Tucked away on the northeast corner of Greenwich and Horatio Streets, El Faro has been a neighborhood fixture for 85 years. For decades it was an unpretentious local favorite, before becoming a ‘gourmet destination’ after the New York Times’ Craig Claiborne gave it a rave review in the late sixties, and then reverting, more recently, to its original role.
However now, according to the Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene, signed on September 28 and pasted prominently on the front door, El Faro’s is CLOSED. As are the security gates; the phone has also been cut off.
Soon after the news broke, owner Mark Lugris let it be known that if the family could raise $80,000 to pay Health Department fines – for 57 ‘violations’ – and their other debts, they hoped to re-open. Since then, there have been no further bulletins and WestView’s email enquiry has gone unanswered.
Even the restaurant guide websites don’t seem to know; half make no mention of the change and the other half have posted ‘Temporarily Closed’ or just ‘Closed.. Let’s hope for ‘temporarily.’.
