Dark, juicy and intimate, Frankie & Johnnie?s Steakhouse has been a New York institution since 1926.  So when owners and regulars found out that the… [Read More]The post See What Happened When NYC Almost Lost Its Historic Frankie & Johnnie’s Steakhouse appeared first on Pursuitist.

Dark, juicy and intimate, Frankie & Johnnie?s Steakhouse has been a New York institution since 1926.  So when owners and regulars found out that the building housing this whiskey joint/carnivorous speakeasy turned go-to porterhouse place on 45th street was coming down, there was much melancholy.“It was nostalgic, but had a manly, almost dirty feel to it,” says Gus Chimos, son of long-time Frankie & Johnnie?s waiter Peter Chimos, who purchased the landmark restaurant from its namesake owners with his brother-in-law in 1985.  “You bumped into everyone when you were there! It was tight, but a unique small gem.”The place was famed not only for its eats, but for the history embedded into its walls.  “We kept it dark and small,” he reminisces of the photos of regulars and favorite customers that once adorned the walls… and are now being put up again as Frankie & Johnnie’s recently reopened in a completely new, revamped, bright and spacious new space just one street away.After 90 years, one beloved building may be coming down, but Frankie & Johnnie’s is building up — right up the road at 320 West 46th St...