Mario Batali is in a pickle.
The famed chef owes a whopping $75,000 in rent to the Manhattan landlord of his recently closed Chelsea restaurant, according to a lawsuit filed today.
Batali and his partner Joseph Bastianich, who both owned The John Dory, owe two months worth of rent, and other expenses, on the restaurant’s 85 Tenth Ave. location, according to the suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The rotund “Iron Chef” star owns other very successful eateries like Del Posto in Chelsea.
But Batali’s new restaurant, which opened to rave reviews, closed a week before Labor Day after being in business for just nine months.
A rep for Batali did not immediately return a call for comment.
Corey Weiss, the lawyer for 85 Tenth Avenue Associates, also did not return a call for comment.