Michelin-Starred Restaurant Danny Brown to Close
The big quote:
He said Forest Hills could also be an option, if a better opportunity arose.
“This is our home, this is where we got started,” he said. “We’ve done so much work here in Forest Hills, if there is a good opportunity to stay here — sure, absolutely."
I'm left thinking, really? The rents are even too damn high on Metropolitan Avenue? Crazy shit...
Danny Brown's is outstanding. This is an enormous loss for Forest Hills, and Queens. Very sad.
ReplyDeleteHow can biu Bella stay in business but they can't?
ReplyDeleteBiu Bella would be an amazing spot for a good restaurant!
How can biu Bella stay in business but they can't?!
ReplyDeletetheir lease is up. the landlord is probably skyrocketing their rent since he figures since danny brown has a michelin star and does pretty well that he will just eat an unreasonable rent increase. Scumbag move by the landlord happens to restaurants all the time
DeleteYou are so right. The landlord figures he'll sink his teeth into DBs and now will probably wind up with a pottery shop intstead.
DeleteI believe the landlord is competition from down the block!
DeleteNOOOOOOOOO! I love that place, their food, staff, the service. This is a very sad day for Forest Hills and Queens. I'm hoping its so he can relocate closer to Austin Street or something. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteMaybe because Dee's is the landlord and wants to get rid of the competition
ReplyDeleteAre you certain?
Deletewow that's really bad if they are closing. I'm hoping the same thing too if they can open by Austin Street.
ReplyDeleteDBs on Austin Street would be a disaster. Part of the charm of DBs is that its not on Austin Street and on the more subdued and neighborly like Metropolitan Ave.
DeleteAustin St. has become Steinway St./Jamaica Ave. A place like DB does not belong there. If Reef, Rove & 5Burro migrated to Metro it would really solidify SoFoHi as a Culinary Destination to open a restaurant and dine in one. Ample parking, convenient location, not as congested as Austin St. Rent dramatically lower. Sounds like a Win/Win to me.
DeleteI've sensed something was up lately. Lots of passion for the Long Island City venture, but little done to main menu. This place is a Forest Hills gem, but it didn't try much new once the Michelin star came in. That said, it could rock Austin Street. Maybe the old steak house or Biu Bella, which I totally agree is a mystery that it is still in business. We can all call the landlord greedy (and he/she probably is), but there could also be a great deal in place. Who knows? Come to Austin, DB. You'll get the subway crowd and the vibe from other restaurants. Also, buy your building if you can.
ReplyDeleteAte there over a year ago. Service was so-so and food was ok. Overrated.
ReplyDeletehahaha... yeah, Michelin guide knows very little about food service and quality. I definitely take your opinion over theirs and the hundreds of other reviews of DB.
DeleteMy wife and I LOVE that place!!! it was our special dinner hangout spot. A wee bit expensive, but it was always worth the money. Oh man, if they come to Austin Street... Excited just thinking about it :)
ReplyDeleteThis sucks -- Danny Browns is great ; well, now Tazzina will be flooded!!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed that the prices were a bit nuts. Total Manhattan price tags in Queens.
ReplyDeleteQuality of product does not depend on zip codes. Good food has high price tags regardless of it's location. RAO's has been one of the better restaurants with some of the highest price tags in E. Harlem long before E.Harlem was popular again. LIC has many restaurants that are "high priced" and they are in Queens again along with Brooklyn. Nassau & Suffolk county no different.
DeleteBest restaurant in Queens. PRICE is fair for the quality. cheap bastards do not support local gems.
ReplyDeleteI totally supported Danny Brown. The quality was great, but the prices were a tad high for Queens, making a frequent night out cost prohibitive. Still, knowing it was a local institution made it easier to stomach. I can't say the service was always stellar. There was a lot of frustrating down time between courses. I can't imagine the owners walking away from what they built. If Austin Street landlords are smart (and willing to stop drooling over national chains) they'll be courting the Browns.
