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Read the press release here.

Uptown Locals Welcome New Restaurant Le Cheile

By Carla Zanoni | October 20, 2011 7:00am

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — For years, Hudson Heights residents have clamored for a down home place where they could get a cup of coffee during the day and a tasty meal at night.

With its down home style, eclectic menu and family-friendly seating, newcomer Le Chéile is what many neighbors say they've been waiting for.

“We’re finally getting what we always wanted,” said Elaine Wriley, 37, a mother of two who has lived in Hudson Heights for 11 years. “The place is artsy and fun and, more than anything, can accommodate me and my family.”

“I felt like I was in Ireland, for a bit of fun and relaxation. To say the least, I am so excited to have this community oriented restaurant in our 'hood,” wrote one mother on a local parenting email list.

Le Chéile, a Gaelic term pronounced “leh ‘kāy-lah” that literally means "together," according to its owners, is the newest venture from the downtown impressarios behind the Lower East Side Arlene’s Grocery and The Scratcher bar in the East Village.

Originally to be called The Dark Horse, the restaurant at 839 W. 181st St. initially had a hard time getting a positive recommendation from the local community board earlier this year amidst concerns about allowing another liquor license on the block.

The State Liquor Authority approved its license late this summer.

Le Chéile’s menu features an eclectic mix of delicate salads and filling sandwiches and burgers, interesting soup and entrees that include a “Rustic Chicken” dish and the celebrated Shepherd’s Pie. The Bananas Foster dessert is also a big hit, according to its owners.

The eatery is similar to another one of the restaurateurs’ outposts in Riverdale, the homey American-Irish pub An Beal Bacht, with its artsy feel, comfortable seating and a performance space within the restaurant.

Although Le Chéile opened its restaurant as a soft launch a few weeks ago, plans to open the space next door as a community performance space are in the works.

“This is a gathering spot, something we know people in this neighborhood want to see,” said Dave Hollander, who co-owns Le Cheile with Dermot Burke and Richard “Tony” Caffrey, and once ran Arlene’s Grocery.

Hollander said Le Chéile’s first large-scale event would be a Pinball Tournament on Dec. 3rd and 4th, where competitors from all over the city will converge.

“We plan to bring events like this, events for the community that will bring people from all over the city and world to visit Washington Heights,” he said.

It’s that international flare and sense of inclusiveness that is encapsulated on the restaurant’s site, where the owners celebrate the multicultural history of Washington Heights and the changing demography.

“We know that we’re simply next in a long, glorious line of those who were here before us,” reads the site. “Our corner has been a crossing — a trading post – for the people of this community generation after generation. 

“That’s the tradition we’re keeping up; a tradition started by the Lenni Lenape, and then came the Dutch, and then the Irish, and then German-Austrian Jews, and then Russians and Greeks, and then Dominicans and Mexicans, and now you — whoever you may be.”

Hollander said he believes in the community so much that he’s not only opened a restaurant on 181st Street, he’s put his money where his mouth is by packing up his wife and toddler to come live in Hudson Heights.

“I’m a lover of New York City, the fusion of communities, and I’ve never felt it more than here,” he said.