July 22, 2015 Community News, Restaurant/Bar News
••• I went to last night’s meeting of the Community Board 1 Seaport Committee, but I couldn’t stay long enough to learn about the Keith McNally restaurant at The Beekman Hotel. DNAinfo did: It will be called Augustine, and they’re shooting for a Feb. 1 opening. (“Items on its evolving menu include a roasted porcini, mascarpone tart for $23; escargot for $22 and a $38 Petite Aioli—a mix of lobster, shrimp and baby vegetables in garlic aioli.”) If I can get hold of the sample menu, I’ll add it. Earlier in the meeting, we did hear about the 287-room hotel itself, also aiming for a Feb. 1 opening; it’ll start taking bookings early next month. The hotel’s main entrance is on Nassau, and the entrance on Beekman will be for McNally’s and Tom Colicchio’s restaurants. Employees and the freight entrance are on Theater Alley. The hotel’s roof deck will not be open to the public. And the affiliated condo tower at 115 Nassau should top out at the end of August. “It’s 47 stories,” said general manager Rob Andrews, “but you’ll see it marketed as 51.”
UPDATE: Here’s the floor plan and the sample menu for Augustine.
••• “As the grassroots movement to ban sightseeing helicopters from the skies around Lower Manhattan gathers momentum, supporters have scheduled a rally for the steps of City Hall tomorrow (Thursday, July 23), starting at 10:00 am. Preliminary indications are that several City Council members will announce proposed legislation that would either severely curtail such flights, or ban them entirely, although this has not yet been confirmed. Concerned members of the public are invited to attend Thursday’s rally.” —Broadsheet
••• Governors Island: “The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to approve an application by developers Quadratec and The Colonnade Group to develop buildings 111, 112—which formerly housed the coast guard—and 114—which served as the nurses’ quarters—into a 78,000 square-foot day spa.” Curbed has more details.
Subscribe to the TC Newsletter