It looks like more change is in the air on Clinton Street. According to a notice posted on the window, the team behind Wild Edibles is applying for a liquor license at 76 Clinton Street, which has been home to creative comfort food spot “Alias” for the past decade.
Wild Edibles is a wholesale fish supplier serving some of the city’s best restaurants. It also operates an oyster bar and wine bar in Murray Hill. The application has not been posted online yet, so there’s not much information. We’re putting calls out to both Wild Edibles and the Alias team this morning.
Alias was, of course, a pioneer of the Clinton Street dining scene. Owner Janet Nelson and Tony Powe (a more recent partner) have seen all kinds of changes on the block since opening at 76 Clinton in 2002. Nelson was involved in 71 Clinton Fresh Food, the little spot that launched Wylie Dufresne’s career.
More to come…
UPDATE 3/6/2013 The Community Board 3 application is now available online. Wild Edibles owner Richard Martin wants to open a place called Black Crescent. The proposed menu consists of “seafood, tapas and oysters.” Hours of operation would be 6 p.m.-2 a.m. (Alias is one of the few LES restaurants open for lunch, but it looks like Martin is not thinking in terms of daytime service). Alias management declined to discuss the possible ownership change until after the community board meets. Incidentally, Wild Edibles was the subject of some bad press a couple of years ago; a large number of restaurants lined up against the seafood supplier after former employees alleged mistreatment and failure to pay overtime. Martin eventually settled with the workers.
