Drama

Union Square Park Restaurant a No-Go; Holiday Market Under Attack

No more Lululemon stores, please.
No more Lululemon stores, please. Photo: Shameel Arafin/Demotix/Corbis

A judge has rejected a Bloomberg-backed proposal for a 200-seat restaurant on the north side of Union Square Park. The eatery has been in the works since 2004 (at one point, Danny Meyer was attached to the project), but residents and activists oppose the idea for its grandiosity, and Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoran thinks it’s offensive that the restaurant would cater to people who can afford to spend at least $100 on a meal (welcome to New York). When the city said that the average meal would cost about $45, the judge said the whole thing had a “let them eat cake feel.” Oof. The digs didn’t stop there: The Grinch Who Stole Justice said he would support a request for a ban on the holiday market, too. “The seasonal crush of craftsmen under tents is more of an outdoor Walmart on Black Friday than dedicated parkland,” he said. Hey! Outdoor Wal-Marts don’t have Arancini Bros., Toby’s Estate Coffee, and Momofuku Milk Bar, as far as we know. Let them eat cake truffles! [Earlier, NYDN]

Union Square Park Restaurant a No-Go; Holiday Market Under Attack