Remembering NYC Restaurants

My memories of NYC restaurants that have unfortunately closed (1990-current)

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

Ellary’s Greens

Ellary’s Greens just closed this year (March of 2018) and I miss them.  

Ellary’s Greens was a mainstay for me, and I enjoyed it regularly.  The food was great, and they were one of the few restaurants that got it (healthy + delicious) right.  They were brought down by more than the NYC “rising rents” story (which was definitely a factor, but there was more going on). Minimum wage doubled during the 5 years they were in business (I’m all for having a $15 minimum wage, and paying all employees a living wage, but a too-speedy ascent is extremely tough for a small business to absorb), and they had a bookkeeper who stole $80,000 from them.  

I wish Leith Hill and all the team (minus the bookkeeper!) all the best for any future endeavors.  

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

Chez Es Saada  East Village Moroccan, closed around 2004

I remember the glorious cous cous of basement-level, atmospheric French Moroccan restaurant Chez Es Saada.  Apparently, the place was also known for it’s cabaret.  

Descendants:

Ludo - After Chez Es Saada closed, the restaurant Ludo took over the space and phone number (42 East First St, NY, NY 1003; 212.777.5617 <--- this was on the back of the postcard, scanned above).  Ludo apparently closed in April of 2007 (according to Mike T.’s Yelp Review), and became...

The East Side Yacht Club - it still had that same phone number - Sometime after The East Side Yacht Club closed, the bar was called ...

Arlo & Esme (also same phone number) closed in early 2011, and famed neighborhood blog EV Grieve was there on the scene recording the gutting.  

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

Man Ray, 169 8th Ave, nyc

One of my favorite restaurants in the 1990s was Chelsea's Man Ray. On 8th Ave between 18th and 19th Streets, Man Ray was a small place with a sophisticated (at least to my newly-adult self), understated vibe. The people were always friendly and (as a vegetarian at the time) I ate many a good salad there.

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

First Restaurant - East Village

I absolutely loved this place, and was sad to see it go in the early 2000s.  They had the absolute best chicken wings I had ever tasted, and they served s’mores as a dessert - as I remember, you got a cast iron pot of burning charcoal at your table to roast the marshmallows over.  They also served a lot of fancy flavored martinis (but I’m not a mixed drink person, so I don’t remember those very well, just that they had a menu for them).  The food was great, and the prices were reasonable.  The booths were comfortable, and it was pleasingly dark in there.

First was located at 87 First Avenue, on the east side of First Avenue in Manhattan, between 5th and 6th Streets.

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

Time Cafe (on Lafayette and Great Jones) closed somewhere around 2005.  I have many fond memories of that place.  When I was done being a vegetarian, I went to Time Cafe, specifically to eat their bacon as my first meat in ten years.   Their Time Pizza - with the bacon and apples - OMG.  

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

Buried deep in my archives, I actually found the recipe for Luma’s Butternut Squash Spread! I miss you, Luma!

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

Luma (Chelsea) was ahead of its time.

Luma, on 9th Avenue and 22nd Street, was serving organic food in the early 90s.  When they transitioned from a low-fat cuisine to a more delicious, but still healthy style, I was a big fan. (Plus, I was a vegetarian during those years when I ate there, so it was such a treat to go to a restaurant with excellent vegetarian dishes!)  I LOVED the butternut squash spread that Ruth Reichl of the Times complained about in this 1995 review.  Here is a wonderful review of a 1997 dinner at Luma.

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

Grange Hall, I miss you.

Grange Hall made comfort food sexy.  Everyone was sad when it closed - it closed in 2004, and I’m still missing it.  Bartenders were so nice, prices were reasonable (especially considering the ambiance and the quality of the food), and it was a perfect date place.  According to a comment on Chowhound, the rent was raised, and they didn’t want to raise the prices of the dishes.

[rememberingnycrestaurants]

August (West Village)

August relocated to midtown east in 2014, I think. I haven’t been there, but it seems like they still have a great menu.  What I really miss is that glass-roofed garden in the back of their old location.  The light was blinding at times, but mostly perfect, as nearby buildings were low.