Cirque du Sirio

When Gothamist read about how famed NY restaurant Le Cirque 2000 may have to leave its space at the Palace Hotel, we were surprised that nowhere in the article was there mention of how the restaurant really hit its peak with executive chef Sottha Kuhn and pastry chef Jacques Torres. As Gothamist could only eat our hearts out when we read about Le Cirque 2000 during its heyday in the 90s, Kuhn's Asian background infused his French culinary skills with amazing preparations while Torres reached new heights of sweet-inspired whimsy. The pair left Le Cirque 2000 a few years ago, with Kuhn teaching and Torres opening his own wonderful chocolaterie in DUMBO, and some feel that Le Cirque 2000 hasn't been the same since. At any rate, it's good to know that Ahmet Ertegun thinks Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccionni could "open [a restaurant] in a basement near the West Side docks and he would have all of New York come to him," because there are not enough fine West Side docks eating establishments. And Maccionni can claim to have popularized pasta primavera to New Yorkers and the rest of America.

Gothamist on the hilarious tiff between Sirio and former NY Times food critic William Grimes.