Shuttered 125-Year-Old Brooklyn Restaurant Will Reopen in Landmarked Space

Historic Gage & Tollner will return to Brooklyn

Downtown Brooklyn dining institution Gage & Tollner, which closed in 2004 after 125 years in business, will reopen. A team of Red Hook restaurateurs successfully raised $410,491 for the reopening, and have officially signed a lease at 372 Fulton St., between Red Hook Lane and Smith Street. St. John Frizell, owner of Red Hook’s Fort Defiance, along with Good Fork owners Ben Schneider and Sohui Kim, are behind the reopening, and Kim will be the chef, likely restoring the space as a chophouse. The restaurant is considered Brooklyn’s first fine-dining establishment, where legends like Mae West and Truman Capote once dined, and its original fixtures remain intact.

Openings, closings, and coming attractions

The owner of West Village Italian dim sum restaurant Raviolo is opening an Italian restaurant in Hotel Hugo this week. MAV Soho will serve pastas, fish, and meat, as well as serve the hotel’s room service. Midtown restaurant Pomona has opened a speakeasy-style cocktail bar behind its space, called Savage Lounge. Vegan pizzeria Screamer’s has opened a second location in Crown Heights at 685 Franklin Ave., serving slices and pies from the owners of Champs Diner. In Hudson Square, burger joint Whitmans has opened at at 261 Hudson St., and on the Upper West Side, wine bar chain Bar Veloce is open at 466 Amsterdam Ave.

But Italian restaurant Isola and Rice Krispie treat shop Treat House in the neighborhood have both shuttered. Over in the East Village, it looks like Indian restaurant Old Monk may also have closed, with a sign on the door saying the restaurant is closed, but it’s unclear if it’s permanent. Nearby, Chinese restaurant Beijing Express will open at 92 Third Ave., while KC Gourmet Empanadas, serving the savory stuffed pastries, is headed to 38 Avenue B.

Queer Soup Night turns two

Queer Soup Night, the queer chef-hosted recurring dinner party, will celebrate its second anniversary with its biggest event yet. Chefs like Katie Yun (Eleven Madison Park), Savannah Turley (Gertie), and Jeremy Salamon (the Eddy) will cook at Littlefield in Brooklyn on Sunday, February 3, alongside a DJ. All proceeds benefit Immigrant Families Together, an organization committed to unification of families separated by the zero-tolerance policy. RSVP here.

Llama San opening delayed by a kitchen fire

Highly anticipated Nikkei restaurant Llama San must delay its January opening after a kitchen fire Friday. There were no injuries, but owners Erik Ramirez and Juan Correa have to make repairs before an opening can be scheduled. Once open, the Greenwich Village restaurant will serve Nikkei cuisine, a style created by Japanese immigrants in Peru.