Alan Cumming’s Club Is in Trouble With the State Liquor Authority

The State Liquor Authority isn’t happy with Alan Cumming

Alan Cumming’s Club Cumming is in trouble with the State Liquor Authority for hosting live music and DJ’s on the regular. The six-month-old East Village salon reportedly only applied for a bar license, rather than a live music license, so the SLA charged the club with “failure to conform.” Now, Cumming and co-owner Daniel Nardicio need to apply for a license change, and they’re currently drumming up support for that. “When the Community Board sees just how much Club Cumming brings to the area culturally, we’re pretty confident they’ll ok the change of method of operation,” Nardicio told the Post, also pointing to the fact that the club hasn’t had any complaints to the police or 311 for noise.

Reviews for Simon & the Whale, Tetsu Basement, and Ejen

Reviews are in for Simon & the Whale, Tetsu Basement, and Ejen: At Simon & the Whale, the Gramercy American restaurant from prolific West Village restaurateur Gabriel Stulman, new New Yorker critic Hannah Goldfield ends up feeling “a bit like a child who had misgauged her wrapped Christmas presents.” New York magazine heads to Tetsu Basement, the below-ground meat-heavy part of Tetsu in Tribeca from the chef at Masa, and critic Adam Platt thinks it’s “overpriced and underwhelming.” Finally, the Times’ Hungry City column checks in at Industry City Korean restaurant Ejen, where critic Ligaya Mishan fell in love with the homestyle Korean cooking from two Korean parents and their daughter.

NYC restaurant group sues Chicago restaurant for copy-catting

Passon & Passon restaurant group, which owns mid-level Italian restaurants scattered across New York City such as Cotenna and Aria, is suing a new Chicago restaurant for stealing its look. According to the suit, filed in Illinois, Lago Wine Bar in Chicago has copied Passon & Passon’s signature menu design, restaurant design, and dishes. Passon & Passon’s restaurants are all pretty similar with slightly different menus and rooms, and Lago — from two former Passon & Passon employees — sure does look alike.

Catering to the masses at upscale restaurants

A Wall Street Journal story spotlights efforts from several tasting menu Manhattan restaurants to draw in a more populist crowd. Namely, Italienne, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, and Agern are all offering less expensive, a la carte options alongside tasting menus. Italienne and Agern recently made that shift, while L’Atelier opened with Le Grill as a part of the concept from the beginning.