Bobby Flay's Bar Americain in NYC to close early next year

Celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay says he will close his New York restaurant, Bar Americain, early next year.

Flay and his business partner, Laurence Kretchmer, said in a statement that renewing the lease for the brasserie in midtown Manhattan would have required an expensive overhaul of the space.

The New York Times reports the restaurant opened in 2005 and features American dishes like Kentucky hot brown sandwiches and fried chicken on its menu. It will close on Jan. 17.

Flay and Kretchmer own the restaurant Gato, which is also in Manhattan. The Bar Americain at the Mohegan Sun resort in Connecticut will remain open.

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Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com