We had two days to live in blissful ignorance about the future fate of the historic Caffe Dante, which shuttered on Sunday after 100 years on MacDougal Street. But we live in a new world now, a world where nothing that we love can remain unmolested, a world...of small plates. Yes, Caffe Dante will be following in the footsteps of the Great Tapas Takeover, with a new restaurant run by AvroKo's Linden Pride, according to DNAinfo. At least it's not a juice bar?
There may not be kale juice but there will be "small dishes," oysters, crudos, flatbreads and other types of trendy menu jargon. The restaurant will channel a "classic European-inspired neighborhood eatery" with pastries and coffee—something Caffe Dante was well-known for—plus "kicked-up classic" cocktails (ugh), and an "eclectic" wine list. We reached out to AvroKo to get more menu confirmation and we'll update if we hear back.
The news also reveals that Caffe Dante knew it would shutter months before reports starting coming in and the insistence by owner Mario Flotta that the eatery would remain open. Linden filed a liquor license application with the Community Board in December of last year and he'll have more government hoops to jump through if plans to alter the interior and facade move forward. The building that housed Caffe Dante, which dates back to 1910, is protected by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Too bad the same can't be said for the restaurant itself.
