Restaurants & Bars
Cafe D'Alsace Opens New UES Restaurant As Old Spot Faces Teardown
As its old building readies for demolition, the popular French restaurant has found a new Upper East side spot: the former home of Elaine's.
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The popular French restaurant Cafe d'Alsace has a new home on the Upper East Side as its old space faces demolition — but customers won't need to go far to find it.
The restaurant opened its new location Wednesday evening at 1703 Second Ave., between East 88th and 89th streets, former home of the legendary restaurant Elaine's — and just a block north of the storefront at 1695 Second Ave. that Cafe d'Alsace called home for 16 years.
Owner Simon Oren initiated the move about a year ago, when he learned that the restaurant's landlord, Aimco, planned to demolish its low-rise corner building to make way for a 22-story high-rise. The building is still standing, but it is now vacant, and it will be demolished as soon as permits are secured, Oren told Patch on Thursday.
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Luckily for Cafe d'Alsace, news of the development coincided with the closure of The Writing Room, a literary-themed restaurant that opened up there in 2013. Its name paid tribute to the generations of writers who haunted Elaine's during its 48-year run that began in 1963.
The new Cafe d'Alsace has a nearly identical menu, serving specialties like grilled artisan sausage, farmhouse chicken and charcuterie that are characteristic of Alsace, a region in the northeastern corner of France. The staff of 40 have all made the transition to the new place, including chef Philippe Roussel.
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The interior, on the other hand, "looks totally different" from the old space's rustic bistro look, Oren said.
"You won’t recognize [it]," he said. "It’s a much more modern, fresh look."
For now, Cafe d'Alsace is open only for dinner service — 6-10 p.m. daily — but plans to expand for lunch soon.
A major player in New York's dining scene, Oren's other restaurants include Five Napkin Burger, Nice Matin and Dagon, a recently-opened Israeli restaurant on the Upper West Side.
Related coverage: UES Restaurant Cafe D'Alsace Could Be Replaced By High-Rise
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