in which she is now a resident….smart.
anon
March 15, 2007
Agree with #3. I live a few of blocks below 125th St, but if this new place is anything like Pastis and Balthazar, I’ll be there several times a week, even if I have to walk a bit.
And regarding the Lenox, I’m guessing that if this Bistro de Paris thing does happen, they’ll have a much easier time selling the remaining units, and this entire micro-neighborhood will change.
Now if only we could have an upscale foodstore somewhere around 125th & Lenox…
anon
March 13, 2007
Bravo for Bistro de Paris, a bold move, I expect these people have done their homework, being successful in the business. The upscale restaurant model is different in Harlem, services are still scarce and restaurants are not competing for walk by customers. There are lots of well heeled people already in the neighborhood who have little other choice for upscale dining. There are more than enough customers of the demographic who will patronize this establishment who would otherwise have to travel downtown and would be happy to stay in Harlem. This is another sign if the changing face of Harlem.
Harlem Girl
March 13, 2007
Did Emperor’s Roe close?
Anonymous
March 12, 2007
-In three months he’ll launch Bistro de Paris in a 3,500-square-foot space at 129th Street and Lenox Avenue. The look? “A mix of Pastis and Balthazar.”
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Since I live within a 2 minute walk I would love it. However the economist/analyst in me says, “not a shot in hell” (to fly). The demographics of disposable income & cultural taste simply are not there in context of what’s required for these types of places to be successful.
This is not a “destination’ type of place, this is the type of model that fits in with the community. Emperor’s Roe never got off the ground or lasted for demographic and model reasons. Pier 2110 will probably be out of business in mid ’08 when that Korean lady had enoough trying to serve hyped Harlem with upscale and stays focused on their Manna’s model.
This might/could possible fly if it were located in Harlem central to Columbia U. and and could capture the Max Soha crowd, the Dinosaur crowd, the Le Monde crowd, etc. Place this model/business at 114th & 8th where Melba’s and Society is and I might say, “maybe”. 129th and Lenox? No chance.
There is no walk by traffic, no business places to get to, no “flow” of the needed demographic to make this place fly. These models need to be everyday neighborhood spots. Retail storefront bottom line is about revenue per square foot. 3500 sq feet is a lot of space and requires a lot of revenue on a daily basis.
Personally I believe it’s all hype and not real as they’re launching 2 new enterprises at the same time? This has got to be located in the ground floor of The Lenox, 77 units, perhaps at the very most 15 actually occupied and possibly less than 20 sold (after nearly 16 months on the market).
These models need immediate walk by traffic and a small footprint to fly, like starbucks on 125th and Lenox. Tiny footprint is important. I’m betting this is all hype, not real, as it can’t be justified in the mircomarket of 129th and Lenox.
The Lenox is a total disaster on a business level. A restaurant can’t afford to absorb the losses a developer can. You place this restaurant on 125th somewhere and I would say, “maybe”. 129th and Lenox? Ha! No Chance…