Table 8, 25 Cooper Sqaure
Initial Projection: Mid '08
Current Debut Projection: Beginning of December
Odds, On Time Arrival: 2-1
Eater Projected Opening Date: 12/15/08
All last fall and winter the community and the developers of the Cooper Square Hotel battled it out over the hotel's proposed nightlife plans for the Bowery. The whole ordeal is chronicled here, here, and here, but here's the basic outcome: in the end the hotel was allowed to have two bars and restaurant (588 heads at any given moment) but agreed to some crushing closing times (8 - 1 a.m. depending on the day/space) and promised to have no music. Now that that's all said and done, the project has been moving forward and the powers that be hope to open this puppy up by the holiday season. Now here's the part of the project that we care about: Table 8 from LA heartthrob chef Govind Armstrong.
Seen above, the space for Table 8 has yet to be built out. But come December we should have a main dining room—separated into a raised platform (fitting 60 seats) designated for finer dining, a group of small tables for more casual fare, and the centerpiece, a 14-seat charcuterie and salt bar—an outdoor dining area on the ground floor, and an outdoor dining space upstairs. The bars (both on the ground and second floors) will have their own separate bar menus.
The point of all the different spaces and menus here, iterated by both Govind and the developer Klaus Ortlieb, is to be inviting to both "executives and their assistants." Ortlieb also puts a plug in for the neighbors: "We're not going to be serving $18 martinis. We want them to be able to come have a drink with us. We went to great lengths to do the right thing and give back and we want the spaces to be inviting."
Govind tells us the restaurant will be reminiscent of his outposts in LA and Miami but will have its own unique elements ("not cookie cutter at all"). He's already been meeting vendors at the greenmarkets, making relationships, going over sample menu items. Chef says he is excited about using the fish on this coast and also about his "sleek" charcuterie bar, which will have a large selection of house cured meats and fish.
Govind promises to stay in New York for at least the next four months to get this off the ground. As for Table 8, there's a lot of work to be done, but we sure those developers would be damned if they don't get these spaces up and running in time for holiday events. NB: the penthouse, which will probably be one of the most sought after, and expensive, event spaces in the city, won't be ready until at least January. Mark it down for the '09 holiday party.
· The Cooper Square Hotel [Official Site]
· Table 8 [Official Site]
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