The Grill at Riverside replaces LT Bar & Grill in Hackensack

Without fanfare or warning, LT Bar & Grill, a 15,000-square-foot two-story restaurant and event space that opened two years ago by world-renowned French chef Laurent Tourondel in Hackensack, has been replaced by The Grill at Riverside. The new restaurant has the same owners, but new management.

On Dec. 5, new signage for The Grill went up, even though the new name, the new restaurant's information and new menu have yet to be changed online. The event space, previously called LT Above, has been renamed Above.

More changes will be made but gradually, said John Tirch, who with Jake Grabowski own CROP (Consulting Restaurant Operating Partners), the consulting group that has taken over the supervision and management of the restaurant. The Grill, Tirch said, is CROP's first restaurant project.

"We have the utmost respect for Tourondel," said Tirch, who is also the director of operations for Harvest Restaurant Group, owners of, among other New Jersey restaurants, Roots Steakhouse in Ridgewood, Morristown and Summit as well as recently opened Agricola in Morristown. Harvest is owned by Jake Grabowski's father, Chip. "We plan to operate the restaurant at the same high standard."

Tirch said that the group plans to make some simple changes to the restaurant's interior as well as expand the menu to include flatbreads and more grill offerings as well as steakhouse sides. It also plans to edit the sushi selection and offer new entrees.

"It all happened pretty suddenly," said Andrew Bazzini, LT's executive chef, who said he resigned last night. "It's not what I want to do at this point in my career.

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Tourondel, too, said he is no longer associated with the restaurant, his 46th. Among his other spots: L'Amico and Skirt Steak in New York City. His BLT empire (BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Market and BLT Burger) put him on the map on this side of the ocean.

"It's just the way it is," said Tourondel, a James Beard Award-winning chef. "It's very sad."

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Tourondel said that the restaurant, where he served his famous oversized Gruyere popovers, his scrumptious burger and his divine desserts including a delectable strawberry tart with sorbet and a winning popcorn sundae, was doing "okay, nothing crazy." He added, "Maybe New Jersey is not my market."

Is this it for him and New Jersey?

"Maybe I will come shopping at the mall," he said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hackensack's LT Bar & Grill closes, replaced by The Grill at Riverside