By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — The one-time home of beloved Cafe Des Artistes will be taken over by the restaurateurs behind Il Gattopardo.
Backers of the project got preliminary approval for a liquor license from Community Board 7 on Wednesday night. Cafe Des Artistes, at West 67th Street and Central Park West, was known for its softly lit charm and wood nymph murals. It closed two years ago.
Il Gattopardo's team plans to take over the space early next year. A New York Times review praised Il Gattopardo, on West 54th Street across from the Museum of Modern Art, for the "uncomplicated elegance of its meatballs."
Plans are also under way for the space that once housed Restaurant 81 at West 81st Street and Columbus Avenue. The new eatery will be moderately priced Italian, backers told Community Board 7. Restaurant 81 closed in April.
In other food and drink news, the Beacon Hotel is opening a cocktail lounge in an empty space next to the Beacon Theater, and Grand Sichuan restaurant, which has a location on Lexington Avenue and East 33rd Street, is opening at Columbus Avenue and West 74th Street.
