Today ends the two-year-long charade of Drew Nieporent insisting that his first and greatest restaurant, Montrachet, didn't close in May of 2006. Via an official statement from his restaurant holding company, Myriad, he's also at long last finished with his lie of the last twelve months, that he and worldwide chef Paul Liebrandt had no plans to resurrect the Montrachet space at 239 West Broadway. Montrachet is, of course, closed for good. At 239 West Broadway a new restaurant named Corton will open 'at the end of Summer 2008' with, of course, Paul Liebrandt as partner and chef. All this confirmation goodness comes in today from official channels and includes—thanks for the bone, Drewski—first mention of the new name and opening date:
DREW NIEPORENT TO OPEN CORTON WITH CHEF PAUL LIEBRANDT· Restaurant Liebrandt Will Replace Montrachet, Probably [~E~]
Restaurant set to open in former Montrachet space
(NEW YORK, June 4, 2008) Restaurateur Drew Nieporent, of The Myriad Restaurant Group, partners with Chef Paul Liebrandt will open Corton in the heart of Tribeca. The restaurant will occupy the former Montrachet space at 239 West Broadway and is set to open at the end of Summer 2008.
“I have great respect for Paul’s talent and am looking forward to working together with him,” says Nieporent. “It took a long time to get to this point and we’re very happy to be making this announcement.”
Corton will focus on modern French cooking. “I will pay great respect to the tradition of classical French cuisine, while adding my own personal style,” says Chef Liebrandt. The restaurant will feature a tasting menu, as well as a 3-course prix fixe menu. Corton takes its name from the largest area of Grand Cru in Burgundy – an appellation that is celebrated for legendary producers such as Lafon and Ramonet. Corton’s wine list will appropriately feature many selections from the Burgundy region.
The 70-seat restaurant is intimate and comfortable, creating a romantic ambiance. The space is designed by Stephanie Goto, principle designer of the GOTODESIGNGROUP. Goto has previously collaborated on Morimoto and Monkey Bar in New York.
· WANTED: The Location of Restaurant Liebrandt [~E~]
· EaterWire: Liebrandt Getting Awfully Chummy With Drew Nieporent [~E~]
· What of Montrachet? [~E~]
· EaterWire: Montrachet Not Closing [~E~]
· Gesualdi Out, Farnabe In at Montrachet [~E~]