Lalito is finito
Lalito, née Lalo, has shuttered in Chinatown, bringing an end to a quirky, NYC original. “Lalito is now closed forever,” a note at the popular California-ish restaurant tells would-be customers. “Thanks for all the love and support over the last 3 years.” The restaurant, opened by chef Gerardo Gonzalez (El Rey) in 2016, was known for its eccentric menu with lots of vegetarian options like vegan chicharonnes and chickpea guacamole. In 2018, chef Kia Damon took over the helm. But she too has since left and is now the culinary director at Cherry Bombe.
In 2017, Eater NY critic Robert Sietsema gave Lalito two stars for a menu with a “sense of humor” and greens at every turn. “Crazy apps” included “dehydrated chile-coated strawberries and rose-flavored peanuts that came one evening in a soap dish shaped like a lady taking a bath.” Eater NY has reached out to the restaurant for a comment on the closure and will add updates accordingly
Four Seasons change confirmed
As previously rumored, a big Brazilian restaurant group is indeed opening something in the former Four Seasons at 280 Park Avenue. The landlord went public with the news that Fasano Hotel and Restaurant Group would replace the brief $40 million revival of the Four Seasons restaurant, whose short, unhappy life ended this summer. RIP power lunches. Fasano will open its project in the space, reportedly an Italian restaurant, by fall 2020.
In other news
— Manhattan’s District Attorney won’t prosecute a man who was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed by police for selling candy at a 125th subway station. The incident, captured in a viral video, was the latest in a rash of highly publicized arrests of people of color selling food in the subway.
— Night at the bodega: A wonderfully illustrated NYT piece by Julia Rothman and Shaina Feinberg depicts an entire overnight shift at a bodega in Williamsburg.
— St. John’s Bread & Life, Brooklyn’s largest emergency food provider, is raising funds to feed families over the holidays with a pie contest and raffle at Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream this Saturday. Entry is $5, and Maury Rubin of the late City Bakery, Millicent Souris, and Nick Morgenstern will judge the contest — though customers can try slices to judge for themselves, adding Morgenstern’s ice cream for a la mode, too. It’s tomorrow, November 16, at 88 West Houston from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
— Some folks behind popular wine bar Lelabar on Hudson are opening something new in Tribeca at 88 West Broadway.
— The Ellington, located at 936 Amsterdam Ave, is expanding to to the site of longtime bistro Henry’s at 2745 Broadway.
— Lol
i left my airpod while getting sushi n the lady came back n gave it to me like this i’m screaming pic.twitter.com/6YFpxO3Pdu
— Nedward (@NedNeutrality) November 13, 2019