The sizzle is not out at Sparks Steak House, owner Michael Cetta said.
Cetta said he signed a 15-year lease with the Durst Organization, the landlord at 210 E. 46th St., where Sparks has been serving up pricey cuts for four decades.
“We’re here to stay,” Cetta said. “We had to sign a new lease, and we came to an amicable agreement with the landlord. Everything worked out fine.”
Cetta made headlines this summer by lamenting that Sparks might be unable to afford the rent increases Durst Organization was requesting. Sparks filed paperwork with the state, noting that 87 employees could lose their jobs if the steak house shuttered.
Cetta said there was a “huge increase” in rent under the new lease, but he declined to elaborate.
Jordan Barowitz, vice president of public affairs at Durst Organization, also declined to reveal how much rent rose for the nearly 23,000 square-feet space.
“We met at the market ,” he said.”
“Sparks is a classic New York City institution, and we’re thrilled to have kept them in the Durst portfolio,” Barowitz added. “They’ve been there for 40 years, and we hope they’ll be there for 40 more.”
The restaurant has had a colorful history. It came under the spotlight in 1985, when mob boss Paul Castellano was gunned down near its entrance. More recently, disgraced state Sen. Malcolm Smith’s corruption trial touched on his meetings inside Sparks.