ReplyDeleteprices where worth it, Dee's is majorly overpriced for pretty mediocre food. Tazzina is now the only decent place on Metro. huge loss because this was / should have been an anchor to other great places. instead they will move to LIC or other areas which are more affordable and considered hipper. I dont give a crap about HIP but care about quality. Big loss for the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteDee's is overpriced and a huge disconnect from what it originally was. I refuse to pay top dollar for soggy calamari or skimpy portions of meatloaf. The menu has become some sort of "greatest hits" album without any real theme.
DeleteThe landlord of building is Dee the who owns Dee's restaurant. I suspect he is not renewing the lease because he wants to open his own restaurant venture there.
ReplyDeletethat was his original location and his sister owned a restaurant where the current location is. i dont think there is any intention to own two restaurants when the opportunity was there when she moved.
Deletei really think there is more to it then just the landlord raising their lease...... for whatever odd reason DB will most likely not be opening up a location in LIC which is strange to begin with since it would do great there..... Leases need to go up, everything goes up...... To me it seems like the owner of DB didn't want to pay a little extra in rent to keep more $$$ in his pocket. I like DB, not a huge fan of it since the menu has been the same for years. Service is okay, food is okay but there has been plenty of nights I stopped by and it was almost empty on a Friday and Saturday night. I think the owner of DB is just as greedy as the landlord.
ReplyDeleteLooks like DB lost their star -- not sure if the closing decision is related to this or not getting a star is related to their closing...
ReplyDeletehttp://ny.eater.com/2015/9/30/9428443/michelin-star-ratings-nyc-2016
It doesn't matter because DB just lost its Michelin star. The food was good but the menu never really changed. It got boring. Dee is a good guy and wouldn't try to screw DB over. In fact, DB brought Metro avenue up to a higher scale which was good for Dee's business too.
ReplyDeleteFrench menu?
ReplyDeleteAte there twice since I moved to Forest Hills a year ago, and am very sorry it's closing. The entire experience was great --- good food, nice space, and not idiotically expensive for what it is. I really hope they find another location in Forest Hills, although I would also prefer it not be Austin Street ...
ReplyDeleteAddressing your comments on Danny Browns here are the facts.
ReplyDeleteDanny Brown’s was offered a new 10 year lease. Rent was not increased, was offered with the same yearly escalations as the last 10 years. Danny Brown’s was looking for an option in the lease so that he could sell and assign the lease. Landlord offered him a 5 year lease so he would not feel so committed. Danny Brown’s rejected that. Landlord then offered him an option of 5 or 10 year lease with the option to sell, but he must stay committed for 2 years. Danny Brown’s rejected that as well. Landlord made the assumption that Danny Brown’s intentions were to secure a non-binding lease and then sell and have the landlord assume whomever he sold to. Landlord then decided to not renew lease.
Also for the record landlord had no intentions to rent to a restaurant 10 years ago, but he knew Danny and his family, landlord believed in Danny Brown’s skills and offered him the chance. Landlord was never looking to get rid of Danny Brown’s. Danny Brown’s caused his own fate.
fact from a legitimate yet anonymous source...now you have it
DeleteKnowing both parties involved, I completely buy this version. I do know that Dee wanted to open a fancy burger joint in that location 10 years ago (what a visionary!), but went with Danny Brown instead. The only thing that I don't believe is that he did it simply because he knew the family. It was a smart move and he benefited from it.
DeleteBut "the evil landlord wanted more money" version used to explain the departure of seemingly successful but mismanaged restaurants gets old.
Q Thai used it, but somehow J&N is successful with the same evil landlord. Just Like Mother's used to cry on every corner about their astronomical rent, but the same scary landlord is somehow renting to OvoSodo at the rate that allows them to be empty all the time. Unless you're on Steinway ... I mean, Austin Street...the rent price is figured out by economical tools, not the level of landlord's evilness.
P.S. I wonder which excuse will Mr. Vino Cucina/Mr. Vino owner use when he closes because he's his own landlord.
For that reason I laughed when Danny Brown told the world that he's closing because of the lease increases. Metropolitan Ave is full of similar sized stores that are for rent. He could've moved in two days period. Two weeks - tops. Dee's moved from the same location 11 years ago (and they had to build a new brick oven) and became very successful. DB could have taken old Chalet Alpina locations and increase his sales three-fold. But something obviously happened.