If I weren't in Italy, yesterday I would have been at Cinema Village for opening night of the documentary about marvelous Florent: Queen of the Meat Market.
NYT: "It is a touching, elegiac tale of the rise (and some would say fall) of a colorful New York neighborhood under the relentless march of gentrification."
New York: "The film is packed with amusing talking heads (Michael Musto, Murray Hill, Penny Arcade, Frank DeCaro, Diane von Furstenberg, Isaac Mizrahi, Julianne Moore, and many more) who showed up to pay tribute to Florent Morellet, the mischievous restaurateur who helped pioneer the now-oversaturated cool of the meatpacking district through the grubby glamour of his glorified luncheonette — a place that made all sorts of activism appetizing...There’s no denying that since Florent closed in 2008, the west side of Manhattan has been a far less fabulous place."
IFC: "Director David Sigal lets his affection for Florent shine through, and he's assembled a truly impressive list of celebrity testimonials."
The New York Press interviews Sigal.
Oh, how I miss Florent. Jay and I used to eat prix-fixe at the counter and always referred to it as "our place" long before Diane von Furstenburg or Penny Arcade sat down for rillettes. Back when it was somewhat scary to go to that neighborhood after dark. Well, scary for different reasons than it is today.
Posted by: Sandy | May 21, 2011 at 03:52 AM
Need more places like this...
Posted by: SF Sex Toy | May 21, 2011 at 11:21 AM
My design studio was located nearby from 1988 to 1998 and Florent was a great place for dinner after the commercial meat packing industry closed down (and hosed down) for the day. The Bastille Day celebrations in the street were legendary.
Posted by: The Devoted Classicist | May 21, 2011 at 12:31 PM