Who knew that Mayor Bloomberg’s legacy would include an $18 omelet?
A state appeals court yesterday ordered the completion of an upscale seasonal restaurant at Union Square, the centerpiece of Hizzoner’s $20 million renovation plan for the north end of the plaza.
Construction of the tony Chef Driven Market, with brunch entree prices at about $20 a plate, was halted in January when a lower-court judge issued a stop-work order.
With yesterday’s legal green light, the market will be open by next June, a spokesman said.
“This terrific new amenity will enliven the park,” said Shane Kavanaugh, who represents the nonprofit Union Square Partnership, which runs the park. A substantial amount of work had been done to transform the crumbling pavilion where the eatery will go.
The Appellate Division nixed Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron’s opinion that the eatery represented “conspicuous consumption” in an era of “austerity.”
The five-judge panel ruled that “the seasonal restaurant and holiday market concessions at issue do not violate the public-trust doctrine.”