UPDATE: A kind reader informs me the place has already shuttered, with paper over the windows and all. Bummed as I hoped to go tomorrow to say goodbye.
The kitschy record-themed restaurant Vynl announced that it will "retire" by the end of the year, after more than two decades in Hell's Kitchen. Longtime New Yorkers will remember the joint was kind of the default place for "the gays" to eat, with its Asian-infused comfort food, record-album menus and pop-star bathrooms. I know the place has moved over the years, although I'm not sure I remember all of the details. Apparently the first location was at 54th and 9th Avenue (where El Centro is now). It then moved to 754 Ninth Ave., which was the location I frequented. Owner John Dempsey later expanded to Chelsea -- I write about it HERE -- but it never really caught on. As rents fluctuated, the HK location moved next door to a smaller space at 756 9th Ave., where it currently resides. Perhaps not the biggest loss in the world. But definitely the end of another chapter in gay history -- Eatery has been gone a while, too -- one we will probably never see again.
The last location, at 756 Ninth Ave.
The location at 754 Ninth Ave.
The short-lived Chelsea location
2 comments:
It's closed now, not even making it to the weekend.
I used to go all the time, but stopped a few years ago when they ruined the menu. The whole thing got revamped by some celebrity chef. The prices went up, my favorite items went away and the quality went down. Good riddance.
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