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Starr to help reopen Pastis, the landmark N.Y. restaurant

Starr will run the restaurant with founder Keith McNally.

Daniel Rose (left), chef of Le Coucou, and Stephen Starr arriving at the 2017 James Beard Awards at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.
Daniel Rose (left), chef of Le Coucou, and Stephen Starr arriving at the 2017 James Beard Awards at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.Read moreMICHAEL KLEIN / Staff

Pastis, the chic Lower Manhattan restaurant that closed four years ago because its building was being torn down, will be revived nearby.

Philadelphia-based restaurateur Stephen Starr, expanding on his New York holdings, said he would join founder Keith McNally on running the new restaurant, coming to 52 Gansevoort St. in the Meatpacking District. It's about three blocks from Starr's first New York restaurants, Buddakan and Morimoto. Both men are James Beard restaurateur-of-the-year winners.

"I admire Keith not only for his giant impact — he changed pop culture with Odeon, Pravda, Balthazar, and Pastis," Starr said. "They transcended just the restaurant world. Their impact was felt around the world."

When Pastis closed, "I think the city lost something," Starr said.

McNally lives in London, and is recovering from a stroke last year.

"We're based in New York and Philadelphia, with a strong infrastructure," Starr said.

Starr said he expected Pastis to open in about a year.

Among Starr's other New York restaurants are Le Coucou, Upland, the Clocktower, and El Vez.

Le Coucou, with a French theme and in a partnership with chef Daniel Rose, won the James Beard Award last year for best new restaurant in America, as Starr was named the Beard's top restaurateur.

Starr has found success in French concepts. In its previous guise, Pastis had a bistro atmosphere similar to Starr's Parc (Rittenhouse) and Le Diplomate (Washington, D.C.).