Buzz: That Place is Still Open? Archives
Mashups Gone Wrong: American Grill/Go! Go! Curry
The curse of Kiev? Since the East Village old-timer vacated the restaurant space on Second Avenue and 7th Street back in fall 2005, it's been nothing but downhill for the venue. Quick recap: American Grill opened in the space last summer, then closed under strange circumstances (above left), opened again, then, in November, went up for sale. Alrighty.
Except? Ready for the surprise twist? In late December, a sign indicating midtown curry joint Go! Go! Curry would take over the space appeared out front (above right). Okay, you might have thought—grill out, curry in. And yet—no. See, turns out Go! Go! didn't replace American Grill. No, no. Rather, it's cohabitating alongside it in what has to be the weirdest restaurant mashup since the Nathan's/Pizza Hut/Arthur Treacher's emporium on East 14th Street. A call to the venue today was met with the answer, "American Grill!" and then a man on the phone declaring, "Now we have curry too!" Can this get any weirder? (Spoiler: yes.)
A special correspondent files a report from Go! Go! Curry's debut last Saturday. And, a special photo reveal of the mashup. Please come forward inside! >>
The Curious Case of the Lotus Lounge (Coda)
We've been vexed by the goings-on (or lack thereof) at Clinton Street standby bar/coffee shop Lotus Lounge for months now. When liquor license hearing notices went up on the windows a few weeks back for a place to be called CDK Tavern, we assumed that was, at last, that for Lotus. But a tipster sends in the above photo, taken last night, with this note: "lotus!?!?!" Uh, indeed. Comes Eater commenter Lia to set the record straight:
They were open again tonight, I walked by about an hour ago with my dog and the tiny skinny guy with big hair was smoking outside so I asked him what was going on. He said neither of the two owners is in NYC anymore (one in Wisconsin, one in Europe) and they decided they didn't want the liability of the place anymore, so they decided to sell, which is why it closed down a few weeks ago. They opened Lotus up again this weekend to give it a proper send off—the big closing party is on Friday, if anyone would like to say goodbye.And so that, we assume, will be that. Meantime, those looking for diversion (and myriad opinions about why bars do or do not fail on the Lower East Side) might want to check out the comment thread on the Lotus/CDK Tavern post, which continues to rage.
· Lotus Lounge Doneski, CDK Tavern Next? [~E~]
· The Curious Case of the Lotus Lounge [~E~]
The Curious Case of The Lotus Lounge
[The Lotus Lounge, photo courtesy Ariel Rubenstein]
For years, The Lotus Lounge at the corner of Clinton and Stanton Streets—not to be confused with David Rabin's Lotus, of course—has served as an oasis of sorts from the usual Lower East Side insanity. During the day, the joint is as unpretentious a coffee shop as one can find; at night, a pleasant bar that somehow never seemed to hit the radar of those making a night of things in Hell Square. But now, several troubling emails to the Eater Inbox give us reason to think the good times may be over, or at least seriously curtailed. To the correspondence:
Continue reading "The Curious Case of The Lotus Lounge"Shutter Special Investigation: Death Throes at Ametller, Buddha House
This morning, The Shutter investigates two reported closings in the West Village.
1) Ametller: This report will come as little surprise to followers of the endless death throes of this Christopher Street eatery. Emails an Eater correspondent, "I know there's been scares before, but Ametller on the corner of Waverly and Christopher really looks closed this time. The lettering has been stripped off the windows, the signs taken down, the place looks cleaned out and the doors are locked. I think it's really done now, for good." Eater inspectors stopped by this morning to investigate, and did indeed find the facade looking bare (above left); a peek inside, though, showed table settings and even a sidewalk sign acknowledging, presumably, yesterday's monsoon (above right). Calls to the restaurant went unanswered, natch. Bottom line: probably still open, with hours as erratic as ever. Any commenters who've been in lately care to confirm?
Ahead: a less rosy prognosis for neighborhood fave Buddha House. >>Shutter Vital Update: Ametller Clings to Life
Regarding the curious case of West Village eatery Ametller, which seemed to have finally crossed the line into death last week, a trio of reader emails refute our conclusion: a) "Walked by there last night around 9pm, and it was all full and the windows were steamed up. Definitely open, definitely serving." b) "I had dinner there last night and the place stayed open til 12:30ish." c) "It is open as of January 27th. There is still 'For Rent by Owner' sign above the restaurant though."
An Eater inspector dropped by the joint today. Report from the owner's mouth: "We're playing around with the hours. Breakfast is pretty inconsistent, but we're open for dinner most nights." Short story: definitely still open, call ahead.
