Mario “Fanta Pants” Batali is learning the hard way that if you let bills simmer for too long, you get burned.
The superstar chef and his longtime business partner, Joseph Bastianich, are getting sued for almost $75,000 by their landlord for failing to pay their rent, The Post’s Dareh Gregorian reports.
In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, 85 Tenth Avenue Associates says Batali and Bastianich haven’t paid their rent and other charges relating to the now-shuttered eatery the John Dory.
Batali and Bastianich, who own Del Posto, didn’t run the John Dory, which closed on Aug. 29. But they agreed to be guarantors for the Dory’s operators, Spotted Pig chef April Bloomfield and restaurateur Ken Friedman.
While John Dory, which was sandwiched between hugely successful Del Posto and Craftsteak, got strong reviews, Friedman has complained its location under the High Line didn’t garner enough walk-in business to keep it open.
The suit says bills for the space weren’t paid in July and August, including the monthly $22,102.09 rent, as well as separate water and sewer charges, real estate taxes and other assorted fees — among them a mysterious $7,500 a month for “chilled water.” The landlord is also seeking unspecified legal fees and expenses.
A rep for Batali didn’t immediately return an e-mail for comment, and the landlord’s lawyer didn’t return a call.
Batali’s Italian-inspired kitchen wizardry has gained him national fame and a string of highly successful restaurants. He and Bastianich, son of famed chef Lidia Bastianich, own seven restaurants in the city and five more around the country. He’s also the author of numerous cookbooks, and was one of the stars of Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”