The new Holiday Cocktail Lounge opens tonight

[Photo from December]

The latest iteration of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge returns tonight after a three-plus year closure.

A quick recap. Stefan Lutak, the longtime proprietor who bought the place in 1965, died in early 2009 at age 89. Shortly before his death, Stefan decided to retire, and the bar closed for several weeks… only to reopen under new management on Jan. 17, 2009.

The post-Stefan Holiday lasted until Jan. 29, 2012. News broke a few weeks later that Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, which makes Pirate's Booty, bought the building at 75 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue. After some anxious moments, we learned that Barbara Sibley, who lives in the building and runs La Palapa next door, would be helping oversee the operation.

No. 75 needed a a top-to-bottom renovation, and it was a long process. Sibley talked to us about it back in January 2014.

The building was in terrible condition ... It’s been such an exercise in zen and archaeology. As much as we’ve been trying to maintain it, you couldn’t keep everything. We were lucky on their closing night that we didn’t all fall through. Every time we look behind a wall it’s been a major repair. It’s been an endless process.

And here we are.

According to The New York Times, who first reported on tonight's reopening, "enough of the bar’s ancient innards have been retained that old regulars will recognize a familiar friend."

The tight horseshoe bar where W. H. Auden and Allen Ginsberg (and possibly Leon Trotsky) once presided has been given a rubdown, though it has been moved about 20 feet and now stands in the center of the space. Also still there are the battered awning, an old wooden phone booth and an exotic mural from the place’s earlier days as a burlesque cabaret.

The resurrection could not have happened without Robert Ehrlich, the snack-food mogul who created Pirate’s Booty, who decided to buy the building and preserve the bar.

The bar will include some beer-and-shot combos for $8 … and $6 cocktails served in glassware used by the old Holiday. But it won't all be the old Holiday. There are a few craft cocktails on the menu, via Michael Neff (the Rum House) and his brother Danny.

Said Michael Neff: "You have to honor the past without trying to duplicate it — that would be Disneyland."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

There goes the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Last night at the Holiday

The Holiday Cocktail Lounge is closing Saturday night

"Beat writers...spent considerable time with the bookies, dope dealers, working girls and alcoholics for whom the Holiday was a second home"

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

Uh-oh. 75 St. Mark's Place hit the market yesterday. It's initial asking price: $4.6 million. Here's the Corcoran listing, which is full of passages that give us the fear:

This is a rare opportunity to own a premium mixed use building on St. Marks Place. Located between 1st and 2nd Avenues, and home to the famous Holiday Cocktail Lounge, 75 St. Marks Place stands out as an excellent and flexible financial investment. The building has been owned by one family since 1973, meticulously cared for and in excellent condition. It contains the Holiday Cocktail Lounge on the ground floor (scene of innumerable TV and film shoots), 4 free market, 1400 square-foot apartments, one of which was completely renovated this year. The remaining three residential units are 2 bedroom + home office, one bathroom apartments, and are substantially below market rent, offering significant upside potential. All are very attractive, with soaring ceilings, Southern exposure, and large enough to feel like a home to any occupant. Two apartments are month-to-month, with the third lease expiring early 2012 so the rent roll is poised to increase substantially. The commercial lease is controlled by the owner, so it can be delivered vacant or the Holiday Cocktail Lounge continued. It is a long-run financial success made all the more valuable by considerable additional income as a film location. In addition, with a 4.0 FAR, there are ample air rights to expand in the event of a condo conversion, a great alternative given the paucity of condos in the area.

Got all that? One family has owned it since 1973 ... rent increase ... delivered vacant ... condo conversion. Good lord. Might as well set up the dumpster out front tomorrow morning.

OK, OK so no reason to get all doomsdayish... yet. The listing does seem to flatter the Holiday, calling it "famous" and "a long-run financial success." Encouraging? Promising?

The Holiday kept going after Stefan's passing in early 2009. While the Holiday has undergone a few changes (some cheesy promotions, several new full-screen TVs that attract the sportos), it's still a classic bar rich with East Village history.

Stefan opened the Holiday here in 1965. (It had been a bar since 1936.) Read more about the bar at Jeremiah's Vanishing New York here ...

And now, a walk-off passage from an article by former East Village resident Mike Hudson in the Niagra Falls Reporter a few years back:

[L]ike many Manhattan dives the Holiday Lounge had its writers.

For years Allen Ginsberg had a large apartment in a building almost directly across the street, and he and other Beat writers like Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso and Herbert Huncke spent considerable time with the bookies, dope dealers, working girls and alcoholics for whom the Holiday was a second home.

