A look at who smoked and who choked in 2009
Things were not looking so hot for the New York dining scene last January. A rash of major closings like Fiamma had the Post’s Steve Cuozzo spouting doomsday prophesies, and shortly afterward Eater.com suspended its infamous “Deathwatch” column. The restaurant industry was bracing for the worst.
But as 2009 played out, it became clear that the recession hadn’t hit restaurants as badly as expected. There were some major losses, yes. But 2009 was filled with the kind of highs, lows, hits and misses you'd expect from our frenetic dining scene: Novice restaurateurs knocked it out of the park, while vets struggled to keep their eateries up and running, and vice versa. Some businesses boomed; others were totes busted. Here’s a look at who smoked and who choked in ’09. —Kelly Dobkin
Pictured: Sam Mason, who tailored his exit from Tailor in 2009
