Chez Brigitte to Close

Even among the rash of closings we've had to endure in recent times, this is still pretty hard to take: Chez Brigitte, the sliver of a diner on Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich Village, is closing tonight.

The place is legendary and beloved by locals and oldtimers. The name is kind of joke, since this "Chez" has only 11 stools—seats that are notoriously hard to get. It was opened in 1958 by Marseille native Brigitte Catapano, and place always just screamed "Greenwich Village": romantic, eccentric, a bit precious, humble, possesed of a personal flair. A Mrs. Santos took over in 1994.

And why? The rent has doubled, of course. Why is it landlords can only see the price of a space, never the value of a tenant?

The town's headed in the wrong direction, folks.