Clover Hill, the restaurant that had been home to Charlie Mitchell, who is now head chef at Saga in Fidi, appears to have permanently closed. A source says they tried to make a reservation this week, and were informed by the staffer that the restaurant was closed; it’s also listed as “permanently closed” on Google and has no reservations available on OpenTable. Mitchell brought accolades to the restaurant, shepherding it onto lists like The New York Times 100 Best Restaurants and landing a Michelin star; last year, he won Best Chef: New York State in the James Beard Awards. Last September, Sam Rogers — who worked at some of the world’s most renowned kitchens, including Noma, Momofuku Ko, Jungsik, and Per Se — was hired to replace him.
Salt & Straw’s expansion tear
The Danny Meyer-backed Salt & Straw, the Portland ice-cream company founded by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek and known for its inventive, small-batch flavors, is coming to the Upper East Side at 255 East 77th Street, at Second Avenue. The roughly 1,650-square-foot shop will mark the brand’s first location in the neighborhood and its latest scoop shop in NYC when it opens in spring 2027. The shop joins locations on the Upper West Side and the West Village, which opened in 2024.
An East Village cafe closes after two decades
Open since 2006 at the edge of East Village and Union Square, Paradis to Go, the cafe at 114 Fourth Avenue near East 12th Street, has closed, EV Grieve reports. Owner Kim Paradis, a French-trained chef, who opened the place with her husband, a butcher, said the landlord declined to renew her lease. Known for its house-roasted coffee, flaky pastry sandwiches, and chef-driven but affordable fare, the cafe had long been a neighborhood staple. The Hudson Yards location will remain open. (A commenter notes that the Department of Health closed the place on September 10 with 101 violations.)
Another fancy Midtown omakase — but this one’s a giant
A giant Japanese omakase restaurant, Sora, will open in Midtown at 60 East 42nd Street, between Park and Madison avenues, Steve Cuozzo reports in the New York Post, occupying a former First Republic Bank branch. The sprawling 14,000-square-foot project across from Le Pavilion from Daniel Boulud comes from Japan’s Round 1 Corporation, known for its arcade and entertainment complexes, marking its first foray into fine dining. Plans call for six rooms of omakase counters, cocktail bars, and private dining areas designed to merge traditional kaiseki service with contemporary Japanese luxury.