Years from now, will the most famous deconsecrated church in New York, the one on the corner of Sixth Ave. and 20th St., be best known for noodle soup? Stratis Morfogen may sound like the name of a super-villain, but the man who’s set to transform the former home of the legendary Limelight is an uber-restaurateur, and he’s preparing to open a Chinese restaurant where Peter Gatien’s notorious party palace once stood in the ’90s. Morfogen, formerly a partner in the eatery Philippe, will throw open the doors to the Jue Lan Club — named after a 1930s Chinese art society — in November.
In the spot where celebrities once rubbed elbows with the hoi polloi, club kids like Michael Alig and mixmasters such as DJ Keoki, people will soon be chowing down amid remnants of the address’s former decadent glory.
There will even be a Peter Gatien room, dedicated to the famed club’s founder and filled with Limelight ephemera. And yes, the unisex bathroom will still be a part of the plan. Morfogen’s partner and the restaurant’s general manager is Robert Collins, formerly of Lure Fishbar, and among his investors are pro football players Marcell Dareus and Karlos Dansby.
No word yet on whether the Jue Lan Club’s menu will offer any of the illicit refreshments once so plentiful in that storied spot.