Park Chinois, the restaurant that was to be Alan Yau's (pictured) NY stage in the Schragerized Gramercy Park Hotel -- and one of the more highly anticipated restaurants of the year -- may be scrapped altogether. Just in on the transom is this note from a recent Gramercy Park Hotel guest that pretty much sums it up:
thought you'd be interested to know that park chinois might not be happening after all. i stayed at schrager's gramercy park hotel last week, and when i asked a hotel staffer about it, he told me they'd recently been instructed to tell guests that "there is no opening date" (previously, they'd been saying next spring). apparently rumors are circulating of a fallout with alan yau. that's all i could dig up.By way of context, Alan Yau is the UK-based chef who is credited with inventing the Wagamama concept, as well as more tony -- and Michelin-starred -- venues Hakkasan and Yauatcha. In September, when the NY restaurant was still slated for fall, Flo Fab fabbed, "Though he is keeping mum about the details of Park Chinois in the redone Gramercy Park Hotel, expect dazzling design and creative food." Requests for comment are out to all relevant parties.
· Back Into the Fray: Park Chinois [NYT]
· Three of the biggest names in food touch down in NY this fall [NYM]
· Park Chinois [Grammery Park Hotel]
UPDATE: From the PR company of record for the hotel, Syndicate NY: "Our plans for Park Chinois have not changed. All truly original and special things take time. As soon as we have a definitive opening date we will announce it." And, if there's any truth to this, it will be an original and special announcement at that. Breath-holding, however, is not advisable.
Also, while you wait, perhaps you'd like to get yourself more familiar with the hotel?
