Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Sorry Charlie

It seems wherever there are inflated egos, so must follow inflated prices. Until they pop. (Or is that hiss?) The Times is reporting that the fifth and final restaurant to round out the Time Warner Center’s constellation of outrageously expensive dining halls has collapsed under its own weight. The retail developer, Related Companies, has pulled the plug on Chef Charlie Trotter’s seafood spot that was 2 years in the making when the budget rose from $6 to $11.5 million “for what would not have been a formal restaurant although it was being designed by the noted architect Michael Graves.” This, of course, begs the question, what is a “not formal” restaurant? Does that mean an $11.5-million “casual” seafood joint? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Charley’s Crab already exists.