Esca, the theater district restaurant that was the celebrity chef Mario Batali’s first and most elegant seafood-focused venture, has been sold to Dave Pasternack, its longtime executive chef. Mr. Pasternack and his new partners acquired the restaurant from the entity formerly known as Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group on Tuesday, said Joe Bastianich, who had been Mr. Batali’s primary partner. The restaurant group has been working to regain its footing since revelations of Mr. Batali’s history of sexual aggression and assault came to light in 2017. In March, Mr. Batali’s partners in the group — the chef Lidia Bastianich; her children, Mr. Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali; and the California chef Nancy Silverton — closed a deal to buy all of his shares in Batali & Bastianich for an undisclosed sum. At the time, Mrs. Bastianich Manuali promised that Mr. Batali “will no longer profit from the restaurants in any way, shape or form.”

Source: International New York Times May 07, 2019 19:41 UTC