Jean-Georges (Likely) Opening Lobster Restaurant On Old Staten Island Ferry

For his next culinary project, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has his eyes on the old Staten Island Ferry boat for a "newspaper lined" lobster shack. The celebrated chef tells Grub Street:

A friend of mine bought the Staten Island Ferry and surprised me with this idea. It's a great project. It's not done yet ... there [are] still permits and money, so who knows? But it would be a lobster place, really, really simple, you know, with hammers. We're looking for a location now, on the water on the west side. It will probably take a couple of years.

Vongerichten says the place would definitely have a cocktail area and potentially even a marine museum!

The ferry was once being auctioned at a starting bid of a mere $500,000 on eBay (that's down from the $42 million it cost to build).

The "emperor-chef" is widely regarded as one of the top chefs in the world, and his restaurants are staples at the top of critics' lists.

Who knows, maybe the new lobster venture will knock out that other celebrity chef, Thomas Keller, whose restaurant Per Se was crowned the "best restaurant in New York City" by exiting Times critic Sam Sifton on Tuesday.