florent goes through the 5 stages of loss

Restaurant Florent, open non-stop in the meatpacking district of New York since the 80s--back before the expensive shops, apartments, and restaurants, before the Apple store; back when it was just meatpacking during the day and, er, meatpacking at night in the form of transhookers--is closing. Florent and company are going through the 5 stages of loss, one week at a time until it finally closes on Gay Pride Day.
Anger week is finishing today.
things florent is angry about

I was there in the 80s--not as a transhooker--to eat late at night. It has always been welcoming of all sorts, the more extreme the better, serving working people day and night. And party people. It is an old diner given a French spin by emigre Florent, with terrific food and an annual street party on Bastille Day. Roy Lichtenstein and his wife lunched there daily.

I went there the week before last with some of my band after a gig in Tribeca. It started with two or three of us looking for somewhere to eat and grew to 11 of us once more people heard that Florent was closing. While we waited for them to squeeze a party of 11 into a full restaurant--which they did managed to do quite neatly at neighboring tables--our sousaphone player assembled his horn and started playing along with whatever disco hit was playing. Our baritone sax player followed suit. And trumpet. Trombone. Percussion. Rather than get annoyed, the staff just took pictures of us. I am told that Florent himself came from the kitchen and took pictures of me, but I have no proof of that. A man sitting at the counter told us that he had been going to Florent for 15 years and the impromptu brass band was his favorite moment.

My cousin and I got in tonight despite Florent being fully booked. We had to sit at the counter near the service area, which was great, because the tipsy server topped up my champagne glass as she poured it for other customers. I heard her complaining that she was way too sober. I not only devoured the moules frites (with white wine and garlic sauce), I got the t-shirt:

(psst, available on line soon.)