Stephen Starr Green Lit for 200 Seat 'Meat-Centric' Resto

Check back later this morning for the full report on last night's Community Board 2 meeting—the first of two this month! But first, a major cameo from Philadelphia and New York restaurateur Stephen Starr.

Starr and Co. were in to apply for 2 Bank St., the former Lips Karaoke/Artepasta space on the corner of Greenwich. They plan to turn it into a "meat-centric" neighborhood restaurant with a butcher/retail space towards the entrance. The restaurateur assured residents that his new "low key" project -- a 223-seater -- doesn't come close to approaching the scale of Buddakan or Morimoto, and that it's designed to attract a "different crowd."

Starr proved to be more than amenable, agreeing to adjust his proposal to address community concerns: closing at 12 AM on weekdays and 1 AM on weekends ("It's becoming London, New York," he cracked at one point) and to advertise the Greenwich Ave. address to avoid congestion; the entrance will remain on Bank. He was less flexible about another aspect of the proposal: "We have to be able to do strippers nights on Mother's Day" (his ap came right after one for a strip club/nightclub on the west side). There's been no news as of yet on his previously announced Vietnamese restaurant in a hotel.
· All Coverage of Stephen Starr [~ENY~]