[adm on Flickr via JVNY]

On the 49th day of Christmas...

Workers began setting up for the Union Square Holiday Market today, as this photo by EVG Union Square Holiday Market Set-Up Correspondent Derek Berg shows.

The market, on the south end of Union Square, officially opens on Nov. 15, and runs through Dec. 24.

Per the Holiday Market website:

The Union Square Holiday Market is an internationally renowned Holiday Market located at the heart of New York City, in Union Square Park. Hailed as a must-visit destination for unique gifts created by local craftsmen and artists, millions of people browse the winding aisles each year enjoying this unique and eclectic holiday experience

Now with an upgraded look, exciting new sections like Little Brooklyn and Urbanspace Provisions, a Warming Station and Lounge Presented by Citi, a Kid’s Arts Studio by our partners at CMA and Citi, live music, and the best vendor selection in the Northeast, Union Square Holiday Market is the holiday destination for New Yorkers and tourists alike.

The Market site does not have the 2018 vendors listed just yet.

The Holiday Cocktail Lounge is closing Saturday night

[Ben Rosenzweig/Grub Street]

We feared the worst when 75 St. Mark's Place went on the market last fall. Aside from several apartments, the building is home to the beloved Holiday Cocktail Lounge, whose future seemed shaky ever since its owner, Stefan Lutak, died two years ago.

Meanwhile, the Holiday is on next month's CB3/SLA agenda under new license applications. Suspicious, given that they already have a license.

Well. Turns out the building in in contract...

A well-place tipster notes that the Holiday as we know it will close after Saturday night. "Locks will be changed immediately."

We understand that another bar will take its place. What happens to the current appearance is unknown.

Per the tipster: "Another EV historical institution gone."

Indeed.

And now, a walk-off passage from an article by former East Village resident Mike Hudson in the Niagra Falls Reporter a few years back:

[L]ike many Manhattan dives the Holiday Lounge had its writers.

For years Allen Ginsberg had a large apartment in a building almost directly across the street, and he and other Beat writers like Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso and Herbert Huncke spent considerable time with the bookies, dope dealers, working girls and alcoholics for whom the Holiday was a second home.

[adm on Flickr via JVNY]

For further reading:
Holiday Cocktail Lounge (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Not just the Holiday: Pirate Brands founder bought all of 75 St. Mark's Place

Last Wednesday, we first reported that Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge space. (We're still waiting to hear back from him.) He will go before the CB3/SLA committee on Monday.

Yesterday, the Observer noted that Ehrlich bought the whole building at 75 St. Mark's Place where the Holiday lived.

Per the Observer:

According to Corcoran broker Dan Brady, who held the listing with his colleague Nick Arnold, Mr. Ehrlich will not be moving in. Instead, he plans to keep the space as is: four floor-through apartments with a commercial unit on the ground floor. Will there be a Pirate Shop occupying the hallowed, beer-baptized grounds of the former Holiday Cocktail Lounge? A Pirate Bar? A bar with pirate booty snacks? Whatever it is, it probably won’t hold a candle to the timeless bacchanal that was the Holiday Cocktail Lounge.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

The Union Square Holiday Market opens Thursday (in Union Square)

[Photo by Pinch]

The Union Square Holiday Market kicks off the (holiday) season on Thursday morning.

Here's the official blurbage via the Urbanspace website:

Hailed as a must-visit destination for unique gifts created by local craftsmen and artists, millions of people browse the winding aisles each year enjoying this unique and eclectic holiday experience

Now with an upgraded look, exciting new sections like Little Brooklyn and Urbanspace Provisions, a Warming Station and Lounge Presented by Citi, a Kid’s Arts Studio by our partners at CMA and Citi, live music, and the best vendor selection in the Northeast, Union Square Holiday Market is the holiday destination for New Yorkers and tourists alike.

The hours are:

Nov. 21 – Dec. 24

Monday – Friday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

This link has a map with a list of all the 2019 vendors.

Take a Stand at this holiday market on 7th and C

The Stand, the small gallery space on the southwest corner of Seventh Street and Avenue C, is hosting a holiday market starting today (Black Friday!) at noon.

Here's info via the EVG inbox...

Join us for our East Village Stand Holiday Market Nov. 23 - Dec. 24 on the corner of Seventh Street and Avenue C.

