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The long-anticipated Flemish brasserie Witlof from Radegast Hall’s owners opened at 292 Bedford Avenue two weeks ago. When Brownstoner happened by Friday night, the restaurant was doing a brisk business, with patrons spilling out to tables on the sidewalk.

The restaurant’s polish and classic decor, with distressed iron decorative panels and Edwardian-style windows with gold lettering, is a big change for this corner. The venue’s prominent corner entrance is once again elegant, after decades of being boarded up and covered in graffiti.

The changes have been in the making for some time. The longtime owner of the building sold it in 2013 for $6,000,000, and the building’s new owners have been embroiled in construction- and tenant-related controversy. A building manager has been accused of bribing building department officials and tenants have complained of construction-related illness.

Construction permits say the building is unoccupied, although it is full of rent-controlled tenants, The New York Times reported the day Witlof opened.

As for the menu, it offers classic French fare with a Flemish twist. Items include lobster, mussels, a raw bar, a burger, croque madame, and poached cod fish. The overall vibe is reminiscent of perennial tourist magnet and local favorite French bistro Balthazar in Soho.

 

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Eager diners gathered at the corner outside Witlof Friday night

[Photos: Cate Corcoran]

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