Shortrib Ravioli No More

One of the pleasures of living downtown is the relatively easy access to finer restaurants at lunch. Alas, it's also pain in the butt for those restaurant kitchens to actually serve lunch. Fussy recipes and fancy presentation work better at dinner, where there's both the time and the money to do things right: the diner doesn't have to get back to a desk and the additional cost involved is less noticeable.

So it's a shame to note the passing of lunch at 9-month-old Qube, where we've enjoyed Lisa Nakamura's innovative dinners (even if a bit fussy and fancy) and more straightforward lunches, such as the shortrib ravioli that anchored a three-course lunch. (We've also complained, to no avail, about the price of their cocktails.) Qube's owners, Fu-Shen Chang and Kerry Huang, pulled the plug, saying upscale eating at midday doesn't work and that they don't want to fall into the trap of dumbing it down. "We might consider it again once the 1 Hotel opens across the street," Chang says. Still, don't hold your breath.

Not unexpectedly, Nakamura's reaction was swift: buh-bye. Her understudy, Joseph Conrad, takes over.