Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

The Serafina that’s moving into the old West Branch space at 2178 Broadway (at 77th) looks to be coming along nicely. Actually, it’s supposed to be a Serafina/Geisha combo.

Still no word of an opening date, but MUW reader @jmagNYC sent in this “spy” shot of sorts.

Perhaps more interestingly, that same 2178 Broadway space was recently the subject of a false rumor indicating a different (and very popular) restaurant was moving in.

Former New York Magazine restaurant critic Gael Greene tweeted last week that she heard uber-popular West Village dim sum/Chinese-fusion restaurant RedFarm was moving into the space. RedFarm is a collaborative effort between between restauranteurs Jeffrey Chodorow and Eddie Schoenfeld, and chef Joe Ng.

This of course was never the case — Greene disavowed the rumor later that same day — as Serafina has been slated for the spot for months. However, Grub Street caught up with Schoenfeld to clarify future plans for RedFarm and he had this to say:

“It’s only a rumor so far…it’s delicate…I’m looking at a lot of spaces…the whole idea of RedFarm is to turn it into a brand; I think we’re off to a good start.”

Rumors can obviously come out of thin air, but sometimes there’s a kernel of truth to them. So perhaps the specific address was wrong but RedFarm is scoping out digs on the Upper West Side?

Who the hell knows? But RedFarm would certainly be a welcome addition to the UWS culinary scene. Hopefully more to come on this, but maybe not… (h/t to MUW reader Jim)

Elsewhere…

Spoke to an employee at the Westside Market on Broadway in the 70s about when they plan to open their new location at 2589 Broadway (between 97th & 98th).

The original plan was for late 2011 or early 2012, and clearly the former isn’t happening. As of now, they’re shooting for “February or March.”

Opening dates are moving targets at best, but there you go.

The Westside Market opening date is of particular interest to people who live in that part of the Upper West Side. The Golden Boy Grocery on Broadway, between 98th & 99th, closed suddenly in October and the Gourmet Garage at 2567 Broadway (between 96th & 97th) is closing sometime this month. If you missed the post earlier today, everything in the store is now 50% off and they could shutter any day.

So where there were two grocery options in a roughly 2-block stretch, there are about to be none until WSM opens its doors.

One other closing-related note if you missed it earlier today — the Syms/Filene’s Basement liquidation sale is in its final week. Discounts now range from 50% – 70% and all wedding gown are on sale for $59!

Filed under: Food & Drink, Going Out, Manhattan, New York City, News, NYC, Openings/Closings, Restaurants, Seniors, Shopping, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog, UWS 3 Comments »
Tags: 2178 Broadway, 2589 Broadway, Geisha, Geisha Table, New York City, NYC, Red Farm, RedFarm, Serafina, Serafina Upper West, Upper West Side, UWS, Westside Market