Lowlife, the high-end restaurant at 178 Stanton St., appears to be the latest victim of a cursed commercial space.
Eater reports that the ambitious six-month-old business closed on Friday. Alex Leonard and Hugh Crickmore opened the restaurant in November of last year. According to the story:
The restaurant’s sudden closure came as a surprise to staff, but the source (who requested anonymity due to ongoing legal matters) says its investors — who had little previous hospitality experience — might have been rattled by unexpected costs, as well as the slow process of turning a profit with 60 seats in an out-of-the-way downtown location.
In March, Pete Wells of the New York Times gave Lowlife a one-star review, criticizing the restaurant’s pretentiousness and outrageous prices:
When I think about the best parts of this restaurant… I want to shake (Leonard and Crickmore’s) hands. When I remember how much money I’ve spent there and how bizarrely pretentious the service can be, not just for the Lower East Side but for any neighborhood, I want to shake them by the shoulders until they come to their senses.
The previous occupant of 178 Stanton’s ground floor space, Stanton Street Kitchen, lasted less than a year. The Moldy Fig, a Jazz club, also tried to make a go of it here. The location, east of Clinton Street, is a challenging one for any business, even a destination restaurant with stellar reviews.
