So says one of Dean's lawyers, Jimmy A. Bell of Bowie, whom I reached on the phone just now.
"It's still open," he said. "It's going to continue to be open."
Bell also asserted that the auction, advertised on Jonathan Melnick Auctioneers' website, will not go forward. The sale will be blocked by Dean's bankruptcy filing last spring, Bell said.
Dean's T.D. Bistro Inc., which owned a bistro and lounge at Prime's Eastern Avenue location, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May. The former "Top Chef" contestant owns the buildings that are due to be auctioned through a separate entity, MTD Realty LLC.
"That's not going to happen," Bell said of the auction. "It's much ado about nothing. And you can quote me on that."
I tried to bounce that off the auctioneer, but could not reach anyone immediately. If I hear back from someone there, I'll update this post.
While I had Bell on the phone, I asked him if Dean still planned to open a 7,000-square-foot Prime location at Boulevard at the Capital Centre in Largo. Dean and Bell said it was a go as recently as last month, when Dean was eliminated from "Top Chef."
"We have no comment on that," Bell said.
UPDATE: I just heard back from Stephen Prevas, the lawyer who represented Dean in the bankruptcy case that Dean's other lawyer, Jimmy A. Bell, said would preclude the foreclosure auction. The bankruptcy case was dismissed in late July for reasons Prevas was not at liberty to discuss.
Grilled Cowboy Steak at Prime Steakhouse. Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron