51 Lincoln has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Boston.com is reporting. The filing comes a week after Fournier closed his other restaurant Waban Kitchen.
[Chef-owner, Jeff Fournier] cited an explosion of new restaurants in the Boston area and an influx of costs and expenses to running a small restaurant as reasons for the restaurant’s financial distress. He added he has no intention of closing or selling the nine-year-old upscale dining spot, which has made numerous appearances in various “Boston’s Best” lists by The Boston Globe, Boston magazine, and Improper Bostonian over the years..
Thanks to Steven Feinstein for calling this to our attention via the Newton Highlands list serve.
I wonder if this is the result of his “manifesto” a couple of years ago
http://village14.com/newton-ma/2014/02/51-lincoln-planning-change-in-direction/#axzz44zwCQuSn
I wonder if this is the result of his “manifesto” a couple of years ago
http://village14.com/newton-ma/2014/02/51-lincoln-planning-change-in-direction/#axzz44zwCQuSn
mgwa, it certainly seems so from this quote “Fournier said management is looking more closely at requests from its customers, like those to add some of the restaurant’s older dishes back on the menu. He said his team has complied a list of upwards of 1,000 dishes it’s served over its nine years, and patrons can expect to see some of them return to the Newton Highlands restaurant’s menu soon. it’s back to the basics.”
This is quite a change from his attitude 2 years ago when he proclaimed the dishes he served wouldn’t be changed and he would teach the diners to learn to appreciate his creations. His proclamation for diners not to be rude to the servers or be banned turned ironic as some servers were quite rude themselves.
Hope he has come back down to eart and is successful with this second change in direction.
mgwa, it certainly seems so from this quote “Fournier said management is looking more closely at requests from its customers, like those to add some of the restaurant’s older dishes back on the menu. He said his team has complied a list of upwards of 1,000 dishes it’s served over its nine years, and patrons can expect to see some of them return to the Newton Highlands restaurant’s menu soon. it’s back to the basics.”
This is quite a change from his attitude 2 years ago when he proclaimed the dishes he served wouldn’t be changed and he would teach the diners to learn to appreciate his creations. His proclamation for diners not to be rude to the servers or be banned turned ironic as some servers were quite rude themselves.
Hope he has come back down to eart and is successful with this second change in direction.
Marti, he has nothing on this guy.
Marti, he has nothing on this guy.
Gotta love the soup nazi
Gotta love the soup nazi
I love 51 Lincoln. Love it. I admit that I found the manifesto off-putting, especially since I don’t eat a few things for non-crazy reasons and found myself not wanting to go to the restaurant and face a cooking staff primed to reject requests. But the bar is terrific, the food uniformly good.
Bankruptcy doesn’t mean it isn’t a good restaurant, the manifesto may have been a mistake but it was one I’d guess born as much from pushing cooking as a craft as it was a sign of arrogance.
I sincerely hope they are on a great financial footing soon. I’ll be going back there as soon as possible to show my support.
I love 51 Lincoln. Love it. I admit that I found the manifesto off-putting, especially since I don’t eat a few things for non-crazy reasons and found myself not wanting to go to the restaurant and face a cooking staff primed to reject requests. But the bar is terrific, the food uniformly good.
Bankruptcy doesn’t mean it isn’t a good restaurant, the manifesto may have been a mistake but it was one I’d guess born as much from pushing cooking as a craft as it was a sign of arrogance.
I sincerely hope they are on a great financial footing soon. I’ll be going back there as soon as possible to show my support.
I concur 100% Fig!
And I’ll be stopping at the bar tomorrow evening and hope for many more evenings.
I concur 100% Fig!
And I’ll be stopping at the bar tomorrow evening and hope for many more evenings.
Now that Waban Kitchen is closed, I feel that I can speak out since it was in my own bailiwick and it is my philosophy to support local businesses. I tried many times during its first year to go to this neighborhood spot, only to be rebuffed by the long wait time. Finally, I got a table… squished into too-friendly closeness… but I shrugged that off and ordered the “signature dish”, roasted chicken. Very much hoping to love the food, I anticipated that this would be an unusual presentation that would reach culinary heights worthy of atmospheric pricing. It was, in fact, unusual. As I cut into the joint between the drumstick and the thigh, my plate filled with enough bright red blood that I checked my fingers to see if I had cut them! I have cooked and eaten enough chicken in a long life (both at high-end restaurants and at KFC) to know that this dish was undercooked. I made no scene, but left and never returned! Sycamore and Lumiere have since gotten my money when I have wanted to splurge locally. You can fool some of the people some of the time…
Now that Waban Kitchen is closed, I feel that I can speak out since it was in my own bailiwick and it is my philosophy to support local businesses. I tried many times during its first year to go to this neighborhood spot, only to be rebuffed by the long wait time. Finally, I got a table… squished into too-friendly closeness… but I shrugged that off and ordered the “signature dish”, roasted chicken. Very much hoping to love the food, I anticipated that this would be an unusual presentation that would reach culinary heights worthy of atmospheric pricing. It was, in fact, unusual. As I cut into the joint between the drumstick and the thigh, my plate filled with enough bright red blood that I checked my fingers to see if I had cut them! I have cooked and eaten enough chicken in a long life (both at high-end restaurants and at KFC) to know that this dish was undercooked. I made no scene, but left and never returned! Sycamore and Lumiere have since gotten my money when I have wanted to splurge locally. You can fool some of the people some of the time…
Sally, I too went to the Waban Kitchen just once, and was singularly unimpressed.
I wonder what will end up in its place? A neighborhood bar within staggering distance would be nice. 🙂
Sally, I too went to the Waban Kitchen just once, and was singularly unimpressed.
I wonder what will end up in its place? A neighborhood bar within staggering distance would be nice. 🙂
I wouldn’t mind an old-fashioned really good bread bakery/patisserie. @Robert: I’d not mind if they carried rum cakes!
I wouldn’t mind an old-fashioned really good bread bakery/patisserie. @Robert: I’d not mind if they carried rum cakes!