Results tagged “rainbowroom”

According to Eater, vendors supplying the Cipriani restaurant empire have had trouble getting paid, and the Ciprianis have been withholding rent payments because of a drawn-out rent arbitration with the landlord. The original ten year lease signed in 1998 was for $4 million a year, then a property reappraisal increased the rent to $8.7 million in February 2007, the Daily News reports. Last month the rent was lowered to $6 million, but now the Ciprianis are suing, accusing the property owner of trying to "force Cipriani out of business at the premises and thus out of the premises."

Owners of the Rainbow Room think that the best way to class up the joint is to show the Cipriani family to the door. On the heels of last week's announcement that the Rainbow Grill would close its doors, the (in)famous restaurateur family has now been evicted from their spot on Top of the Rock for failure to pay the last four months' rent. A spokesman for Tishman Speyer, the company that serves as their landlord, told the Times, "The Rainbow Room is one of our city’s great institutions, and we will immediately begin the process of finding another great restaurateur to operate the space in the first-class manner that New Yorkers and visitors deserve.” The Ciprianis, of course, are not just laying down. They recently won an arbitration case to lower what they called "and insanely high" rent imposed by Tishman Speyer from $8.7 to $6 million. The family released a statement yesterday saying, "Unfortunately, we are dealing with an uncompassionate and greedy landlord who has not made any efforts to resolve our differences in a reasonable manner."

With the recession only getting worse, now a guy doesn't even have anywhere to turn to get a $40 bowl of pasta while taking in the best view of Manhattan. The Rainbow Room has announced that while times are tough, it will close its doors on the restaurant portion of the 65th floor landmark, the Rainbow Grill. Operators of the Rainbow Room, the Cipriani family, told WNBC, "We are currently planning on temporarily closing the Rainbow Grill, which will operate as a bar only...due to the current economic crisis in New York and around the world, on top of an ongoing dispute with our landlord.” The Ciprianis applied for landmark status for the Rainbow Room back in August for fears that their landlord Tishman Speyer could try to transform it into office space. A source connected to the Ciprianis recently was quoted saying that Tishman Speyer has been disgusted with the shabby state of the Rainbow Room since the Ciprianis took over. The historic club that sits on "Top of the Rock" above Rockefeller Center turns 75 this year.

They may have mob ties and a history of tax evasion, but the Ciprianis have been allowed to hold onto their liquor license after the omnipotent State Liquor Authority accepted a settlement offer from the family, who operate luxurious restaurants and catering halls in Manhattan. One of Cipriani's owners, Arrigo Cipriani, previously pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion charges, and state law prohibits convicted felons from obtaining liquor licenses.

Society swells attending glamorous events at Cipriani Dolci may soon have to develop a taste for Shirley Temples. The State Liquor Authority [SLA] is threatening to revoke the liquor licenses at all the swank restaurants and catering halls run by the Cipriani family – including the Rainbow Room and Socialista. The SLA says operators Giuseppe Cipriani and his father, Arrigo Cipriani, have illegally let their licenses be used by unauthorized relatives and companies.

Arthur Emil, the man behind the late Windows on the World and The Rainbow Room, has won the coveted contract to operate the famous Oak Room and Oak Bar (pictured) in the Plaza Hotel, which is near the end of a three-year, $400 million makeover. The 18 story landmark building opened in 1907 and operated as a hotel until 2005, after being sold for $675 million. After delays blamed on “red tape”, the Plaza is expected to open by the end of March as an upscale condominium with retail space and a smaller hotel.

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck in a hit and run at Knickerbocker and Gates Aves. in Brooklyn, a wall collapse at Cromwell Ave. in the Bronx, and an escaped prisoner at 107th Ave. and 131st St. in Queens. Firefighters had to rescue a Queens cemetery worker who was buried up to his waist after a cave-in occurred in a 20-foot-deep pit where he was working. The cave-in broke the man's leg...

Restaurants owned by the Cirpiani family, including the Rainbow Room, may lose their liquor licenses. Earlier this month, patriarch Arrigo Capriani and his son, Giuseppe Cipriani, who is the CEO of Cipriani U.S.A. Inc., pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges. They agreed to pay a $10 million settlement, but now that they are convicted felons, the State Liquor Authority can strip their company of its liquor licenses.

Amy at Newyorkology reminds us that today is the first day you can buy tickets for the observation decks at Rockefeller Center! The roof decks have now been renovated on the 67th to 70th floors, which seem to go on forever (read our March post about the renovations). The Top of the Rock website as this nostalgic movie of old images from the observation deck that recalls its Art Deco history. You can buy tickets online or by calling 212-298-200; tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $9 for children.

Something to look forward to this fall: The reopening of the observation deck at Rockefeller Center. The deck was closed in 1986, to accomodate a renovation of the Rainbow Room, and will now be the second highest, after the Empire State Building (the World Trade Center had been the highest). Reporter David Dunlap had this description of the view from Rockefeller Center:

Coney Island is still visible, marked on the southern horizon by the T-shaped profile of the Parachute Jump. Near the northern horizon, the Tappan Zee Bridge can be glimpsed at a turn in the Hudson River. Even during the snowstorm on Tuesday, there was a majesty to this place, lost in a howling whiteness through which Midtown's familiar spires and plateaus were recognizable only as ghostly gray shadows.

Tickets will cost $14, which is competitive with the $14.50 the ESB charges for adults (or maybe we're getting our facts wrong, because the NY Times says the ESB is $1 cheaper, but when we attempt to buy ESB tickets online, they seem to be $14.50), and Tishman-Speyer, the company that manages Rockefeller Center, is looking for ways to make sure visitors aren't waiting for too long, which, again, is what the ESB is also doing - films for people to watch while in line, advanced ticket purchases; plus they are bringing back pedestal-mounted binoculars. And for those of you who work at Rockefeller Center, there will be a separate entrance for the observation deck.

Has it really been ten years with Conan O'Brien? Gothamist caught Conan's Late Night 10-Year Anniversary last night and we're thankful for sophisticated yet childish humor Conan delivers night after night (and last night's glimpse of Will Ferrell in his leprauchan hot pants - super sexy, yo). Here's a list of Conan highlights from NBC, which has many mentions of the Masturbating Bear (yay!) and recent highlights, like the Claymation episode: