From a Hudson Square tipster: "The brand-new bistro Côte d'Or is right near my office on Varick Street, and when I was walking past today I noticed they had a new name on the door: Charolais. I dropped a line and the guy who answered the phone told me that they changed the name this morning. Though Charolais was the original name for the restaurant, they hadn't been able to find a quality supplier of Charolais beef, so they switched to a name that wouldn't focus all the attention on something they were lacking. And then today— today!—they found a new supplier, he brought in tastings, the quality was there, and they switched back to Charolais. This raises some questions."
Our tipster continues:
1) Holy crap, is this wise? There have already been reviews posted and buzz building about this restaurant. They already had their press dinner! Gothamist has already fellated them.Excellent questions, all. A call to the restaurant by Eater staffers moments ago was indeed met with a chirpy, "Charolais!" from the attendant—an event that, had we not been expecting it, might well have led us to assume we'd dialed the wrong number. In any case, a truly bizarre move. When was the last time a high-profile opening changed names in its first six months, much less its first six days? Eater statisticians are hard at work on that very question. Please stand by.2) Does this mean that they originally planned to be not just another French bistro, but the city's first (?) French steakhouse? Yet another step in the steakhousification of New York? Regardless, the restaurant looks gorgeous, and the staff seems incredibly friendly.
· Dish: Côte d'Or [~E~]
· Downtown's Newest Bistro is Cote D'Or [RareDaily, photo courtesy]
· Cote D'Or Opens on Varick Street [Gothamist]
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