Hurricane Sandy Permanently Shutters Boom in Soho

Sadly enough, more are sure to come, but here's confirmation on the first permanent shutter related to Hurricane Sandy: Boom, the 20-year-old Soho restaurant and celebrity hangout, will close for good after the storm flooded its basement. Former partner Rocco Ancarola confirms the shutter to the Post, saying that the flooded basement kitchen caused over $100,000 in damage, which, combined with skyrocketing rents, makes it not worth reopening:

The rents are just ridiculous. It has become really hard for smaller restaurants and shops to survive when big luxury brands want flagships in SoHo, the Chanels and Louis Vuittons of the world, even though there are never people in those stores. ... It's just too costly to fix things up from the hurricane and fight the high rents.