Restaurant Annisa Destroyed by July 4 Fire

After an email circulated saying that Barrow Street restaurant Annisa had been "destroyed" by a fire on the morning of July 4, Serious Eats' Ed Levine sent a quick note to Anita Lo, the restaurant's acclaimed chef and owner. It turns out the rumor is true: while no one was present at the time, a fasting moving blaze has in fact destroyed the restaurant. "The fire marshall hasn't come yet, so we don't know what started it," Lo tells Levine. "And yes, we are going to rebuild--hopefully better than before." You may remember that a fire temporarily shut down another restaurant owned by Lo, Bar Q, which has since closed for good. While Annisa does its whole phoenix/flames thing, you can catch Anita Lo compete on this week's Top Chef Masters. Neil Patrick Harris is guest judging.