By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
LOWER MANHATTAN — An upscale pub with 17 kinds of burgers is replacing the shuttered Blarney Stone on Fulton Street.
A yellowfin tuna burger with olive tapenade, a goat-cheese-stuffed portobello mushroom burger with black truffle vinaigrette and an Italian sausage and pepper burger topped with three kinds of cheese are on the menu along with the standard beef, veggie and turkey varieties.
Owner Alex Rodriguez (no, A-Rod has not started a business downtown) told Community Board 1 last week that he wants to give Fulton Street residents a better option than the existing fast-food restaurants and cheap bars.
"It's not going to be what Blarney Stone was," Rodriguez, 38, said. "We want the community to have a place to come and have a great meal."
The preliminary menu lists burgers at $14 to $18 and also includes cornmeal-crusted calamari, house-made hummus, lobster sliders and braised short ribs with garlic mashed potatoes.
The 3,750-square-foot space at 121 Fulton St. has been vacant since Blarney Stone closed about a year ago. Rodriguez, who lived downtown for nearly seven years before moving recently to Hell's Kitchen, hopes to sign a lease March 1 and then open his 185-seat bistro by July or August. He plans to reuse the existing bar, which Blarney Stone left behind.
Rodriguez most recently managed BLT Steak in Midtown, and previously owned the defunct Greenwich Brewing Company on Sixth Avenue in the West Village.
Locals were glad to hear of Rodriguez's plans at last week's meeting, but several people were worried about his intention to serve alcohol until 3 a.m.
"We had a lot of problems with Blarney Stone because it's a residential area," said John Fratta, chairman of CB1's Seaport/Civic Center Committee. "Closing time is a real concern."
Ann DeFalco, a committee member, argued that the new restaurant needed a chance to survive.
"There's a difference between a bistro and a Blarney Stone," DeFalco said. "I don't want to stop progress."
The committee and Rodriguez ultimately agreed on a midnight closing time Sunday to Wednesday and 1 a.m. closing Thursday to Saturday.
