Sandy is shutting down another kitchen in southern Manhattan.
Rustic Italian eatery Barbarini Alimentari at 225 Front St. in the South Street Seaport is closing its doors after the storm buried perishables and furniture under six feet of water.
“We had no flood insurance,” said co-owner Stefano Barbagallo. “We lost $1 million and seven years of hard work.”
Barbagallo said it would take another four to six months before the restaurant could re-open — the building dates from the early 19th century — and that’s too long a wait.
The super storm has been a huge hit to restaurants, which operate on already thin margins, in the flood zone.
Barbagallo tells Side Dish that he loves the neighborhood and will stay in the Financial District but that he wants to be at least three blocks inland.
“I love the area and we built up a following but we can’t risk being in Zone A again,” Barbagallo said.
His next project will be without a partner: a smaller space that he will operate with his wife. His sister-in-law, Douglas Elliman broker Monica Luque, is looking for a new space, perhaps a small building to purchase or a piece of one, she said.
“He has a lot of faith in the area. He was a pioneer and brought so much happiness there with his restaurant,” Luque said.
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SIGHTING: Christy Turlington at Aamanns-Copenhagen on Laight Street, chowing down on house-baked rolls and coffee while Zac Posen and David Schwimmer popped in to check out the new Danish hot spot . . . Usher buying gumbo soup at Dean & DeLuca at Rockefeller Center over Christmas — and tipping $1.