The Curtain Will Close on Beloved Times Square Venue Later This Month
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill has hosted a number of music legends for almost 20 years
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What to Know
After 18 years of hosting music and entertainment superstars, the curtain will close on B.B. King Blues Club & Grill at the end of the month
The venue located in Times Square is shutting its doors due to escalating rent with its final performance scheduled for April 29
The venue is in the process of selecting a new location in Manhattan
After 18 years of hosting music and entertainment superstars, the curtain will close on B.B. King Blues Club & Grill at the end of the month.
The venue located in Times Square is shutting its doors due to escalating rent with its final performance scheduled for April 29.
“Despite many sold out shows, the location's rent escalated to an unsustainable level, leaving us no choice but to close our doors. Unfortunately this has become a growing trend in New York City,” Tsion Bensusan, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill’s Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement.
B.B. King’s is the latest casualty in a growing trend of beloved and popular venues, bars and restaurants closing their doors due to escalating rent. Coogan’s, a Washington Heights pub, announced it would be shutting down after 33 years in business. But the bar was able to strike a deal to keep its doors open following an outpouring of community support, including from "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
To honor it’s time as a top tier venue, B.B. King’s will host a closing week celebration with performances by Buddy Guy, Rick Ross, Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh, El Gran Combo, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic and special guests.
All the shows scheduled beyond April 29 will take place in various venues throughout the city. B.B. King Blues Club & Grill is also looking to find a new home for the Harlem Gospel Choir’s weekly residency, a show the venue hosts.
Mustang Harry's
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Fun restaurant, fun food! The Lower East Side clubstaurant serves their grilled cheese unlike any other!nThe Grilled Cheese Smoked Bacon Tomato Soup Dumplings come in an irresistibly delectable warm tomato soup and are finished off with chopped bacon bits. Sure to be a hit at the table!
Center Bar
The elegant restaurant, wine bar, and cocktail lounge located in the Shops at Columbus Circle, offers a refined version of the classic grilled cheese sandwich made with creamy Fontina Fontal and decadent black truffle butter, served on country bread.
Clancey
The Lower East Side restaurant serves upscale comfort food and their grilled cheese is no exception. The truffled grilled cheese with asparagus is served with a runny egg for dipping. Special: Free beer with every grilled cheese ordered on National Grilled Cheese Day
Clinton Hall
Clinton Hall is known for its over the top creations so we would expect nothing less when it comes to grilled cheese. Their Doughnut Grilled Cheese is fresh glazed doughnut sliced and filled with mozzarella cheese, served piping hot over a bowl of tomato soup. The gooey sandwich hangs on a banana stand, allowing the cheese to drip and ooze out into the hot soup. Hashtag heaven!
Covina
Covina has made a name for itself serving crave-worthy versions of new-American classics and their grilled cheese is not to be missed. It’s a triple-cheese version of the classic sandwich with aged cheddar, fontina, and muenster griddled between buttered bread and served with a side of Curried Tomato Soup and crispy French fries.
Delmonico's
Delmonico's "Wall Street" Grilled Cheese is part of the restaurant's Secret Billionaire menu and is only available in the Bar Room at the Fidi location. Between 2 slices of thick cut brioche you’ll find L'Etivaz cheese, Scharfe Maxx cheese, and 18-hour slow roasted aged maple bacon, fig mustard, caramelized onions and black truffle shavings. It comes with a $100 price tag attached and glass of prosecco!
E.A.T.
The Upper East Side staple owned by Eli Zabar serves its grilled cheese on Eli’s famous sourdough bread (that’s as big as your head)! Let’s not forget the ooey gooey comte cheese, it’s aged 4 months, in this classic, simple and delicious GC. Ask Ina Garten! She boasts that it’s her favorite in the city.
Houseman
The Hudson Square eatery is a globally-inspired neighborhood hotspot plus they make a mean grilled cheese! It features all the best parts of a crock of french onion soup - that gooey, crunchy, gruyere-covered bread with a sweet, tangy layer of caramelized onions - amped up with a touch of dijon mustard.
Kingside
Located on the street level of Viceroy Central Park in Midtown, Kingside dishes up New American classics and their grilled cheese is droolworthy. Heaps of gruyere, smoked mozzarella, Flagship cheddar, and fontina on two thick slices of bread. Add on smoked ham, a fried egg, or a cup of soup to customize your grilled cheese day cravings.
Melt Shop
Melt Shop is all about grilled cheese, all the time! For the whole month of April, they’ll serve a limited-edition sandwich called “The Big Pull.” It’s their cheesiest sandwich of all time, packing a quadruple cheese punch with american, cheddar, muenster and pepper jack on on country bread. Pictured about is their Maple Glazed Bacon, NY Cheddar & Sharp Brick Spread on Country White.
Mustang Harry's
After an extensive renovation and menu makeover the Madison Square Garden area staple is serving up the classics with a modern twist. To celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day they are serving a short rib grilled cheese with manchego, provolone and caramelized onions.
Rahi
Rahi in the West Village, known for Artisanal Indian cuisine, offers a delicious and decadent take on a grilled cheese with their Madam Ji. Served during brunch on Friday through Sunday (11am - 3pm) , Chef Chintan Pandya's Madam Ji sandwich features grilled brioche bread, with Amul cheese, bechamel, chicken tikka, and topped with eggs.
Sadelle's
Sadelle’s is a New York brunch institution located in the heart of Soho. Boasting some of the best bagels in New York City, it’s no surprise they would serve their grilled cheese on one too. It comes on an inverted everything bagel with a generous portion of melted american and muenster cheeses.
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The Ainsworth’s Grilled Mac n’ Cheese with candied bacon is more than just Instagram worthy, it will make your tastebuds sing! Making magic between two slices of sourdough you’ll find mac n’ cheese, candied bacon, cheddar, provolone, and jack! Not for the bashful, it’s a secret item that’s not on the menu so you have to ask for it!
The Meatball Shop
The Meatball Shop is known for their creative takes on meatballs and for National Grilled Cheese day they have turned the classic sandwich into one (sans the meat of course)! Their grilled cheese balls are made of brioche, american, mozzarella, and cheddar, then baked and served in a big bowl of warm homemade tomato soup.
However, there is hope for fans of the historic venue. Not only is B.B. King’s looking to find a home for the Harlem Gospel Choir, but the venue is in the process of selecting a new location in Manhattan.
“We hope that we can find a new place to call home very soon so we can continue bringing live music,” Bensusan said.
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill first opened on June 20, 2000. Since the start, it has hosted appearances and shows by superstars across all genres of music including Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Allman Brothers, Al Green, ZZ Top, Jay-Z, Bon Jovi, Bo Diddley and the restaurant’s namesake, blues legend B.B. King himself. The venue was also known for offering fans the unique experience of seeing one of a kind collaborations among artists.
