Mario Batali says the Blue and Gold is his favorite late-night dive bar in NYC

Uh, per his tweet last night...

Not sure what this really means, except, perhaps, a brief increase in foodies at 3 a.m.

[via]

The Blue and Gold puts a sign up to help prevent future FREAK OUTS

We were all a little shaken yesterday with Fork in the Road's news that the Blue and Gold on Seventh Street was closed for gut renovations... thankfully the B&G management left a comment on the post saying they were merely putting in soundproofing in the ceiling...

And, while walking by last night, I spotted a helpful sign in the window...

Terror and relief in 60 minutes: The really bad then good news about the Blue and Gold

The EV Grieve inbox recently exploded with the news from Fork in the Road that the Blue and Gold Tavern on Seventh Street was going through a gut renovation.... yet another beloved spot RIP.... Noted a reader: "Makes you realize how precarious it all is, it can be snatched away in an instant, and you think, 'i should have gone there more often.'"

BUT! The B&G management chimed in on the Fork post:

The Blue and Gold is soundproofing the ceiling - and will reopen by Thursday - May 13. To do a proper soundproofing job the old ceiling needs to be removed. The rest of the bar is not being gutted. Heavy duty plastic is protecting the walls, bar and pool table.

Given the loss of the former Verchovyna Tavern aka George's Bar aka Bar 81 a few doors down... it's understandable that we're all a little touchy about this... By the way, "East Fifth Bliss" filmed scenes at the Blue and Gold the other week... In the novel, the lead character drinks at the Homestead (called the Homeplate) on First Avenue, which, of course, closed years back...so another bar had to stand in for the Homestead...



[Photo via the Voice]