Thursday, February 28, 2013

Bowery Poetry announces itself to the Bowery; opening March 8



The former Bowery Poetry Club is set to reopen on March 8. As DNAinfo's Serena Solomon reported last month, the space will be known as Bowery Poetry at 308 Bowery. Tribeca burlesque club Duane Park is merging with Bowery Poetry... 308 Bowery will operate as a burlesque venue Tuesday through Saturday. Founder Bob Holman will operate Bowery Poetry Saturday afternoons, Sunday and Monday.

There was info on all this outside the space yesterday...





My photo of the 308 Bowery menu is stupidly blurry... but you can find it here at the Duane Park website.

Quick sample!

Pan-Roasted Organic Chicken 24.
honey creole mustard roasted brussel sprouts & yukon potatoes; chicken jus

Pan-Roasted Loin of Pork 24.
butternut squash spaetzle, baby turnips & apple-butter

Grilled Beef Tenderloin 28.
cippolini onion, mushroom and smokehouse bacon ragout; fork smashed yukon potatoes

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is Duane Park in the Bowery Poetry Club's future?

What is happening with the Bowery Poetry Club?

Bob Holman on the future of the Bowery Poetry Club

Clearing out the Bowery Poetry Club; plus, free knowledge!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yikes! Is there anything affordable on that menu? I don't know one poet who could afford to eat there. Then again, I don't know one poet who could afford to eat at McDonalds.

Anonymous said...

Depressing.

Anonymous said...

The menu is specifically for the Burlesque/Dinner theater shows, not what Bob Holman is doing with his days with the Bowery Poetry.

Anonymous said...

Is Washington Square Arts, the advertising and film production company also on Bowery, still supporting Bowery Poetry Club? They did a good job in the early years of drawing people from advertising and film to the space for events.

Anonymous said...

Come on people, get with it. This place is going to be NOTHING about poetry. Don't let the powers that be fool you. They sold out !!! Although, I enjoy Duane Park and it is a great place, somehow the poetry part is just not ringing true. Someone is just trying to save face that they actually sold it while still trying to act like a beat nic poet. Are you guys really that gullible???

Anonymous said...

So are you saying that Mr. No 7-11 sold his lease and the liquor license to these new folks? Doesn't CB 3 have to approve that. Seems like a change in operation from a poetry club to a restaurant that happens to have live performance. Not as shady as Jane's Sweet Buns, but still sounds kinda fishy to me.

Anonymous said...

Check out the cocktail menu - $10 glasses of wine and $13 cocktails. I don't know any poets who can afford these prices do you?

john penley said...

Since this new arrangement looks to be for wall street poets I suggest the new establishment help Taylor Mead a downtown legend who really needs the help.

Anonymous said...

Read me a poem
And then send me home
With an empty wallet and gut

You see this poetry
It don't come for free
And the steak was a little bit tough

clayton patterson said...

The LES has changed. What was before will never be again. Bob did not sell out. Our progressive politicians sold us out for money and profit for corporations and NYU. Accepting the change is hard. But change or die.

Mendez did not even have her big birthday extravaganza on the LES. read in the Villager how Chin is selling us out to NYU. Wake up America- or not. Again- Bob did not sell out- it was only way he could stay alive and staying alive is a goal.

This change did not happen in 10 minutes it happened over years and years. People had all kinds of chances to work against the change-- I took my arrests and beatings trying to stop this change. Our group was called the rabble- the "good" group always said it will not be us. Well now it is now YOU. BTW new hotel on Ludlow to orchard- luxury all the way.

shmnyc said...

I don't think it's accurate to say Bob Holman sold out. He's a small-business man -- he's pursuing his class interests.

What's surprising is that people didn't recognize this from the beginning of the No 7-Eleven crusade.

Anonymous said...

Give me a break. What about the HOWL Festival and their corporate real estate sponsorship?

What about the local developers/landlords and their East Village supporters?

Ben Shaoul-Magnum Managnum Management, Croman Realty-Steven Croman, Tower Brokerage- Bob Perl, Icon Realty-Terrence Lowenberg, Great Jones Realty-Donald Capoccia-BFC Partners, Corcoran Group Real Estate-Barbara Corcoran, Jared Kushner-Westminster Management.


Anonymous said...

@clayton patterson

Are you referring to the new upscale hotel at 180 Ludlow Street? The one one from the same developers as The Bowery Hotel. Yeah- well The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors and Two Bridges Neighborhood Council will be having a fundraiser at The Bowery Hotel to celebrate the Bowery being added to the National Register of Historic Places. Bob Holman is on the host committee.

Anonymous said...

I think Bob runs the club, but I don't think he owns the space. I believe it belongs to the guy who runs Washington Square Arts. He made a wonderful film about poetry years ago featuring Bob. It was called something like the United States of Poetry. Maybe Bob can weigh in to clarify whether he owns the space or who his partners are. But you can't run a place like this without some bigwig backing you and if it means we still have a venue for poetry in the neighborhood then so be it. You have to do what you have to do to survive. As long as the place doesn't turn into a Starbucks or a 7-11, I am content!

Anonymous said...

@Anon 1:23pm - I completely disagree. There are many successful performing arts organizations that are not doing what Bob is doing. Frankly this anything but a Starbucks or 7-11 mentality is foolish. We have all heard this before. Who the hell is going to this place and spending $90 on dinner theater. The tourists staying at all the hotels on Ludlow and the Bowery thats who. As a matter of fact probably the folks staying at the Bowery Hotel and those who will stay at 180 Ludlow. How is this helping the neighborhood?

shmnyc said...

Anonymous 1:23pm,

It's probably true that "you can't run a place like this without some bigwig backing you," in the new Bowery theme park.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand how this new place is going to work. I thought the food was only going to be served during the burlesque shows not that poetry events. Does anyone know what the deal is? Will drinks and snacks be served during the poetry events?

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous 1:23 - What about Nuyorican?

Anonymous said...

It's hard to fault any of these arts organizations for doing what they have to do to survive. The Nuyorican hosted a Super Bowl viewing party recently. You've got to appeal to the newbies in the neighborhood to keep money coming in so you can keep the doors open.

shmnyc said...

I think the issue is one of transparency, and honesty. If the "No 7-Eleven" organizers had stated from the beginning that they were members of an organization gentrifying the Bowery, people could have made more informed decisions about whether or not to support them. It was a very cynical ploy: deceiving their supporters as to their aims, while at the same time pretending to defend bodegas. To my credit :) I was suspicious of them from the start.