80 Year-Old Bill's Gay Nineties Files for Bankruptcy

Last weekend, the Post floated the rumor that John DeLucie, the chef and owner of The Lion downtown and Crown uptown is taking over the space of Bill's Gay Nineties right across the street from his old boss Graydon Carter's restaurant Monkey Bar. And a new article from Crain's gives credence to the talk. Though old timer Bill's only owes about $40,000 in back rent, they have not been able to renegotiate a lease with the landlord and are filing for Chapater 11 bankruptcy protection. In the filing, the owner of Bill's said she hoped to reach an agreement with the landlord or relocate her Prohibition-era restaurant to a new location. Her family was just the second to own the restaurant.

According to the Post, Team DeLucie hopes to open their facsimile of an old restaurant—they plan to "re-create the old-time feel of the original bar with a first-floor tavern and several private rooms"—in the spring.

· East Side's Bill's Gay Nineties files for bankruptcy [Crain's via Lost City]
· 'Street' Food Fight [NYP]
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