Showing posts with label Louis 649. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Louis 649. Show all posts

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Transformation of Louis 649 to Mace continues on East 9th Street


[Renovation photo via Instagram]

Louis 649, the 14-year-old cocktail bar, closed last fall at 649 E. Ninth St. just west of Avenue C.

Louis proprietor Zach Sharaga sent out a status update this week:

Louis 649 is currently undergoing a transformation to Mace, a great new cocktail bar opening very soon. I partnered with Greg Boehm and Nico de Soto on this project and we're all very excited and hope to see you when we start shaking cocktails next month.

Last December, the owners opened a holiday-themed pop-up bar called Miracle on Ninth Street in the space.

As for Mace, their website isn't live yet. But they are on Facebook and Twitter.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Christmas-themed bar Miracle on 9th Street is now open for the season



This has happened at the former Louis 649 space at 649 E. Ninth St. near Avenue C: A pop-up bar for the holiday.

Per Time Out:

" ...you can order The Grinch (rum, coconut butter) and Three Wise Men (Calvados, frankincense) in a hideaway decked out with kitschy decorations you’d find in your grandparents’ wood-paneled basement, including tinsel garlands, plaid table cloths and glittery globe ornaments. In addition to enough Christmas and Hanukkkah garb to put the Griswolds to shame, the bar also offers light snacks just like mom used to make (think Santa’s cookies — coyly paired with a shot of milk punch — and Chex mix)."

After the holiday the space will yield to a new bar called Mace run by the folks behind Boilermaker on First Avenue.

You can find more details about Miracle and its drinks (including the Yippie Ki Yay Motherf****r! with Trinidad rum, cachaça, dry curacao, lime juice and roasted chestnut orgeat) at Time Out.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Rotating art program at Louis 649 continues tonight


[Photo by Michael DeBruyn]

From the EVG inbox… from the folks at Louis 649, the 10-year-old bar/lounge on East Ninth Street at Avenue C...

Launched in late 2013, Louis 649 is now proud to be featuring a unique Rotating Art Program that showcases the work of talented local artists from across the five boroughs. Artists display their work on the walls at Louis for a duration of six weeks; all displayed artwork is available for purchase, with a price list available at the bar.

We're celebrating the gallery opening of our second artist, photographer Michael DeBruyn aka 'insky', tonight at 7. DeBruyn will be in attendance.

His gallery is themed around F Scott Fitzgerald's "The Crack-Up" — a selection of his pieces on display may be found here.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

It has been so hot that cactus plants are now growing in the East Village



Well, as part of a new window display outside Louis 649 on East Ninth Street near Avenue C. Photo yesterday by Bobby Williams.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Everyone loves really bad baked brisket!



Spotted last evening outside Louis 649 on East Ninth Street. One way to push the brisket. Photo by Andrew Adam Newman on Ave C.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Everyone loves a really bad meatball sandwich!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Checking in on Louis 649's post-Sandy recovery on East 9th Street


[Katie Sokoler]

Louis 649 on East Ninth Street at Avenue C is one of the many East Village businesses along this corridor to feel the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. The low-key lounge, which offers free jazz, opened in 2000. Zachary Sharaga has been the owner since 2004. He answered a few questions about Louis 649 via email.

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How long was the bar closed after Sandy?

Louis 649 was closed for business a total of 11 days/nights. As soon as we were able to get back into the bar, three or four days after the hurricane, we deep cleaned for a few days. At that point a lot of people were opening by candlelight but we decided that for safety reasons, we'd better hold off until the power was restored to the streets at the very least.

Five days after Sandy, when most of the neighborhood had power, we were still down due to the building's power box being completely fried in the basement and being held hostage to the eponymous "waiting for Con Ed." We had a party scheduled for Nov. 8 to celebrate a book release, which featured Louis 649's mascot Hamsa that we were debating cancelling. However, we decided that it would be best for the neighborhood to have something festive, so we went ahead with the party with the intent of a intimate candlelit book signing and the power came on five minutes before opening.

What has been the biggest challenge for you since then?

Our biggest challenge has been recuperating financially from the lost goods and the need to replace them and our limited operating capacity since most of our equipment was knocked out from the saltwater damage. We had just received a full shipment of wet and dry goods the Thursday before the storm, so in addition to losing most of that, we had to replace it all. Not to mention having to pay ALL of our bills regardless of any unforeseen natural disaster.

As far as the equipment goes, we lost a lot of refrigeration, which directly affected our purchasing patterns, inventory control and food offerings, so adapting to the limitation was a challenge that we fought day after day. Catching up after such an economic blow to us, our neighbors, our longtime patrons, and the city has been a challenge worth fighting.


[Photo of Lola and Zachary by Farhad Parsa]

Are you seeing the bar return to a pre-Sandy number of patrons?

Yes and no.

The weekends have gotten back to normal but the weekdays could surely use some momentum. Our first Sunday and first live jazz gig of the season was this past Sunday. Thankfully we had a full house.

How have you seen the East Village evolve (or, de-volve) since you opened the bar?

I guess this question is all a matter of perspective. One on side of the coin, there's a food and beverage renaissance rapidly evolving in the East Village, which is bringing in a healthy amount of traffic to support all of the new businesses opening up. The expectations and standards are being raised every day with every "new" innovation.

At the same time, the commercial rents are becoming astronomical, which is leading to a rapid turnover rate in small businesses, which brings me to the other side of the coin. Too many of these businesses are gone before they're even broken in and we're left with an unstable economy of empty storefronts and a lot of unemployed people with no money to spend. Pair this with the high residential rents and we're effectively relying on people outside of our neighborhoods to inject revenue into the East Village.


[Inksy]

The bar's Tuesday Night Tastings return tonight. Find more information on that and more here.