Charlie Master could be getting back in the game

When I talked with Charlie Master over a month ago, he stated rather conclusively that he was getting out of the restaurant business for good once his parents, Mel and Jane Master, sold the last Mel’s – whose former home at 1120 East Sixth Avenue is now occupied by Mojitos. (For more on that discussion, read this Bite Me.)

But when I spoke with him this week, Charlie let it slip that he’s now kinda sorta looking at possibly, you know, maybe opening another restaurant.

A small one, to be sure. Clair de Lune-sized, or close to it. And even calling the place “a restaurant” is perhaps stretching the definition a little. What Charlie’s really looking for is a teensy-tiny bar with a teensy-tinier prep space where he can do a little cheese, a little hummus, some scratch pesto — snacks, essentially, the kind of things you want to go along with a pint of Guinness or a glass of wine when you stumble off the street on a Wednesday night.

It would be a place where Charlie — who has, I think, become a little bit of a control freak after his experiences of the past several years, starting with his ownership of Brix (where he’s shown above with his crew in happier times) — could be bartender, server, cook and everything else all by himself.

“I just want it to be me,” he said. “I’ll hire a dishwasher, maybe a busboy, and just go.” — Jason Sheehan