Opening Reception & Performances: Friday, Nov. 23, 6-8 pm. A shakuhachi zen flute performance by Till Behler

Participating vendors at the East Village Stand Holiday Market include:

• Bottleworks, bottle lamps, pendant lights and glassware by Joe Harrigon

• One of a kind handmade picture frames by Anne Edris

• Taconic Trading Company spiced pepitas and Applewood smoked sea salt

• eulenspiegelchocolatelab cookies and chocolates

• Black Lives Matter holiday themed jewelry and ornaments by Carla Cubit

• Artwork by Baum Earth Elements

• Handmade natural products by Body Vanity

Find updates via Facebook. The Holiday Market is expected to be open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday (not counting the 6-8 opening reception tonight...).

Tomorrow (Friday!): Holiday Bazaar at the Children's Workshop School

The Children's Workshop School on 12th Street is hosting its Holiday Bazaar tomorrow (Friday). Here are a few details via the EVG inbox...

Come see our lobby transformed into a winter wonderland, do some holiday shopping and come eat at the CWS Cafe. We have something for everyone.

• An expanded Cafe — breakfast items including bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, breakfast sandwiches, assorted holiday treats! Lunch items including salads, chili and sandwiches, after-school treats! Also available: whole breads — banana, babka, etc.
• Gifts for children to buy — CWS slime, air plants, small crafts
• A wide variety of vendors — from homemade crafts to artisanal chocolates, gold jewelry, records, CWS branded items

And for the first time this year, a gift wrap table — buy something and get it wrapped for only $3

Come browse, get something to eat and enjoy the beginning of the holidays with the CWS community.

CWS Holiday Bazaar
Dec. 7
7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
610 E. 12th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C

This link has the full list of vendors.

About the 3rd Annual Holiday Shopping Event tomorrow (Saturday!)

Via the EVG inbox...

The East Village Independent Merchants Association (EVIMA) is hosting its third annual holiday shopping event ALL DAY Saturday, Dec. 10. East Villagers are encouraged to shop local and support small business owners, in exchange for special discounts, promotions and in-store treats.

EVIMA will also host a holiday party at Jimmy’s No. 43 from 4-6 PM, where shoppers can enter a special Grab Bag raffle with treats from EVIMA members. Shoppers will receive one raffle ticket for every store they shop using a special passport card they can pick up at participating stores.

Residents can also pick up their FREE copy of the recently launched EVill Card, the first east village discount card designed by merchants for residents. The card, launched in late October, is a free resource for all residents of the East Village. Card owners access special discounts and deals throughout the year from an ever-growing list of participating merchants. For more info on the EVill card, click here.

Participating merchant list:

• Anthony Aiden Opticians — Free eye exam with purchase and 15% off complete set of eye glasses all weekend
• B&H Dairy — 10% off breakfast, lunch and dinner all day
• Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks — 10% all day and have in-store carolers
• Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy — $150 for 100 days of unlimited classes or $80 per month for 1 weekend class per week (6 month contract)
• East Village Vintage Collective — 15% off store-wide and some mulled cider
• Exit 9 Gift Emporium — 15% off in store to anyone who mentions the shopping event
• La Sirena Mexican Gifts — 10% off day of event
• Lucky on B — Free "holiday shot" with purchase
• New York Copy & Print — Spend $100 get 20% off
• Pageant Print Shop — 10% off in store to those who mention the promotion
• Parlor — 15% off all Aveda products & complimentary Holiday make-up tips with Christopher from 3-6pm
• Random Accessories — 15% off plus some sweet treats
• Three Seat Espresso & Barber — buy 1 coffee get one free through Dec. 11

"Beat writers...spent considerable time with the bookies, dope dealers, working girls and alcoholics for whom the Holiday was a second home"

So, as you know, we're all in full-on mourning over what may or may not be the end of the Holiday.

Former East Village resident Mike Hudson had a nice piece on the place and its irascible owner Stefan last May in the Niagra Falls Reporter:

Stefan was old the first time I went in there back in the '70s, and he was older still when the Redhead and I lived a few blocks away on Avenue A during the early '90s. When I went there last week, it mostly to see whether the place still existed and, if it did, fully expecting to hear the particulars of Stefan's passing.

So I was surprised when I walked through the door and saw him there, weighing a lot less and not even bothering to put in his lower dentures anymore, but still standing behind his bar and still irritable.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Hudson gets into the bar's past patrons:

The place wasn't overtly literary in the sense of the White Horse Tavern, where Dylan Thomas suffered his killing seizure after a drinking bout, or the Lion's Head, where Mailer, Hamill, McCourt and Kennedy drank and fought and preened in front of barmaid Jessica Lange, but like many Manhattan dives the Holiday Lounge had its writers.

