Amid the excitement about all the new openings on the Upper West side, there have also been some closings.
Hummus Place: The branch on 99th and Broadway (pictured above) closed about a week ago. Says our tipster and photographer Meg: “So sad to lose The Hummus Place on Upper Broadway! Amsterdam location is still open and serving some of the best Hummus around, in my opinion. It’s too bad this Broadway store closed, it was one of the only healthy take out spots in the area. I never ate in, just took out, but the food was always fresh and tasty. I think the have the best Hummus in NYC with just the right amount of tahini for flavor and creaminess.”
Mayras Beauty Salon: The salon at 608 Amsterdam Avenue (89th) closed this week, and will reopen as a new salon in the next week or so, our tipster Maria said. Mayras had been around for 32 years, says Maria. The new salon is supposed to be called “New Image.”
Recipe: The small restaurant on 81st Street and Amsterdam Avenue has closed, and the space will reopen in “mid-October” as a Mexican restaurant called La Cocina Economica under the same ownership. La Cocina was included in our roundup of 10 upcoming restaurants.
The two closings below were sent in by Ken Lupano a few weeks ago, and we’re just now getting the chance to post them.
Portrait Bug: The photography and scrapbooking supply shop on Broadway between 91st and 92nd closed a few weeks ago. The website now forwards people to Big Apple Portraits 143 West 72nd Street.
Platinum Brokerage Group: The real estate brokerage on Broadway between 92nd and 93rd closed about a month ago.
And a reopening…
The Purple Fig: The restaurant on 72nd between Broadway and West End Avenue was closed by the health department a few weeks ago for operating without a permit. (Thanks to Denton, Chris and others for tips). That was after a few rough reviews and another late-summer “vacation” closure. But after a brief closure, the restaurant has reopened under new management with a simplified menu — Chef Conrad Gallagher says he’s no longer involved.
The new menu, however, is confusing some people. Via yelp: “I can’t tell what is going on with this place. I went here once, about 4 months ago, for drinks and some light snacks at the bar. It was great and I planned to come back. The service, as has been mentioned in other review, was a little off, but the food was so good. We returned, with a groupon, and the menu was completely different. I don’t mean that they changed a few things. I mean that it was a totally different menu. Different style, different food, nothing left the same. My suspicion is that this was the “groupon” menu – that they advertised the menu they serve, and then created one that was cheaper and less enjoyable. The other possibility is that the chef has left. In any case, it only leaves two possibilities: unethical and disorganized or no chef. Not good options.”
Re: the above whine about The Purple Fig which reads, in part, “My suspicion is that this was the “groupon” menu – that they advertised the menu they serve, and then created one that was cheaper and less enjoyable. ”
The whine-oh is probably right. As is said, “Ya wants CHEAP, ya gets CHEAP!” You really can’t game the system; remember, “The House Always Wins”.
It’s like people booking el-cheapo fares on Travelocity or Expedia and then expecting the airline to treat them like visiting royalty rather than the kill-for-a-buck price-shoppers they really are who couldn’t tell one airline from another.
Another example of our Entitlement/Self-Esteem Society?
The “cheapo” groupon was $79. That’s pretty steep for an UWS dinner for 2 without wine. Once I read the crappy reviews and got huge attitude from the person taking reservations, I got a refund. Money better spent on other UWS neighborhood eats where the food is delish AND the restaurant cares about the experience of its patrons.