Scruffy Eldridge Street just got a lot fancier. A bilevel restaurant/lounge called The Flower Shop has opened at 107 Eldridge St., in a space formerly occupied by Chinese spot Fen Yang.
WWD has a feature today on the new venture from Ronnie Flynn, Dylan Hales and Will Tisch:
Upstairs, the space is geared more toward dinner service, while the basement takes a casual lounge approach with tongue-in-cheek detailing… The carpeted pre-fab space is decked with tchotchkes — a framed Backstreet Boys CD cover; a 1986 “Crocodile Dundee” movie poster — as well as a salmon-pink fireplace and pool table situated under an old Budwesier pendant lamp…
Chef Michael Hamilton suggested the menu has something for everyone. “There’s something in there for the food nerd, there’s something in there for someone who just wants to come down and chug a beer and eat chicken wings… It’s approachable; it’s unpretentious…”
According to the online menu, main dishes include a 12 ounce ribeye in a tarragon béarnaise sauce; steamed pollock with charred broccoli, salsa verde and butter beans; fried chicken with curry sauce and mint; and a cheeseburger with black garlic mayo.
Months ago, the New York Times described the basement as a “pub with TVs, a pool table and a sunken den with a fish tank and a gas fireplace.” Ronnie Flynn said, “It’s not a club or a lounge, it’s a ‘Cheers’ type place. ”
Last year the partners, some of whom have ties to the Major Food Group (“Dirty French, etc.), had a rough time winning the support of Community Board 3 but they eventually prevailed in their battle for a liquor permit.
