Would you like a cocktail to go with that pistachio-dusted tofu?
Popular Cafe Blossom, which shut down its 466 Columbus Ave. location in May, has signed a lease to re-open in a larger space at 507 Columbus, the former home of Casa Pomona. The new space comes with a — wait for it — liquor license.
“Having a full bar is a really big step for us,” Pamela Elizabeth Blackwell, who owns Blossom with partner Ronen Seri, tells Side Dish.
Cafe Blossom debuted in 2007 and quickly gathered a loyal following. The owners are renovating now and hope to open by the end of August.
At 1,800 square feet with seating for around 100 people and another 14 at the bar, the restaurant will also have a private-event space.
Rafe Evans of Walker Malloy was the sole broker involved in the deal.
Blossom favorites like its soy bacon cheeseburger will stay on the menu, which will expand to include a tapas menu.
The restaurant group also boasts Blossom locations in Chelsea and in the West Village, along with the V-Note on the Upper East Side.
In addition, Blackwell owns Blossom du Jour, a group of vegan grab-and-go restaurants, which launched in 2010.
A new BDJ will open at 449 Amsterdam, between West 81st and 82nd streets, on July 31. The UWS space will be 550 square feet.
We hear… that Starbucks better watch its back. Coffee chain Caffe Bene is in aggressive expansion mode and plans to open 86 locations in the US this year, including 11 in the New York area. The Korean chain opened its first US location in Times Square in 2012. By next year the chain plans to have 500 outlets in more than 20 countries and 10,000 outlets by 2020. John Barry, US director of franchising and development, said the chain’s fresh menu — “something Starbucks doesn’t offer” — targets snack-centric millennials, who eat mini-meals five times a day … that celebrity chef David Burke will helm Jill Zarin’s “luxury” lunch to benefit the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation on July 13 in Southampton.