Looks like Alessandro Borgognone is adding to his stable of restaurants with a forthcoming concept in the former Annisa space at 13 Barrow Street. Borgognone’s name is on the Community Board 2 agenda to take over the storied space, which for 17 years housed the respected Asian-accented fine dining restaurant from chef Anita Lo.
This new restaurant is an addition to Borgognone’s other upcoming mysterious project at 63 Bedford Street, his already-open West Village restaurants Chumley’s, Sushi Nakazawa, and several in outlying boroughs — not to mention his controversial Nakazawa headed into D.C.’s Trump Tower.
The Trump Tower move — combined with his scarfing up real estate with sentimental value to longtime New Yorkers — led to an an Esquire profile that questioned if he was “the most hated restaurateur in America,” a position reinforced by Anthony Bourdain and others saying on social media they wouldn’t patronize a Trump associate’s restaurant.
For his part, Borgognone tells Eater D.C., “We want them [customers] to have the ability to say, ‘I don’t like that president. But you know what, that’s an amazing restaurant.’”
Here at home he is focusing on two new West Village restaurants, so no matter what, NYC will hear a lot more from Borgognone. Stay tuned.