As we continue to track the progress of “Fall Preview” restaurants, may we turn your attention to Project Danji? An independent blogger is chronicling the construction and opening of Danji, the 33-seat Korean small-plates restaurant that Daniel and Masa vet Hooni Kim is bringing to East 52nd Street. Team Danji had been aiming for an October opening, but the blog is chock-full of hand-wringing about construction and licensing delays.
Basically, the building Danji will be residing in has a number of rent-controlled tenants. Because of that, the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) requested the filing of anti-harassment paperwork stating that the landlord is not forcing the tenants out of their space. This required an examiner to swing by and check things out, further complicating matters and stretching the time passed before the start of demolition.
On the bright side, the restaurant did manage to snag a coveted U.S. Small Business Administration loan. Presumably things will get more interesting closer to opening. Of course, as the Launch taught us, that may be a while …
Project Danji [Official site]
