Clubby Upper East Side French restaurant Le Bilboquet closed after service on New Year's Eve. Its lease at 25 East 63rd St. expired after 27 years in business, and now the owners are plotting their move to a much bigger location a few blocks south.
Last summer, news broke that the owners had found a space at 20 East 60th St., and now Steve Cuozzo reports that the new Le Bilboquet will have 100 seats (the old location had just 35), and it's slated to open this May. In an interesting twist, billionaire mogul Ronald Perelman is an investor in the new restaurant along with Eric Clapton. A few years ago, Perelman and owner Philippe Delgrange got into a feud over sidewalk seating in front of the restaurant. Now Delgrange tells the Post that "Ron's a super- good guy."
· Perelman, Bistro Turn Down Heat [NYP]
· All Coverage of Le Bilboquet [~ENY~]
[Photo Credit]