[Kalina, 2/2006.]
MIDTOWN EAST—The legendary Monkey Bar (above), located in the the Hotel Elysee, has closed for an overhaul, The Glazier Group announced today. The continental, slightly steak-slanting, restaurant will be taken given an Asian makeover, complete with the installation of Patricia Yeo as executive chef. The venue will reopen in May, following the renovation—check that, restoration. Monkey Bar first opened in 1933 and received a facelift in 1994.
Here is the statement from Glazier Group, via their PR, Bullfrog & Baum:
Monkeying Around
The Glazier Group to revitalize Monkey Bar in the Hotel Elysée
New York, NY, March 2007– Peter, Penny and Mathew Glazier of The Glazier Group have announced their plans to close Monkey Bar in the Hotel Elysée on March 6 and reopen with acclaimed Chef Patricia Yeo at the helm.
While the irreverent monkeys will keep their place, the design of the restaurant will be reenergized and modernized. The design references the subtle Asian inflection of the menu, while updating the space with materials that call to mind the restaurant's glamorous heyday.
Yeo drew from her international background and researched 1940s cookbooks to create her Modern American cuisine, peppered with the Asian influences for which she has become so well known.
Monkey business will restart in May of 2007. Monkey Bar is located at 60 East 54th Street, NYC 10022.