· The Shutter: Ametller et al [~E~]
· Another One Probably Bites the Dust: Ametller Edition [~E~]
BONUS SHUTTERAGE: The crazy cats from NYCNosh drop us an email: "We walked by the IS@NY restaurant (next to El Centro) in Hell's Kitchen yesterday and saw the whole place was being changed around: new furniture, a new espresso machine in the back, new paint, etc. So we chatted with the guy in charge (we're 90% sure he was the owner) and learned that IS@NY is gone for good, and replacing it will be an HK outpost of UWS old school pasta stalwart Puccini. Interesting stuff on a block that is in desperate need of a little TLC."
Eater Inside In Memoriam: Libation
[Kalina, 2/2/05]
Per Curbed's Joey Arak, Grim Reaper Kamali strikes again, this time offering up the space at 137 Ludlow Street for lease. The current occupant of said space: Libation. Arak's elegy:
The cost? $5.5 million (about $753/sf), but how can you put a price on the impact Libation had on the Lower East Side? Heralded by a press release for the ages, Libation was the first superclub to bring an uptown, velvety rope vibe to the (at the time) hipster-dominated LES, and it was right smack in the middle of Hell Square. Its 2004 opening, which flooded Ludlow Street with a bridge & tunnel crowd awash in $12 cocktails, snipped the last remaining thread of Jason Baron's sanity. Libation meant full-scale war. And soon it will be gone, and it pains us to say this, but we're feeling a little nostalgic. Will we go there for one last, er, libation before it's all said and done? No, but you get the picture.· Hipster Wars End, No Winner in Sight [Curbed]
I'm Dreaming of a Mushy Thanksgiving
Following the tradition of bizarre signage at the Nolita rice pudding purveyor, Rice to Riches announces an alternative Thanksgiving dining opportunity. Gobble gobble.
T-DAY BONUS: Bask in the turkey excess outside gourmet food purveyor Jefferson Market.
Double-Club Carnage: Nest, MonkeyTown
It's not a pretty morning-after in clubland. To wit...
1) An Eater reader emails, "Coming home from the grocery store, I turned the corner and saw five fire trucks on my block in Chelsea. As I got closer I began to panic because they were focused around my building. As it turns out, the fire was in the next building over. The building is occupied by the club Nest, which opened and then closed and then reopened and then closed again and was supposedly scheduled to open again this month. This 'rubbish fire,' as the firefirghters described it, may delay the re-reopening. I overheard a neighbor mention that the community board would not be shedding any tears over this incident. Thought I'd pass along some pictures (above)."
2) For those thinking about going into the nightlife business, this posting from the owners of Williamsburg eatery/club MonkeyTown should be required reading. One choice excerpt: "So. If you know of any person who would like to support our enterprise in a very big way, by benefaction or investment, please have them contact us at our main email." Read the whole thing; looks like they've got about a month left (surprise benefactor notwithstanding). [MonkeyTownHQ]
Tab Tos Update: 'Haven't Noticed Anything Different'
Yesterday afternoon, we passed along word from an Eater reader that East 5th Street sushi secret Tab Tos had changed hands—and, in the process, gone to hell. Another reader writes to chisel additional complexity into the situation:
Just a quick note to say that I've been to Tab Tos three times since the change in management -- as recent as last week -- and I haven't noticed anything different about the food. Granted, I might not have a sensitive enough palette, but it tasted the same to me. It's the same chef, thank god... And they even brought back one of the best old menu items, the salmon roll in the white seaweed with roe. I've been going to Tab Tos on a weekly basis for over two years now! I HOPE nothing else changes....Hmmmm. A tale of two palettes? Can we get a third?
· Emergency Shutter Report: Tab Tos [~E~]
Second Ave. Deli Update: Van Plan?
Does a Second Avenue Deli van sighting excite your very soul? Yes, if you are blogger VittlesVamp, who spies the vehicle above and then writes, "Does anyone know if this signals a potential rebirth of the East Village pastrami palace? I certainly hope so."
We're guessing no; the van is, clearly, just biding its time until its grand appearance on eBay. But then, what of those "Second Ave. Deli reopening on the Upper East Side" rumors from back in the spring? Anyone heard anything new?
· Not Dead Yet? [VittlesVamp]
· Deli Space, Second Avenue, "As Is" [~E~]
For Sale: The Club of Your Alcohol-Fueled Dreams
Nursing your inner Noah Tepperberg? Here's an intriguing PDF from club consultant/real estate facilitator Stevens & Co. spotlighting Manhattan clubs and restaurants that are currently up for sale. Some intriguing options on the list—try 34th Street club CODA (17 year lease, $17,000/month) or East 58th Street hang The Web (8 years, $21,600/month, cabaret license). Innnteresting.
