Why Does Eric Adams Keep Dining at Osteria La Baia?

Midtown Italian restaurant Osteria La Baia — one of mayor Eric Adams’s regular nighttime haunts — is run by twin brothers Robert and Zhan Petrosyants, who have a checkered history of felony convictions, unpaid tax bills, and other legal issues, according to the New York Times. So why does Adams keep patronizing the restaurant? Times reporters staked out the restaurant and watched as the mayor visited the restaurant at least 14 times in June alone, heightening the restaurant’s profile as one of the mayor’s go-to dinner spots in town. It’s also unclear if the mayor pays his check at La Baia, which may put him on murky ethical ground. Times reporters never saw Adams pay for his meals, but a spokesperson for the mayor says he pays his bill monthly. The spokesperson didn’t provide receipts, nor did the restaurant.

The Petrosyants brothers also have a troubled past with other restaurants in the city. The landlords behind Downtown Brooklyn restaurant Forno Rosso have reportedly sued Robert for over $500,000 in unpaid rent “and other costs” during the pandemic. “The brothers and entities connected to them have been sued by landlords, investors and others for hundreds of thousands of dollars,” the Times reports.

Italian import sandwich spot gets U.S. expansion boost from Joe Bastianich

The Italian import in Hell’s Kitchen, known for its stuffed, square sandwiches, is adding two more locations in Manhattan, plus new outposts in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Montreal, according to Tasting Table. Restaurateur Joe Bastianich — a former Mario Batali business partner who was named in a $600,000 settlement to the state over workers’ claims of sexual harassment and discrimination in Batali’s restaurants — is behind the expansion.

Neighbors protest planned Forlini’s replacement

Not everyone’s happy with DJs Alex Watanabe and Marcelo Baez’s plans for former red sauce institution Forlini’s. The pair — who are both affiliated with late-night Latin music party Sohogozo — are opening a Mexican Japanese restaurant that they say will definitely not be a club, but Bowery Boogie reports that some neighbors in the near vicinity have turned out to protest the takeover, including residents from Chung Pak, a senior low-income residence across the street. The restaurant is up for a liquor license hearing tonight.

The Tin Building has an early star restaurant

It’s been about one week since Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened his ginormous Seaport marketplace, but the New York Post’s Steve Cuozzo is ready to call it: Chinese restaurant House of the Red Pearl is the breakout hit of the development.