New York is full of home town institutions, but none more so than Ray's Pizza, a sell-by-the-slice joint on Prince Street that inspired the name of countless rip off "Original Ray's," "Famous Ray's" and "I Can't Believe It's Not Ray's" across town. Now it's closing down.
• Michael Psilakis's Gus & Gabriel was scheduled to open this evening. But then the air-conditioning stopped working so it didn't. Oh, well. [TFB, TFB]
• Ama in Soho has closed its doors after four years. [Eater]
• Le Pere Pinard on Ludlow Street has been shuttered. [Eater]
• Zen Palate in the financial district is no more. [EVGrieve]
• One more bit of bad news, in case all those closings weren't quite enough: the Dean & Deluca on University Place and 11th Street is gone. [Eater]
As rumored, the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Times Square is closing. But it's not because dozens of women have sued the place for discrimination, assault, and harassment! The flesh factory is just shutting its doors on Saturday because it plans to make some much needed repairs and plans to re-open in May. "One has nothing to do with the other," says manager Jamie Galler. And if you believe that, you're probably also thinking that Rod Blagojevich will win the White House in 2012 and name Bernie Madoff his Treasury secretary. [Gothamist]
It's a sad day for people who habitually kill time by trying out vibrating chairs they have no intention of buying. Sharper Image, the hottest store of 1996, which filed Chapter 11 in February, is pulling the plug on its remaining stores; it'll be a catalog and online-only operation from here on out. Among the victims of the Sharper slaughter is the New York City flagship on West 57th Street, a block that's been purging middlebrow stores in favor of ritzier retailers of late. So you can rest assured that the emporium of foam pillows, handheld Shiatsu foot massagers, and electronic chess boards will be replaced by a jewelry store that only Euro-armed tourists can afford.
You may have heard that Florent Morellet's eponymous meatpacking district restaurant, which has been serving up drunks and tranny hookers for decades, is closing down on June 29th. But you don't have to say goodbye without taking a piece of the resto with you. Morellet has been kind enough to put the eatery's decorations on Ebay, the proceeds from which will go to Florent's newly-unemployed staff. Or so Morellet says. Act quick: The map of Mexico City that once graced Florent's walls is now up to $200! No word yet on what will happen to the site after Florent bids adieu to the hood. Rent on the space is expected to jump from $6,000 a month to $50,000. Needless to say, whatever replaces it will probably involve fewer people from France and more people from Fairfield and Freehold.
