uptown staple Rao’s in how it seats diners.
We hear Mar’s new resto Le B — in the same space as the Beatrice Inn and its successor, Les Trois Chevaux — will feature tables “owned” by regulars, much like famed red sauce joint Rao’s, but for a mostly creative crowd.
We hear fashion designer Christian Siriano as well as Oscar De La Renta creative directors Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, plus screenwriter Tom Fontana, and some hedge fund players, all have their own designated tables for specific nights of the week.
At an opening party this week guests included Siriano, Gigi Burris, Peter Som, Jay McInerney, Timo Weiland, Lauren Remington Platt, Gillian Miniter, Sharon Coplan Hurowitz, Elyse Newhouse and Jennifer Creel.
The restaurant is in the same West Village spot as Mar’s former fine dining eatery Les Trois Chevaux, which is moving to the Upper East Side next year.
It has a number of updated interior touches.
The Beatrice Inn began as a speakeasy before it had a Paul Sevigny-led renaissance in the aughts as NYC’s hippest club.
The spot later passed through the hands of Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, and wound up with Mar.
Mar told the Michelin Guide, “Le B is absolutely not the Beatrice Inn.” But, “[It] has the same wonderful energy and joie de vivre… [with] definitely more of an old-school downtown vibe.”