Oh, No, Bolo!

Some sad news to start 2008: Bolo, Bobby Flay's wonderful take on contemporary Spanish cuisine, has closed. "After 15 years we have closed our doors as of December 31, 2007," reads a sign in the window. "We would have loved to stay longer, but our home will soon be reduced to rubble." The latter statement surely refers to the sale of the building that housed Bolo on E. 22nd St. We expected the closure, just didn't expect it to come so soon or so suddenly.

Luckily, Spoon and I had a lovely meal there recently when my mother and my Aunt Judy visited from upstate New York. It was a typical Bolo affair: a terrific menu of seasonal ingredients, including a lovely butternut squash soup. The service was impeccable, as always. The waiter suggested a lovely Spanish white wine (Burgans Albarino, Rias Baixas) and obligingly wrote down the vintatge on a card for me after the meal. Spoon picked up a bottle for me as stocking stuffer this Christmas, and it sits chilling the fridge.

Bolo was a delicious, consistently excellent restaurant, a class act, and a terrific neighbor. Unlike some other experiences (ahem, Rocco), Bolo respected the block. It's a sad loss to start the year.--F