UWS Restaurant Cafe Des Artistes Closes

Cafe des Artistes, the beloved romantic West 67th Street restaurant near Lincoln Center, has closed, according to the Diner's Journal. Owners Jenifer and George Lang "said they had closed for vacation earlier this month and had planned on reopening in September, but changed their minds," with Jenifer Lang explaining, "George is 85, business has been down - not terrible, but down, like everybody else’s - and we feel it’s time." In 2003, NY Times restaurant critic William Grimes felt the food was uneven, but, "If ever a restaurant had fine, aristocratic bone structure it is Café des Artistes. Diners have only to take one step inside, and the tumultuous New York world outside disappears in a flash, replaced by lush floral displays, flattering lighting and Howard Chandler Christy’s pastel murals of naked beauties prancing through romantic landscapes." The Diner's Journal says it's unclear what will happen to the cafe—also seen in Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery—which is owned by the building. In other news, Meatpacking seafood restaurant John Dory may have closed, though owner "Ken Friedman will not confirm or deny, telling [Eater] the reservationist was premature in confirming their final night."