Keith McNally’s Cherche Midi Is Closing This Summer | Eater NY

"Closing this summer after four years on the Bowery, Cherche Midi — Keith McNally’s meaty Nolita/LES French bistro — is laying off its 46 employees in June as the lease expires (a state filing cited economic reasons while the team tells Eater the lease is ending). It opened in June 2014 in the 282 Bowery space that briefly housed Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria and sports many of McNally’s signatures: antique mirrors, leather banquettes, a vibe that’s simultaneously warm and hip, and a consistent crowd of downtowners. The kitchen excelled particularly at meat — known for a big prime rib and other classic bistro fare — and the restaurant received two stars from Eater’s Ryan Sutton and two stars from the Times, often praised more for its reliability as a McNally restaurant than for culinary cartwheels. This is the restaurateur’s second recent closure, after Schiller’s Liquor Bar shut last August, and plans to reopen Pastis have been quiet." - Serena Dai