Reopenings

Is Bobby Flay’s Long-Awaited Bolo Reboot Opening in Noho? [Updated]

“I’m gonna come back with BOLO fever … coming soon!” Photo: Getty Images, Carmen Lopez and AJ Wilhelm

The agenda for next week’s CB2 Manhattan’s SLA 1 meeting includes a new on-premise liquor license filed by “Bold Food Lafayette Street, LLC, d/b/a Bolo Restaurant, 324 Lafayette St. 10012,” which certainly makes it sound a lot like the Mesa Grill and prolific Food Network chef has found a new location for the reboot of his Spanish restaurant Bolo. Because, seriously, what chef in their right mind would have the cojones to try setting up shop using that name in one of the city’s most formidable restaurant neighborhoods?

Last month, Flay talked about the future of Mesa Grill, his 22-year-old restaurant on Fifth Avenue near Union Square, which has been subject to recent rent hikes. While the busy chef is also reportedly considering a move to daytime TV and has been expanding the reach of his fast-food hamburger mini-franchise Bobby’s Burger Palace, he’s also repeatedly expressed that a relaunch of Bolo — which opened in 1993 and closed in 2007 to make way for condos in Flatiron — is high on his list of priorities. “I’m looking now for a location south of 23rd Street,” he told Grub Street last year.

The address at 324 Lafayette listed on the CB2 agenda is not currently a restaurant, but the first floor of the landmarked building has apparently undergone renovations since last year to remove non-load-bearing partitions on its first floor, and to add plumbing and other fixtures for a new retail space. We’ve reached out to the chef and restaurateur, and will let you know what we hear back. Update: The chef and his team send word through a representative. “I’ve been talking about it and now I’m keeping my promise to reopen Bolo in New York City in 2013,” says Flay. “At this time we are exploring opportunities.”

Agenda [CB2 Manhattan]
Earlier: Is Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Leaving Union Square? [Updated]
Earlier: New York Chefs Talk Expansion Plans at SOBE

Is Bobby Flay’s Long-Awaited Bolo Reboot Opening in Noho? [Updated]