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NEW YORK -- With the acquisition of what he called "one of the greatest restaurants in the country," flamboyant restaurant entrepreneur Warner LeRoy intends to invest $10 million in renovations on the famed Russian Tea Room.
LeRoy and Faith Stewart-Gordon, who owned RTR for 28 years, will not disclose the purchase price of Carnegie Hall's famous nextdoor neighbor. But LeRoy is anything but shy describing the massive remodeling project he envisions, which calls for adding at least two more levels to the five-story building.
LeRoy said that when the RTR is finished, it will be 6,000 square feet larger than his crown jewel, Tavern On The Green in Central Park, widely believed to be the highest-volume, single-unit restaurant in the country.
After more than four years of on-again-off-again negotiations, LeRoy and Stewart-Gordon struck a deal about two weeks ago.
Stewart-Gordon said LeRoy was probably the only restaurateur with the creativity and know-how to preserve the traditions of the restaurant while carrying it into a new era.
"He's going to keep the Russian heritage and cuisine as we have it, but his expansion plans and menu refinements are great," she explained.
LeRoy, who earlier was best known as the founder of Maxwell's Plum and the person who...