Even as the gays flee, the future looks bright for Chelsea dining (if not for the art galleries being displaced). According to real estate restaurant bigshot Leslie Siben, the Meatpacking District is over, and chefs are heading north:
With leases running 20 years plus, the future of MePa has been set with an intoxicating combination of fashion and food. So where's a hip pioneering chef to go now? North into Chelsea in the 20s. According to Siben, it'll reach critical mass in 2006.· Let's Make a Deal [The Corner Table]