The restaurant space at the Hotel des Artistes building in the Upper West Side has been home to several popular concepts over the years, with The Leopard at des Artistes being the most recent. That popular upscale Italian restaurant is set to be replaced by a similarly upscale French-American restaurant called Air Café. In a recent Community Board 7 meeting, managing partner Max Katzenberg said the restaurant at 1 W 67th St. would follow in The Leopard’s footsteps by offering a similar style of service, with a menu of à la carte fine dining dishes. It will also retain a similar appearance, including The Leopard’s famed murals painted by artist Howard Chandler Christy. The restaurant is scheduled to be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and to close promptly at midnight. What Now New York has reached out for more information.
Katzenberg and his partner Ariel Arce have significant experience operating restaurants in Lower Manhattan, including Tokyo Record Bar and Roscioli. As with those restaurants, Air Café will strive to be neighborhood-oriented, Katzenberg told CB7.
