New Beatrice Inn Getting Design Help From Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter

Eater reports that former hot spot Beatrice Inn is set for a transformation with an unnamed new restaurant, and according to the restaurant's liquor license application, Graydon Carter is in for the ride.

While it's unclear if the space will reclaim the Beatrice Inn name, principal owner Emil Varda confirmed the news that Carter will be a minority partner by helping with the overall design of the restaurant. Varda, who has been hush-hush over the opening, provided some details to Eater:

We are going to serve comfort food and the restaurant is going to be very comfortable and inviting, continuing the tradition of the people who owned it for so many years.

Carter, who is the editor of Vanity Fair, is also the owner of exclusive spots Waverly Inn and Monkey Bar. Carter's heavyweight involvement signals what could be a grand return of one of the city's favorite party venues in recent years.

From its beginnings, the Beatrice Inn was regarded as the gathering watering hole for those in the know, frequented by celebrities, fashion designers, and models. But in 2008, the West Village nightclub was raided and forced to close because of overcrowding and "inadequate means of egress." No official mention of headbands and cocaine, though.

Earlier this year, after the closing of famed restaurant Elaine's, Carter had been rumored to be eyeing to take over the Upper East Side space. However, its very location away from his usual downtown clientele was the very reason Carter eventually decided against it.

Check out photos from the Beatrice Inn back in its heyday below: