Are Nasr and Hanson Planning Their Big Comeback?

Several attendees of last night's MAD panel at the Drawing Center send word that moderator Peter Meehan mentioned a new West Village corner restaurant from chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson during the presentation. Today, Nasr tells Eater that Mr. Meehan was just joking last night. Fair enough. But if this was in fact a joke, it was totally lost on the audience full of food writers and restaurant enthusiasts. The two chefs ran the kitchens at Balthazar, Minetta Tavern, Pastis, and Schiller's until their split with Keith McNally last year. A new West Village restaurant from the duo would be cause for celebration.

Last night's event was full of memorable lines from Hanson, Nasr, Mario Batali, Gabrielle Hamilton, and Bill Buford. Riad offered this gem during the presentation, on the subject of human resources: "I smacked a busboy. It cost the restaurant $80 grand ... Was it a moment I could have avoided? Absolutely. Did it take that for me to understand that? It did." Head over to Eater National for the full recap.
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[Photo: @danielkreiger on iPhone]