New York wine mecca Rebelle closes

Having just brought you news of high profile restaurant closures in London, the latest casualty of the industry is Michelin-starred, wine focused restaurant Rebelle in New York, which closed last weekend.

The Michelin-starred, wine centric Rebelle in New York has closed

As reported by Eater, the venue, in New York’s Lower East Side, served its last orders on Saturday 18 November. Run by respected wine director Patrick Cappiello, Branden McRill, and chef Daniel Eddy, the French accented Rebelle had just retained its Michelin star.

Patrick Cappiello in the Rebelle cellar

The restaurant was a favourite of wine lovers and members of the New York wine trade and was known for ushering in a new style of wine appreciation in the city.

Having learnt his trade at the two-Michelin-starred Gilt at the New York Palace Hotel and then through his own site Pearl & Ash, Cappiello swapped his black suit for a Metallica t-shirt in a bid to make wine less snobby and more accessible.

Rebelle championed natural wines and lesser-known drops from the Loire Valley, which he convinced customers to try via low markups on his 1,500-plus bottle list.

Specialising in classic French dishes with a modern twist, you’d find the likes of roast chicken, and summer flounder in brown butter with Comté ribbons on the menu. Cappiello, McRill, and Eddy still own the Walnut Street Café in Philadelphia.

Last week we reported that a number of high profile restaurants in London, including HKK, Paradise Garage, L’Autre Pied and Vineet Bhatia had recently been forced to close as profit margins in the UK capital become increasingly squeezed.