Florent was located at 69 Gansevoort Street, one of the few remaining cobblestone streets in New York City.[3] In 1985 Florent Morellet took over the R&L Restaurant, which had opened in 1943, and renamed it Florent.[4] The following January, a reporter for New York magazine referred to it as "New York's hottest downtown eating spot".[5]
Florent was a hub of gay New York. Morellet was diagnosed HIV positive in 1987 and used to post his T-cell count on the restaurant's wall menu along with the daily specials.[4] It attracted a highly eclectic clientele.[4][2] It was also known for its Bastille Day celebrations, which started in 1989, the year of the French bicentennial.[6] Other major annual celebrations were Halloween, New Year's Eve, and Oscar Night.[7] Morellet campaigned for the preservation of the neighborhood and became known as "Unofficial Mayor of the Meatpacking District"; he preferred "Unofficial Queen".[2]
The graphic design for the restaurant was designed by Tibor Kalman and Douglas Riccardi from M&Co, in exchange for free meals;[4][7] examples are now in the MoMA design collection.[8]
Florent Morellet, the eponymous owner of the restaurant, is the youngest son of French conceptual artist, François Morellet.[1]
Florent closed on June 29, 2008, after the landlord raised the rent considerably.[4][1][2] In the last weeks, Morellet held five parties themed after the stages of grief.[4][1]
In May 2011, Magic Lantern released Florent: Queen of the Meat Market, a documentary history of the restaurant directed by David Sigal.[10]
As of September 2015[update], Alan Cumming is planning to co-produce with Sigal and star in a Showtime biography of Morellet focusing on Florent.[11][12]
^Costikyan, Barbara (January 6, 1986). "Coffee-Shop Chic". New York magazine. p. 15. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
