NEW YORK COMPUTERS STOLEN http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/02/20/2011-02-20_thieves_steam_top_chef_crew_swipes_computers_from_barbuto.html
Thieves hit famous chef Waxman's West Village joint Barbuto in scary late-night heist
Sunday, February 20th 2011, 4:00 AM
Celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman's celebrated West Village restaurant Barbuto was robbed early Saturday by three armed men who bound and gagged an employee, police said.
The bandits brandished a knife as they brazenly strode through the unlocked front door of the famed Washington St. eatery, which Waxman, a top chef master, opened in a former car garage.
They tied up the 25-year-old worker and then tried to break into the restaurant's safe - but were unable to access the cash inside.
Though detectives are still cataloguing what was stolen, they know the thieves made off with a few computers before dashing into the night, leaving the helpless worker behind.
The staffer, whose name was not released, was found more than two hours later after a beat cop heard noise inside the restaurant, police said.
"You wouldn't expect this kind of thing to happen in this neighborhood," said Peter Hopkins, 29, a financial worker who lives down the block from Barbuto. "I live across the street, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out."
"I hope it's not the start of a trend," Hopkins said.
The worker, who was uninjured, told investigators he did not recognize his attackers.
As onlookers gawked at the police tape hung around the tony restaurant, detectives combed the leafy neighborhood looking for surveillance cameras that may have captured an image of the suspects.
A shaken Waxman arrived at the restaurant after sunrise but declined to speak to reporters.
"At least nobody was hurt - it could've been worse," said a kitchen worker who did not give his name. "We gave [the worker] a couple of days off. We've never had anything like this happen here before."
The award-winning restaurant canceled its lunch service yesterday but reopened for dinner. Its faithful customers were shaken by news of the break-in.
"It's a busy place [with] lots of fancy cars," said Robert Boyer, 87, a retired insurance broker who lives nearby. "The robbers probably thought there'd be a ton of money in there."
Waxman, 61, is widely considered one of the pioneers of "California cuisine," and he worked at several prestigious West Coast restaurants before moving to New York.
He opened Barbuto in 2003 and last year was a contestant on Bravo's "Top Chef: Masters" series. He finished fourth out of 18 competitors and was called "one of the country's greatest chefs" by judge James Oseland.
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