Celebrated restaurateur and chef coming to join Bâtard

Tribeca restaurateur Drew Nieporent, who first opened Montrachet in 1985 and would then go on, with partner Robert De Niro, to put the neighborhood on the map as a fine dining mecca with Tribeca Grill and Nobu, has a new plan for Bâtard, the Montrachet heir still in that original storefront. He has brought in the chef Chip Smith and his wife, Tina Vaughn, who for nine years until May 2022 had The Simone on the Upper East Side. I don’t have a lot of details other than the fact that the addition of “Chip and Tina” to the liquor license is a go from CB1.

Pete Wells described The Simone in his three-star review (absolutely worth reading — it’s great) as “a classic Manhattan restaurant that seems to have emerged on East 82nd Street fully formed out of a time capsule sealed in the last century.” He goes on to compare it to a vinyl record, but for all the good reasons: “The worn grooves of an old LP can sound richer than the shimmering precision of an MP3. And the Simone has the kind of textured, lived-in, analog warmth that has become rare in Manhattan’s increasingly corporatized, professionalized restaurant scene.”

When I saw the name on the liquor license application — ChipandTinaNYCLLC — I couldn’t imagine it was something in keeping with the vibe at Bâtard. But now I get it! That space has evolved over the years, though it’s kept its French lineage: it went from Montrachet in 1985 to Corton in 2008 to Bâtard in 2014, each with a different chef as partner. All the while it has kept its three stars with The Times and its Michelin stars as well, along with accolades from the James Beard Foundation.

The community board loved the application because they are closed Sundays and Mondays, plan no outdoor seating (The Simone had just 11 tables) and will keep early hours.

More TK.

 

 

10 Comments

  1. I have eaten at all three iterations, and have never been disappointed. Truly a jewel. Thank you Drew!

  2. Will it be renamed…Cassagne, Puligny, Chevalier?

  3. The SImone was a beautiful, fantastic restaurant. Will be following this

  4. There’s no N in restaurateur.

  5. I love our Tribeca restaurants, truly the best. But does anyone think the outdoor dining has gotten excessive ? We all love Bubby’s but I consider them one of the worst offenders… can they possibly be entitled to all that spade ?! The 60 people in line ever weekday who take up the entire curb are an eyesore. Yves and Locanda Verde are also big offenders .. do they really need the tables on BOTH sides of the curb? Strollers and people walking in opposite directions cannot fit down the curb ,, and I love that tribeca has larger curbs that should be comfortable to walk. Who is managing the outdoor dining ?

    • Agreed. It becomes impassable around those restaurants. Either we need to widen sidewalks, or Tribeca needs a few more restaurants to distribute the diners!

    • interestingly, Odeon and Serafinas have vanished….I came on here today to see if anyone knew why.

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