Trattoria dell Arte restaurateur Shelly Fireman dead at 93

Shelly Fireman, the colorful restaurateur who created long-lived Trattoria dell Arte and Fiorello and filled his places with his own whimsical, sometimes bawdy sculptures, passed away at age 93. His passing leaves a deep rupture in the city’s Italian hospitality scene.

“If New York City’s restaurant industry had a Hall of Fame, Shelly Fireman would be listed among the greats,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance. “He was a classic, one-of-a-kind restaurateur, whose beloved establishments spanned decades, a remarkable achievement in a notoriously difficult and changing business.”

His Fireman Hospitality Group’s eight Manhattan eateries include Redeye Grill (“Home of the Dancing Shrimp”), Brooklyn Diner and Trattoria Dell’Arte. The group also ha