Shelly Fireman to bring Italian eatery to 225 Park Ave. South

Shelly Fireman and the restaurant site at 225 Park Avenue South
Shelly Fireman and the restaurant site at 225 Park Avenue South

Restaurateur Shelly Fireman, best known as the creator of Italian bistros Trattoria Dell’Arte and Cafe Fiorello, will build another Italian restaurant at Orda Management’s 225 Park Avenue South. Fireman will take over space recently vacated by barbecue hotspot Wildwood.

Wildwood was run by Stephen Hanson’s BR Guest, which over the past 20 years has also operated restaurants Park Avalon and Barca 18 from the 185-seat, 7,000-square-foot venue, the New York Post reported.

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Fireman’s restaurant is tentatively called Floriana, according to the newspaper. He said the menu and format for his new venture would be very different from his other Italian eateries, “which is why we’re schlepping around Italy.”

Cushman & Wakefield’s Bradley Mendelson, who brokered the 15-year deal, told the Post that the going rate for street-level retail space in the area was around $125 per square foot. [NYP]  – Hiten Samtani