Celeb-heaven NoHo restaurant/lounge Butter will launch a Midtown outpost at the new Cassa Hotel, taking over the bilevel space that was long supposed to be for BLT American Brasserie.
A rep for Butter confirmed that owners Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano have signed a lease at the Cassa Hotel & Residences at 70 W. 45th St. It “will be completely unaffiliated with the hotel,” the rep said.
It’s one of the year’s biggest restaurant-scene surprises. Butter has been a fixture on Lafayette Street since it opened in 2002 to cranky reviews — my own among them, which called it a “pygmy upstart” full of “clubland snoots” and food “wildly erratic for the price.”
But the place had the last laugh, drawing boldfaces such as Madonna, A-Rod, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. Popular Food Network host Alexandra Guarnaschelli took over the kitchen in 2005 and elevated its cuisine to a higher level.
The 175-room Cassa Hotel occupies floors 1to 24 of the 45-story, silver tower, with condo apartments above the hotel. Original developer Assa Properties filed for bankruptcy in 2011. China’s HNA Property Holding Group acquired the hotel portion early last year and branded it as part of the trendy Viceroy Group.
But the high-visibility, 11,000 square-foot restaurant space has been in flux since the outset. An early plan for an organic eatery never happened. Then famed chef Laurent Tourondel, creator of the BLT brand and executive chef of Arlington Club and Brasserie Ruhlmann, was tapped to launch the brasserie — but nothing happened despite BLT signs that remained up until recently.
There was no word on whether the new Butter will mimic the format of the original — restaurant on the ground floor, lounge downstairs — but Guarnaschelli is likely to have a hand in the kitchen.
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Devotees of Paris-based Annick Goutal fragrances soon won’t have to scour crowded department stores for the luxury scents. The line will open its first freestanding US store this year at 397 Bleecker St., sources said, in a space that hasn’t been used for retail since 1929.
The 10-year lease for 900 square feet was negotiated by Douglas Elliman’s Puopolo team, Louis Puopolo and Alex Furst, and Elliman’s Diane and Ian Nichols for the landlord, and by Winick Realty Group’s Michael Gleicher and David Lawford for the tenant. The brokers could not be reached.
The asking rent was $33,000 a month, sources said. The townhouse location enjoys the company of retail neighbors including Ralph Lauren, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors.
Annick Goutal sells fragrances for women and men, and skin-care products. Until now, they’ve been available in New York only in department stores including Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdale’s.
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Although financial services continue to sit out the office-leasing scene, brokers are bullish for a good reason:
At least a half-dozen major media companies are actively trolling the market for large blocks of space — not in Midtown South or Flatiron, but in pricier central Midtown and/or at newly constructed or planned towers at the World Trade Center and Hudson Yards.
Those looking include Time Warner for 1 million square feet or more; Warner Music, 250,000; Sony, 400,000 to 500,000; AMC Networks, 250,000 to 300,000; and NBCUniversal, 75,000 to 100,000.
Most of their current leases aren’t up until 2015 or 2016. Some might choose to stay at their current locations. But they’re on the hunt now to lock in deals at addresses that are only likely to cost more down the line.
Rents typically lag a run-up in equity markets by 18 months. The Dow has breached the 15,000 level, so brokers expect rents to spike soon.
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Juice Press, the expanding chain of stores specializing in organic juices, smoothies and “raw” food, has nailed down a new location at 239 Columbus Ave. at 71st Street.
The shop will be a mere 400 square feet. But the story behind the deal — negotiated by Walker Malloy’s Rafe Evans and co-brokered with Zelnick & Co.’s Jason Turner — is interesting.
The space was home for 18 years to Brief Encounters. Evans said the landlord was offering the space for $13,000 a month — but it turned into “a real bidding war” that ended in the space going for $15,000.
Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira is a Juice Press investor. One of the building’s owners — whom Evans declined to name but public records identify as Aywid Realty’s Michael and Philip Widlanski — is an avid Yankees fan. Juice Press craved the highly visible corner so much, Teixeria invited him to batting practice to help seal the deal.