BiCE Ristorante
BiCE Ristorante was an Italian restaurant located in New York City. Opening in 1987, the restaurant was popular with an upscale New York City clientele. It was described, soon after opening, by The New York Times as being "too chic, too crowded, too self-consciously European—yet everyone wants to visit." The restaurant almost closed in 2011 due to financial troubles. Crain's New York Business called BiCE an "institution". The original BiCE closed in 2014, but has since returned to New York City under the name BiCE Cucina.
Background
BiCE was located in Midtown Manhattan and was founded, in 1987, by Roberto Ruggeri. Ruggeri was inspired by his mother's restaurant in Milan, Italy which was founded in 1926, where he worked with his brother, Remo Ruggeri. Both brothers are still involved in BiCE today. The restaurant is the same name as their mother's restaurant, which was also her nickname, short for Beatrice Mungai Ruggeri. The restaurant, and its international sister restaurants, suffered greatly due to the Great Recession. In 2011, the restaurant almost closed due to debt. It was bought out by a family friend in January 2011 and remained under the Ruggeri name. The restaurant had its interior updated and a restaurant manager and a marketing executive were hired. Famous customers included Bill Blass.Their head chef was Silverio Chavez, who was born in Mexico.
BiCE closed permanently in 2014.