Wine Spectator: Stephen Starr Buys Babbo, Jean-Georges Vongerichten To Take Over Bryant Park Restaurant

Not long after expanding Nancy Silverton’s Italian gem Osteria Mozza to Washington, D.C., restaurateur Stephen Starr announced last week that he purchased an Italian dining landmark in Manhattan, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, along with its less-expensive neighborhood sibling Lupa, from the Bastianich family. Starr is bringing back former Babbo chef Mark Ladner, who was on the restaurant’s opening team in 1998.

Meanwhile, the non-profit that manages Midtown Manhattan’s iconic Bryant Park announced that Bryant Park Grill—a New York City mainstay overlooking the grassy expanse behind the New York Public Library—will be replaced by a new concept. The venue will close in April for roughly a year to make way for a restaurant from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the acclaimed chef behind Grand Award winner Jean-Georges. Wine Spectator has more.

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