A Sneak Peek at Bobby Flay's Gato, Opening Soon

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[Grainy photos by Greg Morabito]

The plywood was peeled off of 324 Lafayette St. yesterday, revealing the handsome facade of Gato, Bobby Flay's new Spanish/Mediterranean bistro. Although the restaurant won't officially open for another week or two, Gato hosted the launch party for Bon Appetit's Vegas Uncork'd event last night. The room was packed with celebrity chefs (Waxman, White, Bradley, Burrell, English, Sanchez, etc.), and food media people eating, drinking, and Instagramming, but Mr. Flay stayed in the kitchen with his back to the dining room most of the night, cooking away.

The space has a massive rectangular bar, plus a large lounge area that looks out onto Lafayette Street. The back part of the room is lined with cushy leather booths, and there are a few tall windows back there, too. It looks like the space has about 150 + seats, and the bar/lounge takes up about half the room. Gato also has a big, shiny, partially-open kitchen. Stay tuned for the official, Krieger-fied photos of the space in the coming weeks. But for the Gato-freaks and Flayniacs out there, here are a few grainy pictures of the space, in full party mode:

The Flay Man was preparing party food last night, like pizzas, baked oysters, and fried bites. A few dishes, like a briny seafood paella and a tender piece of sea bass, suggested that Bobby might include some sunny, light items on the menu as well.

If everything goes according to plan, Gato should open in the next two weeks.
· All Coverage of Gato [~ENY~]