For years Allen Ginsberg had a large apartment in a building almost directly across the street, and he and other Beat writers like Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso and Herbert Huncke spent considerable time with the bookies, dope dealers, working girls and alcoholics for whom the Holiday was a second home.

When I mentioned them, Stefan cheered a bit.

"Ginsberg, Kerouac, yes. But Auden, Auden always sat right there, under the window. He lived in the house next door. And when the war was ended, after that, he came in one afternoon and said he was going to Vienna. He had a villa in Vienna."

And in the end, Hudson comments on the obvious...what has happened to the neighborhood:

The East Village isn't what it used to be, not 60 years ago or even 10. The writers and artists and musicians are gone, replaced by young Wall Street brokers, trust fund babies and Manhattan real estate speculators as rents have skyrocketed.

Likewise gone, and to who knows where, are the bums, and what was once the most wonderfully diverse neighborhood in the city has now become predictably and boringly white and middle class.

Cell phones glued to their ears, they walk their stupid dogs or ride bicycles on the sidewalk. Inside the living organism that is New York, art takes a back seat to commerce, no matter what they tell you.

Well, it's only Jan. 6...we're still being optimistic for the new year...and the continued existence of the Holiday as we've known it...

Avast! The Holiday Cocktail Lounge is becoming a restaurant that serves fish-n-chips

So you know that Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, which makes Pirate's Booty, bought the building that housed the now-former Holiday Cocktail Lounge.

Last night, he went before the CB3/SLA committee and revealed his plans. (He never responded to our requests for an interview.) According to a report by Claire Nugent at Eater, the committee approved his plans to open "a new restaurant/tavern offering local, regional cuisine."

He is teaming with Barbara Sibley, the owner of La Palapa next door. Per Eater:

They said they hope their restaurant will echo the restaurants that have disappeared, with a menu offering those foods New Yorkers "miss" like Shepard’s Pie and fish 'n’ chips.

Ehrlich reportedly didn't win the rights to keep the Holiday name.

Updated 11:50 a.m.

Grub Street has more. Sibley, who will manage the space, said, "We're going to try to preserve as much of the history as possible."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

This weekend in holiday fairs and fundraisers

Apologies for the late notice on this... you can still take part in day two, though, over at the Sirovich Center on 12th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... (h/t elvis666!)



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[Photo by Steven]

The 9th Precinct's annual Santa party is this morning from 9 to noon on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

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Via the EVG inbox...

Today is the Lower Eastside Girls Club's holiday fundraiser — Coquito for Puerto Rico!

When: Saturday, Dec. 14 from 4 - 7 p.m.
Where: 402 E. Eighth St. at Avenue D

Join us for homemade Coquito (traditional Puerto Rican egg nog), Latin noshes (rice and beans and empanadas) and your own take-home tin of cookies and jar of Sofrito!

Your $35 donation will support our upcoming trip this Spring to visit women-run farms and learn about food sustainability practices in Puerto Rico.

AND...get out your dancing shoes: we have Loisaida Legend Pepe Flores spinning vinyl all evening!

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Via the EVG inbox...

The Neighborhood School’s Holiday Fair returns on Sunday, Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Join us to support a local public school and have a blast. Bring friends and family. There will be arts & crafts, face-painting, henna tattooing, a huge kid-built cardboard maze, and great food from neighborhood vendors.

And check out the Artisan Fest where vendors will sell jewerly, artwork, clothes and more. This is a great (and cheap) way to have fun indoors with your kids on a chilly winter’s day. Admission to the Holiday Fair is free, activities are low-cost, and it is open to the public.

All proceeds from the Holiday Fair support the Neighborhood School PTA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that pays for the school’s art and music education, field trips, classroom supplies, special programs, and teacher support.

The Neighborhood School is located at 121 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Avenue A.

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Also Sunday... over at the Double Down Saloon, 14 Avenue A...



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Introducing Midnight Wednesday: 35 East Village stores staying open late tonight

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Midnight Wednesday is a new holiday tradition in the East Village encouraging shoppers to visit East Village boutiques to take care of holiday shopping. The East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) and Amé Amé have organized 35 businesses to keep late hours, until as late as midnight. Many stores will offer holiday treats and special discounts that customers can enjoy while completing their holiday shopping and supporting neighborhood shopkeepers.

