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Moving into an old, cherished restaurant space is a tricky thing. You don’t want to alienate the culinary historians and faithful regulars, but you can’t risk becoming a nostalgia act. Here’s a look at five iconic restaurants of the recent and distant past and how the chefs and restaurateurs who are taking them over this fall plan to pay homage.
Le Veau d’Or ➽ Le Veau d’Or
Then: Le Veau d’Or
For over 80 years, the Frenchiest French bistro of them all served classics like frogs’ legs provençale, poussin rôti en cocotte, pommes Anna, and tripes à la mode de Caen with uncommon style and grace.
Now: Le Veau d’Or, 129 E. 60th St.; opens November
If anyone can be trusted not to mess up a universally adored French bistro, it’s new owners Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr of Frenchette, who as a sign of good faith are keeping the name (and the tripe). The question of tablecloths remains up for debate.
Gage & Tollner ➽ Gage & Tollner
Then: Gage & Tollner
Before Peter Luger, before Junior’s — before Di Fara even — there was Gage & Tollner, the Gilded Age chophouse that opened in 1879 and closed 125 years later. In between, it became Brooklyn’s first destination restaurant and New York’s third...