LEGAL FILE

Sardi’s Back to Original Owner: A judge has ruled that Vincent Sardi can take back the legendary theater district restaurant he sold to a Broadway producer in 1986. The new owner, Sardi’s Inc., and its president, Ivan Bloch, failed to make the monthly purchase payments, and Sardi can foreclose on the note he holds, said trial-level state Supreme Court Justice Burton Sherman. Sardi sold his West 44th Street restaurant to Bloch and his group for $6.2 million with $1 million cash down. Monthly payments were to include the remaining principal plus interest, a consulting fee for Sardi and a fee to keep him from opening another restaurant within five years. After one default in April, the debt was restructured. In July, Bloch’s group failed to make a required monthly payment of $136,262.38 and Sardi sued. Bloch accused Sardi of trying to grab the restaurant back because this theater season has the potential to be Broadway’s best in years. Open since 1922, Sardi’s is a favorite hangout for Broadway stars and star-gazers. Located in the heart of the theater district, the restaurant’s walls are adorned with caricatures of stage greats.