Coming Soon: Silkstone’s Fat Radish at 17 Orchard Street

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17 Orchard Street has been under wraps since our previous checkup in September 2009, when the Silkstone catering company was seeking a full liquor license for the space; Community Board 3 subsequently denied their application. But now a year later, there are signs of life anew behind the cast iron facade.  The Silkstone founders – Britons Ben Towill and Phil Winser – are reportedly in the final stages of their new restaurant venture here, The Fat Radish.

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For the past week or so, doors have been wide open, so we took a quick peek inside to ascertain progress and snap a few photos. Things seem to be moving along more rapidly now. A bar and its progeny of stools are now in place, as is the trendy decor of white tiling and exposed brick.  In a self-recorded video shared on their blog, we learn that the Fat Radish is a couple of years in the making.  Once complete, the restaurant will serve “creatively presented” modern British cuisine.  The owners had hoped to open within six weeks of the video posting date of June, and to have better luck with Community Board 3 this go-round.

Though, Towill and Winser have been busy on all fronts recently, not just the Fat Radish.  The duo holds down an omelet stand at the Hester Street Fair under the moniker Toogood Traders, and also hosts a “private” roof-deck party atop 17 Orchard Street aptly called “Silkstone Rooftop.”  According to Urban Daddy:

The roof can also accommodate movie screenings, Arabian rug-festooned hookah parties, co-ed naked Twister tournaments, karaoke marathons and the kind of photo shoots that will get your account blacklisted by Facebook.

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