Farewell, Florent

As of this morning, Florent, New York's iconic Meatpacking District diner, has closed its storied doors for good. Longtime fans of the 23-year-old stalwart have been making final pilgrimages to enjoy one last meal -- or so they thought. Last week, plans for the new space were revealed. Was it another DKNY or trendy spendy club? No, actually it's reopening as the same restaurant, boasting the same staff and menu, and bearing the name of the restaurant that Florent replaced, R&L Restaurant. And that news wasn’t the only surprise to journalists.

For weeks, the event manager had been courting me to attend Florent’s final hurrah—the “friends and family” dinner on Sunday night, after Saturday’s ostensible last public party/wake. Though I was actually on the list to cover Florent’s closing parties on two other nights, I was convinced to return for the “real” closer instead. So last night, I took a long walk across town to enjoy the city before communing with Florent fans, only to be completely snubbed at the door. I wasn’t the only one jilted; several other journalists stood outside with their jaws agape. “I just don’t think they want to deal with the obvious questions,” a girl toting a tape recorder said as I retreated to the curb.

Conspiracy! The closing celebration went off without a hitch, but at this point, who cares? As New York magazine noted, landlord Joanne Lucas “put the space on the block for something like $58,000 or maybe even $70,000 a month,” clearly fishing for the sort of high-end boutique that Florent aficionados dreaded. With no tenant takers, it seems Lucas is happy to capitalize on Florent nostalgia until she finds someone flush with rent money. Perhaps it was all a ruse to oust owner Florent Morellet while generating a tidal wave of press. Overall though, the final night bait-and-switch was almost as irritating as replacing Florent with an overpriced boutique.