Trotter Has Left The Warner Center

By Erin in Food on Sep 27, 2005 6:34PM

Looks like Charlie Trotter is staying put here in Chicago.

Two years ago, when it was announced that the food court at the Time Warner Center in New York City would feature the crème de la crème of the culinary world, Trotter's simply named "Charlie Trotter's Seafood Restaurant" was to be the final jewel in a crown of restaurants that includes Thomas Keller's Per Se and Masa Takayama's MASA. Alas, the dream is over.

Citing a budget that ballooned from "$6 million to $9 million to $11.5 million," Trotter and the building's retail developers are pulling the plug on the project. While Chicagoist finds amusing the notion that anything having to do with Trotter could be anything but formal, it turns out that the Related Companies, the center's co-developer, looked to make Trotter's joint a casual spot, despite Trotter at the helm and architect Michael Graves designing it.

Sorry, Charlie. Better luck next time?

Photo charlietrotters.com