Openings & Closings: Poulet Sans Tête; The Drilling Company; Robofun; Nuts Factory; Blossom Jewelry

By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

Poulet Sans Tête, a rotisserie chicken restaurant, is opening at 590 Amsterdam between 88th and 89th Streets on March 31st. It’s a homecoming of sorts for chef and co-owner Laurence Edelman, who spent time as a kid with family in the neighborhood, and in 2011 helped open The Mermaid Inn restaurant on 88th Street. The original Poulet Sans Tête in the West Village is takeout only, whereas the UWS location will have counter seating for about 20 people and serve both lunch and dinner.

The centerpiece of the menu is a three-and-a-half-pound roast chicken, which is good for five meals, Edelman said. “There’s no better neighborhood for this kind of food than the Upper West Side,” he told the Rag on a phone call. “It’s good for families. It’s good for somebody who wants to plan for a few days out of the week – you can get a whole chicken on Monday and you’re still eating it a few days later.” The space, which used to be One Stop Laundromat, required a gut renovation. “My general contractor keeps telling me he thinks we went too far, but I disagree,” he said.

The Drilling Company, a theatrical production company, has moved into a vacant space at 463 Amsterdam between 82nd and 83rd Street, where KES clothing store used to be. Hamilton Clancy, the company’s founder, said it had been itinerant and was fortunate to find a landlord, George Beane, who was willing to make a generous arrangement to repurpose the storefront as a performance space. Best known for its “Shakespeare in the Parking Lot” series, The Drilling Company also puts on shows in Bryant Park. The UWS space will house experimental works, including music and storytelling. All of its events are free – “the magic word,” said Clancy. (Thanks to Adam for the tip.)

Robofun, a program that teaches STEAM education for children in pre-K through 8th grade is opening a location on West End Avenue between 64th and 65th streets. Laura Hart, the program’s CEO, had the idea to start Robofun while she was at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. The progam is organized around the principle that “children learn best when they are having fun and create personally meaningful projects,” according to the company’ website. Signage says they will be open July 17th for summer camp. (Thanks to Jill for the tip.)

Nuts Factory, a snack food chain with colorful displays of dried nuts, fruit and candy, is opening on Columbus between 73rd and 74th streets, not far from the store they opened last year on 80th Street and Broadway. Nuts Factory does “on the spot” dry roasting, which allows for fresher products. A representative at the 80th Street location said the new store should be open in a few weeks and will be the same as the others in the chain. The third generation family-owned business has more than 150 branches across the country. It is replacing Really Great Things, a boutique clothing store. 

Blossom Jewelry at 2206 Broadway between 78th and 79th Street is closing in May at the end of its lease, and moving the business online. It is offering 50% off jewelry, watches, handbags, hats and accessories.