Well, let's go ahead and make that 22. Panificio, that cute Italian eatery that I never went to at the corner of Avenue B and 11th Street, appears to be shuttered.
Sure, it's possible that they just decided to not open on a Thursday night. And, yes, it's plausible that no one would answer the phone the numerous times I tried to call them. And, it's probable that the one small view from 11th Street that shows the empty interior simply means that ownership removed all the tables and chairs and put a display case in the middle of the dining area while cleaning. Or something. And if you were going to be closed for a few days to clean or renovate, there's no reason to put a sign up for potential diners. Anyway! The place never seemed all that crowded to me since it opened last April. For good reasons, perhaps?
Climbing back onto my usual soapbox: so much for any notion that great little businesses will open if the community board can just keep the bars and restaurants away. These blocks have struggled mightily since CB3's resolution to turn down all new license applications.
ReplyDeleteI know some people will never agree with me about this.
I don't wish for a business to fail, but I also don't want Avenue B and Avenue C to turn into places where the New Jersey honkees -- and the Upper East Side honkees, for that matter -- come to "slum it" for the weekends.
ReplyDeleteNow, I don't think Pancifico played into this. I'd eaten there a few times, and found the food pretty good, and the owner to be quite nice, as well.
But the community board is rightfully vigilant when many of these outposts (see: China One) are simply nightclubs masquerading as restaurants.
On that corner we have seen a variety of restaurants come and go, none of them have been very good. I never went into this version, which I think was more of a bakery or pizza type of menu. It didn't look appealing, but they did have those Adirondack smoking chairs outside that were a nice touch. (Or maybe that was the restaurant just before it turned into Panificio? It is blending together.)
ReplyDeleteAnd for the restaurant reviewer, I cannot resist adding a response that while you may love restaurants and bars, and spend a lot of time reviewing them, the point is that we are saturated, how many bars do we need, really, what is the limit? 5 per block? 6? 7? And because they generate so much income for their owners, rents have risen so high that other types of businesses can't afford to be here, types of businesses that are needed for normal people - we no longer have a butcher, fishmonger, bagel shop or a decent fruit & vegetable stand (yes there are still some, I use the word decent purposefully because wrapping tomatoes in plastic to hide how old they are doesn't count as decent). It's hardly a "village" without basic services.
ReplyDeleteYou can add SB3 on the corner of 3rd and B to the list. They claim they're closed for renovation, but the owner said she doesn't have much of a plan.
ReplyDelete