Top Chef 2 bad boy Sam Talbot has parted ways with his business partners at Spitzer's Corner, the restaurant that was to be his post-15-minutes kitchen debut. Officially:
Owners Will and Rob Shamlian and chef Sam Talbot have decided to part ways in Spitzer’s Corner (101 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002), a New American Gastropub to open in June in the Lower East Side. Talbot and the owners couldn’t come to terms on the direction of the restaurant, so they decided it was best to part ways. A new chef has not been named.We're told that the restaurant is still on target for a mid-June open and that the owners are already at work replacing Talbot.
Talbot, for his part, had seemed excited about the restaurant last we spoke to him several weeks back. This, indeed, is a shocking turn of events. One does wonder if some of his celebrity responsibilities, those that found him spending lots of time not in on Spitzer's development, got on his investor's nerves.
· Top Chef-er Talbot to Open on LES By Summer [~E~]
Bonus: From the Split annoucement, more on Spitzer’s Corner:
Spitzer’s Corner will capture the essence of a true European gastropub with an American and local spin. The bar and restaurant is named after the former 50-year-old dress shop previously occupied by the prime corner space. Owners and brother-duo Will and Rob Shamlian have created seven establishments between Los Angeles and New York, including nearby Fat Baby and Dark Room (the two also plan to open an unnamed “honky tonk” bar in the fall, complete with a mechanical bull on Essex Street).
To capitalize on the vast amount of frontage the space, Spitzer’s Corner will have floor-to-ceiling retractable windows, which will fold up to provide an open-air feeling. They’ve hired New York-based architects Asfourguzy (the team behind the Blue Ribbon restaurants) to create a space lined with wood from salvaged pickle barrels, floors made from reclaimed wood, and a long 25-seat bar that will feature a raw bar display. During the warmer months, Spitzer’s will also offer the neighborhood 50 additional sidewalk seats, for enjoying one of the 40 import tap beers and microbrews with a bistro burger, or one of 15 wines by the glass with a selection of oysters from the raw bar.
