The Koch brothers’ Day & Night brunches are back in business downtown — in the Meatpacking District.
Derek and Daniel Koch, who rocked uptown spots like the Plaza’s Oak Room until complaints from stuffy hotel residents helped shut them down, will be launching the brunches in the former Buddha Bar, now known as the Ajna Bar, from 2-6 p.m. starting Oct. 1 through Memorial Day.
They formerly held the brunches — a big hit in New York — at the Oak Room and other venues.
In their return, the Koch brothers are partnering with Jean-Yves Haouzi, a co-founder of the Buddha Bar, to host their infamously wild Saturday brunches.
This time, they are also bringing in their own team, including chef Seth Levine, of Georgica in the Hamptons.
Haouzi, the former CEO and current board member of Buddha Bar, is fighting with other owners who want to place the eatery in involuntary bankruptcy. Haouzi vows it won’t happen, and the brunches are sure to instill the old hotspot with a new dose of glamour, Derek Koch told Side Dish.
Day/night brunches are a hot trend in the city, from STK on the roof, to a new after party at the Dream Hotel, to Lavo and Bagatelle, said Koch.
“We will come full circle and bring the old St. Tropez to the new New York,” Koch said.
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A new Chipotle has opened at 281 Broadway, otherwise known as 57 Reade. That’s the 12-story new luxury glass building with 84 units. The building, between Chambers and Reade, is across from City Hall and the Federal Building.
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In other taqueria news, a sort of anti-Chipotle has opened on the Upper East Side.
San Francisco brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer opened their third Dos Toros location at Lexington Ave. and 77th St., following the success of their Union Square and West Village locations.
SIGHTING…John Mayer with a guy pal dining at East Village pioneer Il Bagatto. The pair hung out after their meal to watch neighborhood dominos players outside the restaurant.