Forge Restaurant Becomes "Marc Forgione," Averting Lawsuit and Bloodshed

When edgy chef Marc Forgione (pictured) opened up his urban-rustic restaurant last summer in a former TriBeCa dairy warehouse, he decided to call the place Forge, after his nickname. But, oopsy, there's already a Forge restaurant in Miami Beach, and in due time owner Shareef Malnik accused Forgione of trademark infringement. So this month he re-christened his place "Marc Forgione" to avoid a costly lawsuit and spare potential customers the confusion of getting lost in Florida on their way to his restaurant.

At a party last night to, uh, celebrate the name change, friends and hangers-on feasted on charcuterie, imported Italian cheese, and dreams of vengeance; Forgione—who sports a timeless, unspiked mohawk—shared his fantasy about "sitting in some empty bar near closing time, looking down toward the other end, and spotting him. Then they lock the doors for me." The "him" in that sentence would be Malnik, and considering what some guests whispered about his ties to the "Jewish mafia," Forgione might want to make sure there's a revolver planted in the men's room. Of course his father, chef Larry Forgione, is hailed as "the Godfather of American cuisine," so he's probably not afraid to get some brains blown all over his nice Ivy League suit.