Klee Brasserie, the popular Chelsea eatery that features a menu of Austrian-inspired yet worldly cuisine, will close next month to undergo a renovation. It will reopen by next fall as a casual, Austrian-style wine bar, or “heuriger,” with a more simple, affordable menu. “Klee’s been around for five years,” co-owner Lori Mason explains. “We were kind of ready for it….With the change in the economy, people’s spending habits have changed. They’re not spending as much on wine; check averages have gone down. We decided to go with the grain instead of against it.” So, if you can’t bear to go months without your schnitzel-fix, make a reservation at Klee before July comes around and it’s too late! Until then, Executive Chef Daniel Angerer will continue to serve up food that has been praised for its whimsical yet focused quality (and will be selling off bottles from his award winning wine list to the public — for anyone who’s interested).

[Image via Klee Brasserie]