Damon Wise Eyes 615 Hudson for 'Casual Fine Dining' Spot

Folks at the Craft Empire never officially confirmed to the press, but last month reports surfaced that Tom Colicchio let his staff know that veteran chef Damon Wise, the executive chef, of Craft was leaving his position after a long run to open a new spot on his own.

And he didn't waste any time finding the new space! At last night's Community Board 2 SLA Licensing Committee meeting Wise and partner Hayden Felice (who spent nine years at Colicchio's restaurants, lately as Craftbar's GM) sought a full license for 615 Hudson Street. When a board member asked for some details, so they could know a bit more about what they were approving, all Mr. Felice said was that it was going to be a "casual fine dining" concept, green market driven, sourcing ingredients as locally as possible and with an extensive wine list. They probably got a tip from their lawyer, who is at nearly every one of these meetings, that CB2 insists on outreach to the locals, so they had that all taken care of. They were slapped with a deny unless they agreed to certain stipulations, like closing at 1 AM seven days and other basics. So full steam ahead!
—Reporting by Jackie Goldstein
· All Coverage of Community Boards [~ENY~]
· All Coverage of Damon Wise [~ENY~]
[Photo: Savory Cities]