David Rabin Does Delicatessen

Delicatessen is finally going to upgrade its rap. This past summer, my hood Nolita embraced this highly stylized "cafeteria" (a.k.a. restaurant)-type eatery. A chatty neighborhood crowd came in droves to enjoy the newness and the open garage-door dining. It was, in fact, the perfect place to eat -- except maybe for the food. Alas, in that area, myself and many others were not impressed. With Gitane, Habana, 24, Ruby's, Bread, Barmarche, and a few others offering a trendy social atmosphere as well as great menus for the sharp Nolita set, the joint quickly lost its luster. The crowd became "shoppers,” a bit "too touristy," and the only time anyone mentioned Delicatessen was when it got too noisy.

The winter finally closed the garage doors and deadened the noise around the time when the uninteresting fare deadened the buzz. My crew and I glanced in once in awhile but rarely popped inside. But this is bound to change now that nightlife Adonis David Rabin will have an “expanded role” in the restaurant. His company 3Sixty Hospitality has already been handling the back of the house and will now venture up front more often.

David’s brilliant nightlife career includes Lotus, The Double Seven, and Rex. I worked with him at club USA back in the day, and his work with the New York Nightlife Association has helped everyone in the business. David’s crew will bring in celebrity chef and good friend of mine Franklin Becker. I’ve been trying to find and build a restaurant worthy of Franklin for quite some time, and it’s fantastic that he’ll be serving his amazing food just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my castle. I met Franklin over at Capitale when David Marvisi was still telling people he owned the place. Minibar, the hot little spot downstairs, will have a kick-start with two days this week, then four days in the following weeks. The location, location, location and the price points have been right from day one, and from a design standpoint the place is great. The service was not an issue. Franklin Becker will serve it, and I will come back ... if I can get a table, that is.