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The Pastis revival project now has high profile restaurateur Stephen Starr on board. According to the New York Times, Starr — whose Philadelphia-based Starr Restaurants is behind New York hits like Le Coucou and Upland — is teaming up with Keith McNally to bring the former Meatpacking District hotspot back.
The new location will still be at 52 Gansevoort St. in West Village, and while there was a setback for construction last year, the project seems to be back on track and will open in about a year. Starr, who is not involved in McNally’s other restaurants like Balthazar and Minetta Tavern, told the Times that the new restaurant “feel like Pastis” but “even better.” “We’ll keep Keith’s spirit and vision,” Starr told the Times, suggesting that he’ll have a fair amount of control over what the new Pastis will be like.
McNally opened Pastis in 1999, paving the way for the Meatpacking District to become a stylish dining and drinking neighborhood. The legendary restaurant closed in 2014, and the team recently reapplied for a liquor license at the West Village property.
It’s a surprising partnership — McNally tends to run his restaurants without major outside partners, making this a change of course. But Starr’s obviously been inspired by McNally’s hyper-specific tastes in the past; Starr’s Le Diplomate in DC is a French bistro that looks and feels a lot like McNally’s iconic Soho restaurant Balthazar. McNally also had a stroke more than a year ago and has since spent lots of time in London recovering.
Still, McNally told Eater in an email on Wednesday that he remains involved in the opening of Pastis and was at the site this week, working on kitchen design. He did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday. Starr could not immediately offer additional information. Stay tuned for more on the highly anticipated restaurant revival.
