Philippe Chow

Sceney Philippe Chow Slapped With Lawsuit to Leave Its 20-Year Location | Eater NY

"The Upper East Side flagship at 33 E. 60th Street — a 200-seat original outfitted with gold walls and sparkly chandeliers that has been a Manhattan mainstay since 2005 for high-priced Beijing duck, chicken satay, and dumplings — is the subject of a landlord-tenant dispute after new landlord Extell Development Co. closed on the site last December and exercised a 120-day option to terminate the lease effective March 24. Extell sued the operator late March (suit filed March 26 in Manhattan state Supreme Court, first flagged by Crain’s), alleging $1.4 million in back rent, fines, and attorney’s fees for holding over; Resy and OpenTable still showed open availability more than two weeks after the lease expiry. Merchant Hospitality CEO Abraham Merchant emailed that the UES location has secured a nearby relocation (he declined to disclose the address or an official closing date) and added, "Regarding the litigation ... we are actively working toward a resolution." He also wrote, "We anticipate sharing a detailed update, along with our relocation announcement, in the [next 30 days]." The new UES site, he said, "will be open this year." The brand maintains another NYC location downtown, expanded to D.C. in 2023, and has another location en route to Nashville. Two decades in, the flagship continues to attract celebrity clientele — recent sit-down sightings include rapper Gucci Mane and New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns Jr., who posed at a table with the chef a month before the lease was set to expire. Over the years the restaurant has faced numerous legal battles, including alleged wage and workplace violations; a 2012 suit by servers alleging exposure to weed-smoking celebrities in a private downstairs dining area; a drawn-out trademark fight with a rival that began in 2009 and ultimately resulted in a federal appeals court ordering the rival to pay $1.1 million in legal fees; and a 2015 action over the name of an unaffiliated Los Angeles restaurant. Longtime restaurateur Stratis Morfogen was a partner until 2013. Most recently, top Merchant executives were accused by Page Six in January of "spying" on nearby Sei Less — a three-year-old Midtown spot situated between the two NYC locations that counts Cardi B among its fans." - Tierney Plumb