As the city and its restaurants come back to life post-Covid, the impact of Batali and his cancellation is still being reckoned with.
It’s been nearly five years since Mario Batali was brought down by accusations of sexual assault and harassment from more than a dozen women.“This is a new era,” said Youjin Jung, the executive chef at Babbo. “The restaurant had been under big shadows. Let’s call it ‘orange shadow with a ponytail.'”
On a recent night at Lupa in the West Village, a customer at the bar asked “Is this Mario Batali’s restaurant?” only to be shut down bluntly with a “no” by a bartender. It’s a Bastianich establishment now, and some employees say that they miss the creativity and food-focus that Batali, despite his faults, brought to the place.
At Casa Mono near Union Square, things are also going fairly well, despite a rough few months right after the Batali allegations came out.“We retained the Michelin star through all of it. The quality stayed the same. The name brings good talent to the door, but it’s really the team – that drives it,” a former Casa Mono employee told The Post.
Babbo employees, like those at Lupa, also complained about a more uptight vibe under Bastianich, who declined to be interviewed for this article.
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