Sushi Seki, a modern sushi joint popular with the celebrity chef set since its 2002 opening on the Upper East Side, is launching a second hot spot Tuesday in Chelsea.
The new site will take over a space at 208 W. 23rd St., the former home of R.U.B. BBQ.
Sushi Seki is known for attracting hard-core sushi lovers like chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud and Gordon Ramsay with its reasonably priced omakase.
Before opening Sushi Seki, Chef Seki worked with the inventive Gari Masatoshi at Sushi of Gari.
The Chelsea location will accommdate 68 diners — 14 at the sushi bar, 48 in the main room and six at the cocktail bar.
Le Pain Quotidien is going to the far east.
The Belgium-born organic bakery and communal-table restaurant chain, which launched its first US outpost on Madison Avenue in 1997, is 1006 First Ave. at 55th Street.
It is a former Chase Bank location of 3,100 square feet, with 65 feet of frontage slightly above street level, granting prime visibility and signage.
Winick Realty Group’s Joseph Isa represented the landlord, 400 Plaza Owners Corp, in the long-term lease.
“Le Pain Quotidien will be a great amenity for the building — and the brand,” Isa told Side Dish.
CBRE’s Amira Yunis, Ben Daniels and Matt Krell represented Le Pain Quotidien in the transaction.
The bakery/restaurant launched in Brussels in 1990, and opened its first international spot in New York.
Birch Coffee is moving its flagship location about 50 feet down the street from the Gershwin Hotel to 5 E. 27th St. in the Flatiron District. The current store will close Feb. 14 and the new one will open on Feb. 18.