So, we went for a little stroll up 9th Avenue the other day, and much to our surprise, as we hit 45th Street, we saw three familiar places in a row shut down, all with signs saying, "We will be Temporary Closed for Renovations" (sic); Zanzibar, Xie Xie, and Cascina. Not well said on their part, but you get the point.
We assumed that all three places are owned by the same person, and it would appear that for the most part that is true according to State Liquor Authority Records, though its a little complicated. It seems that both by address, Corporate name, and Liquor License, Zanzibar and Xie Xie are connected together. Cascina is a separate company with a separate Liquor License, however, most (but not all) of the owners (who according to NY State Law, if they hold more than a 5% interest in the licensed establishment, must be listed on the license), are the same for both licenses and all three different places. Its worth noting (and I know this both first and second hand) that it is quite common for bars, restaurants, and nightclubs to have "outside/non-paper" investors. What that means is that the establishment has investors, who many times literally invest in the place with a bag of cash (I have personally witnessed bags of cash delivered by investors on multiple occasions), and they are not on the corporate papers or on the liquor license. Of course this is illegal, however, it is very common, and very hard to catch. NOTE: there is no inference that anyone here is doing this - I have never met them. Just making an unrelated point that the bar, restaurant, and nightclub business is often a dark and seedy world.
So with all of that confusion out of the way, it would still seem rather strange to renovate three separate places at the same time, particularly with all three said places being next door to each other. Having renovated two restaurants myself, I can tell you that it is incredibly expensive and time consuming, and to do so in this economy is risky and difficult at best, though they apparently have enough money to do so, which is good for them, because they also now don't have any revenue coming in from any of the three places.
One of the owners of all three locations whose name is familar to me, is Emilio Barletta, who also holds several others liquor licenses in the city, one at Merkato 55 in the Meat Packing District, as well as Pop Art Bar on East 62nd Street, and Trattoria Dopo Teatro, which is not really in our hood, but we will consider it so because we are in a good mood today (and as our father used to say, "because I say so"); it is located near the theater district on West 44th Street. Mr. Barletta is a Real Estate developer who is most recognizable for his very public lawsuit in 2007 (which he lost) over the space on West 17th Street that is now 1 Oak. You can read about that lawsuit HERE. So, clearly Mr. Barletta is a busy man.
So, some quick notes on the closed places, which we are assuming will re-open under the same names (though that could be an incorrect assumption).
First, Zanzibar; I have been there a handful of times, and it is a Moroccan themed lounge that serves Tapas. I have eaten only on two occasions and the food was certainly decent, flat breads, appetizers,kebobs, and cheeses, with the odd item such as Lamb Sliders (I passed on that one). It is for sure not my scene; low seats/small stools (and not enough of them), some couches, usually quite crowded, and a fairly young crowd. More of a preppy 20's-30's scene in my opinion at least. But overall, it really is nothing special, and frankly, I am not sure what it was supposed to be to begin with. I give Zanzibar a C+ though perhaps if I was 10 or 15 years younger I would give it a B-.
Next up is Cascina. I always liked Cascina, though I have not gone recently, I have eaten in as well as had delivery many times over the years. I would best describe it as an old standby, and a reliable one. While the interior left much to be desired and was badly in need of updating (which it would appear it is getting), it was always neat, clean, and not worn or tattered. The food is good, solid and consistent Italian, but definitely not a top spot or a "Best Of".
The pizza is better than good, my favorite being the Margherita. The Chicken Breast, Ravioli, and the Bolognese were my favorite main course items.
As with most real sit-down restaurants, the delivery was shaky, though in fairness, it has been two years since I had delivery from them, but it was usually pretty slow, about an hour wait. Overall I give Cascina a solid B for food, and a C for the decor and delivery. Lets hope it comes back and is re-born into a more modern looking Italian spot with the same food.
Last on the list is Xie Xie; sadly, I have never been there, though I have had guests/friends who have eaten there on two occasions, so I cant really say much other than I have heard it was "good". It is a very small space, and I am speculating that there are going to be some changes with the three places, perhaps combining two of them together. Its just a guess...my guess. No grade. I will keep you posted on this...
Cascina
647 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10036-3661
(212) 245-4422
www.cascina.com
Zanzibar
645 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10036-3606
(212) 957-9197
www.Zanzibarnyc.com
Xie Xie
645A 9th Avenue
New York City, NY 10036
(212) 265-2975
www.xiexieproject.com
