A noted chef is looking to serve "upscale modern Indian cuisine" at the current L'Apicio space on First Street in the Avalon Bowery Place complex between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
According to documents (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website for the March SLA meeting, chef Sujan Sarkar is applying for a new liquor license for the venture, which is currently unnamed.
The proposed hours are noon-midnight from Monday-Wednesday; noon to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday; and 11 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.
The bio that accompanies the questionnaire at the CB3 website notes that Sarkar is the chef partner at Ek Bar, "India's first Artisanal cocktail bar." He is also the chef of Rooh, a similar-sounding restaurant that just opened in San Francisco.
The questionnaire includes Rooh's menu, and states that this First Street restaurant will be similar. If that's the case, then here's more about Rooh via Eater San Francisco:
The culinary team includes a mix of professionally trained U.S. and Indian cooks, preparing dishes like foie gras pate with masala, pickled shallot, and taftan (a flatbread). Refreshingly, the menu is a healthy mix of both meat and vegetable-focused dishes, like a tandoori portobello mushroom served with polenta, morel crumble, and truffle.
The interior is a polished mix of rich blues and gold, giving off a serious lounge vibe — the group also owns nightclubs in India. The dining room can be split into more intimate semi-private areas with gold mesh curtains that hang from the high ceilings, while a long marble bar gives ample space for snacking and drinking.
As for L'Apicio, there isn't any word of a closing date just yet for the Italian restaurant via chef Gabe Thompson. Sarkar's questionnaire at the CB3 website notes that this is a "sale of assets." Notice about the CB3-SLA meeting on March 13 is posted outside L'Apico ...
L'Apicio opened in 2012. Here's what Pete Wells at The New York Times had to say about it in a generally positive review from December 2012: "L'Apicio can deliver a very enjoyable night out if you don't ask too much of it."
This large space with outdoor seating (capacity inside/outside is 266) was previously home for four years to the Bowery Wine Company.