However, our tipster's eye is drawn to Lower East Side restaurant Tenement. Despite—or perhaps because of—its location directly across the street from teeming hipster bar Pianos, it has never quite caught on in the neighborhood. Our tipster runs the numbers: "Its space is for rent for $14,500 per month for a 10 year lease, with 3% annual escalation. Full liquor license and sidewalk cafe zoned. Oh, and a $400K 'fixture fee' —isn't that another word for key money? I guess you could argue that the kitchen equipment, etc., is worth it, as well as the liquor license."
Perhaps so. If you're inclined to agree, opportunity knocks. Then orders three bottles.
· Properties for Sale [Stevens & Co, PDF download]
Avalon Lives!
Just when we thought we'd have to spend another night at some boring, second tier club, word comes, as if from the Heavens, that Club Avalon is still open. (You may recall Page Six having reported the club's closure a couple of weeks ago.) From a godsend of a reader:
Avalon at 20th St. is still open -- as of tonight (I just phoned and doors open tonight at 10pm). The annoucement [sic] of its desmise [sic] in the papers, as of 7/24/05 was premature -- though most of us in the neighborhood do not expect it to be open for long, it is still in business.So what's the deal here? Did the Page Six have an ulterior motive in making their announcement? That Johnson guy can get a little catty. Who's got the good for us?
But, more importantly, doors open at 10, people! That's it for today; if we're going to be up until 6 or 7 am, it's time for a nap.
Back to top
Reviewed
Closed
|
NYC Links
Utility
Add Your Own
AOL CityGuide
Citysearch
Dodgeball
Menupages
OpenTable
Savory NY
Sushi NYC
Yelp
Zagat
Print Media Online
New York
NY Daily News
NY Post
NY Sun
NY Times
TONY
Village Voice
Gastro-Communities
Chow
Chowhound
Digesty NYC
eGullet
Mouthfuls NYC
Px This Forum
ShamelessRestaurants
Shiftdrink
Food & Eating
Amateur Gourmet [rss]
Applesauce [rss]
Augieland [rss]
Bitter Waitress
Bruni Digest [rss]
CityRag Eats [rss]
Cutlets [rss]
Down By The Hipster [rss]
Gourmet's Choptalk [rss] Clublife [rss]
Jay McInerney [rss]
NYT's Diner's Journal [rss]
Eat [rss]
VV's Eat for Victory [rss]
Black Book's Eat This
Ed Levine Eats [rss]
Ext 212 [rss]
Food Writer's Diary [rss]
The Food Section [rss]
Foodite [rss]
Gaijin Girl [rss]
Gastro Chic [rss]
Gastropoda
Gridskipper NYC [rss]
Chow's The Grinder [rss]
Gothamist Food [rss]
The Gurgling Cod [rss]
A Hamburger Today [rss]
Insatiable Critic
Midtown Lunch [rss]
Lovescool [rss]
Mona's Apple [rss]
F&W's Mouthing Off [rss]
NY Journal [rss]
NYC Nosh [rss]
Off the Broiler [rss]
RestaurantGirl [rss]
Ruhlman [rss]
Salli Vates [rss]
Slice [rss]
Snack [rss]
NYer's Tables for Two
Twenty Buck a Day [rss]
Uptown Flavor [rss]
VittlesVamp [rss]
Waiter Rant [rss]
Walker New York [rss]
Newsletters
DailyCandy
MUG
Juli B
LX.TV
Rare Daily
Strongbuzz
Thrillist
Urban Daddy
About Eater
From the newest temples of haute cuisine to the oldest dive bars in New York, from Batali to McNally, Eater has you covered. More about Eater...
Tipping Is Customary
Know about a restaurant opening or closing in your neighborhood, or other NYC restaurant gossip? Do let us know.
Restaurant Search
Archives & Feeds
Full-Content FeedContact Us
Email Eater
EATER
Editor
Amanda Kludt
Associate Editor
Leslie Price
Contributors
William Tigertt
David Chang
Eater Radar Editor
Kelly Dobkin
Photographer
Noah Kalina
Banner Design
Khoi Uong
Editors-in-Chief
Ben Leventhal
Lockhart Steele
Other Curbed Sites
New York
Curbed NY
Racked NY
The Beach (seasonal)
San Francisco
Eater SF
Curbed SF
Los Angeles
Eater LA
Curbed LA
