07 March 2008

Bye Bye Bistro


Le Madeleine, the well-established and well-loved French bistro on W. 43rd in the Theatre District which has been fighting for its life for a year or so, may have finally lost the battle.

A source cited on Eater says the restaurant, founded in 1979, has "lost their appeal to be evicted and they could be closing on a days notice once the landlord serves the eviction notice."

"It could be one week or two weeks until we close," the restaurant told Eater. "We are just waiting for the ball to drop." Reps for the restaurant say they are looking for a new space.

It's sad to lose such a civilized place which has kept up its standards and charm without fail for 30 years. 1979! Can you imagine what the area must have been like back then? Taxi Driver time. Le Madeleine must have seemed like port in a storm.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Actually, it always had Manhattan Plaza across the street, full of actors and other theater folk, giving the immediate area a more civilized feel than most of Times Square and Hells Kitchen in the late 70s and early 80s. (But yeah, Taxi Driver and Midnight Cowboy were no exaggeration regarding the sleazy.)