Midnight Wednesday will capture planned holiday spending within the East Village, which will keep money local and amplify the effects for the community. Unlike other parts of Lower Manhattan, the mixed-use nature of the East Village does not bring a daily flow of office workers. Our shops rely heavily on evening and weekend traffic. Midnight Wednesday gives people from the East Village an opportunity to experience late night activity — separate from the bar scene - and encourages them to support direct storm recovery during the shopping season.

“Since Sandy, all businesses in the East Village suffered from some combination of structural damage, loss of inventory, business interruption, and the lasting effects
resulting in lower traffic at this critical time of year,” said Sara Romanoski, managing director of the East Village Community Coalition. “The local and federal loans that many businesses owners are reluctant to apply for have not – and may never – materialize. Preserving a creative, small business culture is essential to restoring our quality of life in this community.”

Shoppers can find a list of participating boutiques here.

The EVCC also recently released The Get Local! Shopping Guide featuring more than 400 independent businesses. A PDF is here.

About tomorrow's PS 64 holiday card delivery to City Hall

Here's more information about tomorrow afternoon's PS 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center holiday card delivery to Mayor de Blasio ... via the EVG inbox...

City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez will be joined by colleagues, community residents and "3 Kings" to deliver frankincense, myrrh and gold (chocolate coins) with more than 1,000 holiday cards, petitions and a letter to Mayor de Blasio requesting one holiday gift — the return of the former PS 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center to the Lower East Side/East Village for community use.

Elected officials and residents of the Lower East Side are urging the Mayor to help return to the community the historic landmarked building that was saved by the community in the 1970s.

The building located at 605 E. Ninth St. was auctioned off and sold by Mayor Guiliani 15 years ago and has now been vacant for 13 years. This past Sept. 22, the Department of Buildings issued a Stop Work Order to halt construction that may have begun under a Partial Work Permit that was reportedly issued based on misinformation filed with DOB by developer Gregg Singer.

Here's a flyer with details about when all this is happening...


[Click on image to enlarge]

Find more info at the website of the grassroots organization SOCCC (Save Our Charas Community Center), who has been collecting the holiday cards with other community groups.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Testimony Of Councilmember Rosie Mendez regarding the former PS 64

[Updated] At the 'Save Our Community Center MARCH AND RALLY'

Landmarks Preservation Commission asks to see modified plans for former PS 64

The Landmarks Preservation Commission approves application for modifications at PS 64

Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge opens for the month in the former No Malice Palace space

The former No Malice Palace space on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is now home to a pop-up holiday bar called Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge. They opened on Friday, and will close on Jan. 1

Via the bar's website:

We've decked the halls with pop-up magic and stuffed your stockings with craft cocktails and mulled wine. Fire places, grandma's quilts and xmas decorations galore... a visit to this heard's house party will make your Insta-Story lit.... we're not kidding, there are a ton of lights. Don't forget to grab a photo-op in front of the custom "Reindeer Playing Poker" mural in the back yard! Whether you have a last minute holiday party to plan or just need to get your yule-tide on, Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge is your home away from holiday ho-ho-ho... you get it.

The cocktails ($13) include Zuzu's Petals, Elf Nog and (seriously) Nog-Gonna Make to Work Tomorrow.

A feature on the bar in Metro notes, "The decor inside the East Village bar looks as if all the twinkle lights wrapped around the trees and houses in suburbia had been brought inside instead; let’s call it Enthusiastic Dad."

This is the second pop-up holiday bar to open in the East Village this season. Mace, the cocktail bar on Ninth Street near Avenue C, goes by Miracle on Ninth Street during this time of year. (Same bar, just with Christmas decorations.)

No Malice Palace never reopened after the death of its owner, Phil Sherman, in November 2016.

A holiday variety show — and benefit — for Pangea

Tonight, the East Village-based TWEED TheaterWorks is hosting a remote holiday variety show, which will serve as a benefit for Pangea, the restaurant-performance venue at 178 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Here's more about what to expect ... info via the EVG inbox:

One of our producing partners the past six years has been TWEED TheaterWorks ... with TWEED's artistic director Kevin Malony who produced a remote holiday variety show called 'TAINT ... an alt-holiday show featuring performances by many of their favorite artists who have graced the intimate Pangea stage. 

The streaming premiere of 'TAINT will be tonight at 8 and will run for an hour. For those who can’t attend the premiere, a video on demand link will be sent on Dec. 29 and be available through Jan. 10.

 

You can find ticket info at this link. 

