LIC Restaurateur Travels to Seattle in Desperate Bid to Save Amazon Deal

This LIC restaurant owner traveled to Seattle to try and save the Amazon deal

Josh Bowen, who owns barbecue restaurant John Brown Smokehouse in Long Island City, traveled to Seattle to meet with top Amazon execs in an attempt to rescue the tech company’s failed NYC deal. After touring the Amazon campus, Bowen said he wanted to cry “knowing this could have all been in Long Island City.” He believes the company would make Queens “a powerhouse for the ages.” When he asked if the company would reconsider, the response he got was, “never say never.”

Apparently this guy stole a kitten from a Bronx bodega

A man reportedly walked into Ismael Gourmet Deli in the Bronx, on West 238th Street, and ran off with the bodega’s cat. Its owners are sharing the alleged thief’s photo all over Facebook in an attempt to get their pet back, a tiny 2-month-old kitten named Luna.

Openings and coming attractions

Coffee and pastry shop About Coffee is heading to the Upper West Side at 445 Columbus Ave., between 81st and 82nd streets, on March 18. The cafe also has locations in Soho and Brooklyn. And Leyla, a Turkish restaurant, plans to open at 108 West 74th St., near Columbus Avenue, on March 6. But Island Burgers & Shakes at 422 Amsterdam Ave. has shuttered, West Side Rag reports. Over in Tribeca, Mediterranean restaurant Savida has opened at 139 Duane St., between Church Street and Broadway, with a seafood focused menu.

Two closings and free candy today

Lower East Side sweets shop Raul Candy Store is giving away the rest of its inventory for free as the longstanding shop prepares for closure. After 38 years selling sweets at 205 Avenue B, between 12th and 13th streets, the old-school candy store will close its doors tonight. Over in Williamsburg, longtime neighborhood hangout the Abbey is also closing today. Located at 536 Driggs Ave., near Eighth Street, the bar has been around since 1997, before Williamsburg blew up.

There’s an 11-year-old reviewing restaurants in Brooklyn

Brooklyn has a new food critic: An 11-year-old boy named Luca Marconi, or Luca Two Times, as he’s known in the biz. He’s been stopping by restaurants like Carmine & Sons Pizzeria Restaurant & Sports Bar and recording video reviews for Instagram, where he’s amassed 17,500 followers. His rating system goes from 100 to 1,000 “thumps up,” and in a recent visit to Sweet Chick, he rated the chicken and waffles an 850. Marconi wants to be a lawyer and food critic when he grows up, he says in the video.

Celeb sighting at Tao

Real Housewife Teresa Giudice was spotted at hot spot Tao Downtown, possibly on a date with a rumored boyfriend.