Sbraga is sued over Juniper Commons

Top Chef Kevin Sbraga is being sued by the company that installed the kitchen equipment for Juniper Commons, his ill-starred restaurant at Broad and South Streets, which closed in May after less than six months.

Clark Food Service Equipment, of Lancaster, filed a complaint Friday in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, seeking nearly $106,000 it says it still is owed for the equipment. The job's total tab was about $218,000, the court papers say, adding that the restaurant was an "abject failure." The suit was first publicly noted by Philly Court Watcher.

Contacted today, Sbraga referred questions to developer Carl Dranoff, who has an interest in the restaurant. Dranoff owns SouthStar, the building that houses the restaurant, as well as The Left Bank (home of The Fat Ham) and Symphony House (home of Sbraga's eponymous restaurant).

Dranoff called the lawsuit "a routine matter" and said he expected it to be settled. More telling, he said he and Sbraga were on good terms. "He's a talented guy," Dranoff said.

The space, meanwhile, is being marketed.