Posted on 04/11/2003 9:26:21 AM PDT by jimbo123
NEW YORK (AP) - One of Manhattan's premier French restaurants, Lespinasse, announced it would close next week because of the economic and political climate. The 12-year-old restaurant in the midtown St. Regis Hotel was favored for its sumptuous beige and gold antique decor and prize-winning wine list and cuisine.
Lespinasse was one of six Manhattan restaurants with a four-star rating from The New York Times.
A statement from the owners said the current economic and world political climate made staying open unprofitable. The restaurant will close April 19.
Guenter H. Richter, managing director of the St. Regis, said, "We carried it as long as we could. Any reopening will be determined by the pace of the economic recovery."
There was no indication that the closing was due to anti-French sentiment over France's opposition to the war in Iraq. The city tourism agency, NYC & Company, said some French restaurants have suffered from tense U.S.-French relations, though no formal boycott was evident.
The best Polish food WAS at Clemenza's Grandma's house, but she has been gone for 14 years :-(. Now, Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint is the place to go for Golapki, Kielbasa/y and Paczki.
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