Pastis bistro to remain open through March

Pastis, a Meatpacking District French restaurant favored by the jet set, has received an eleventh-hour reprieve. Though it was originally slated to close at the end of this month, the bistro will now remain open until the end of March.

The restaurant is closing to allow for the property to be renovated and to add more retail space, the New York Post reported. Pastis’ owner Keith McNally plans to reopen the restaurant 15 months after it closes, according to the newspaper.

Though a McNally spokesperson said that Pastis’ extra two months were because the owner of the property wanted the restaurant in the space “until the last possible moment,” sources told the newspaper that the landlord had yet to secure building permits.

Since it opened in 1999, Pastis has wined and dined celebrities including David Bowie, Martha Steward and Madonna. [NYP]  – Hiten Samtani