Pangea has had its share of challenges this fall — aside from the loss of revenue with the pandemic-related closure of its supper club. On the morning of Oct. 30, Pangea management walked into the restaurant to discover that Con Ed had shut off their gas in the middle of the night. (A nearby resident was said to smell gas on the block. Although Con Ed didn't detect a leak, they shut down the gas service anyway.)

So in the past two months, Pangea's ownership has been entangled in the time-consuming bureaucratic process that includes scheduling inspections by the DOB and Con Ed. This also led to a loss of business, including the seasonably warm Halloween weekend.

However, Pangea owners Stephen Shanaghan and Arnoldo Caballero took action, and bought electric cooking equipment and, with the help of a new chef, created a menu to fit their circumstances. In addition, they recently introduced a takeout dinner menu.

Here's more from a recent email to Pangea patrons from Shanaghan and Caballero:

Our biggest obstacle now is the weather turning colder and the new mandate closing indoor dining ... Since our heat is gas powered, we are concerned that electric space heaters may not be sufficient if we get a real dose of winter.

On a positive note, we have implemented a new takeout dinner service (for pick up only). In the past, takeout was not a viable option for Pangea. We have a two-person line in the kitchen. Pre-pandemic we were not able to offer takeout while hosting a busy 50-seat cabaret room and a 40-seat front dining room. Now it will be our only source of revenue. 

During December, takeout orders are discounted 20 percent. Pangea also has several tables for outdoor dining.

They're also continuing to crowdfund to ensure a post-pandemic future here on Second Avenue.

Pangea has a long history in the neighborhood. Read our interview with Pangea owners Stephen Shanaghan and Arnoldo Caballero here. 

2 familiar names now offering coffee on St. Mark's Place

Two St. Mark's Place businesses, better known for their other offerings, are now selling coffee.

The Holiday Cocktail Lounge at 75 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue now opens at 8 a.m. for coffee and croissants... aka, Holiday Coffee Lounge. 

Updated: Here's more info via a Holiday rep after the new offerings: 

Holiday's new coffee service ... includes outstanding coffee and espresso from local Superlost Coffee, plus, tea, juice and boosters, freshly made pastries, croissants, mini beignets, breakfast items, and sandwiches. The Wi-Fi-friendly space (70 indoor seats; 40 patio seats weather permitting) to enjoy delicious liquid in a cup throughout the day and into the evening, when its traditional cocktail service starts at 4 p.m. and is open until 2 a.m.

Meanwhile, on the next block to the west, the bookstore Village Works at 12 St. Mark's Place has opened a cafe with coffee and muffins...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Village Works (@villageworksnyc)

Posted hours have been 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.

No trees yet, but...

There are holiday wreaths on display outside the Whole Foods Market® Bowery on East Houston…

Speaking of holiday trees … soon, everyone's favorite inflatable Santa should (oh Lordy we hope!) return to its familiar holiday home on East 14th Street at First Avenue…

We're guessing that the tree stands will arrive on Wednesday… the actual trees on Friday and Jolly ol' Trailer Park Santa on Saturday…

Previously on EV Grieve:
In case you are looking to buy the ol' [insert your name here!] family holiday tree on Thanksgiving

The Holiday Cocktail Lounge lives

Not sure if these signs went up yesterday or today at the Holiday on St. Mark's Place...Good news, nonetheless. If it was open last night...anyone go in for drinks? And hooray finally for some good news.

[UPDATED: Jeremiah stops by for a drink....]

For further reading:

Holiday Cocktail Lounge (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Is the Holiday over? (NYPress)

Holiday greetings from Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

An almost year-end message from the proud parents of Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street has been thoroughly enjoying her second holiday season in the neighborhood this year. Times are lean around these parts so less of Holiday Tree wonder but an intense focus on tennis balls and she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the snow.

As much as the snow it seems she has intently focused on tennis balls. She is less into the Tompkins Square Park dog run these days (though she remains a frequent visitor there to do her business) but has developed a taste for the East River Park. She was recently busted there for being “off leash” but she remains a devoted fan. Mostly because she has developed an important collection of stray tennis balls she collects there voraciously.

She (and we) send all of her neighbors the warmest of holiday wishes. Xo

On the next episode: Kita is curious why only Grain-Free Chicken Meal Formula Dry Dog Food is available at this New Year's Eve buffet.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Meet Kita

The further adventures of Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

The further (often truly) amazing adventures of Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

Happy holidays from Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street has her first ever annual checkup