Entertainment

NEW YORK – In the '80s, Madonna would have the goat-cheese salad and fries. Roy Lichtenstein lunched at Florent's Formica-topped tables almost every day. And long before shabby Gansevoort Street became Meatpacking District chic, artist Keith Haring was a regular at the all-night French bistro pretending to be a dive.

More recent visitors include Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Winehouse and Björk, among others. The list of boldface regulars reads like the index to Andy Warhol's diary as Florent Morellet, 54, ticks off their names. Clad in a mint-green shirt and leather jacket as he sits in a cognac-colored chair at his namesake restaurant, he knows virtually every celebrity who has walked in since he opened in August 1985. Just in case, he keeps their names in his planner.

He won't be surprised if many of them visit over the next few weeks. Word has spread quickly that his lease ran out at the end of March.

"My rent ended at $6,000; I proposed to go all the way to $18,000," Mr. Morellet says – that's per month – but even so, his offer was declined.

Lansco Corp. is the exclusive broker for Florent's space at 69 Gansevoort St. In a phone interview, Matt Cohen, senior director, said he's asking $500,000 a year, or $41,670 a month. Several parties, he added, have expressed interest in the property.

"I went through the five stages of loss and grief," said Mr. Morellet, who moved to the U.S. from France in 1978 and became an American citizen in 1986. "First I was in denial. Then anger. Then bargaining. Then depression. I am in acceptance now. I am actually very much looking forward to the next stage of my life."

He is encouraging customers to write down their most memorable experiences at Florent (in 250 words or less).

His favorite entry will win dinner for six.

Bloomberg News

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