Some reports on Boilermaker, now open on 1st Avenue and East 1st Street

Golden Cadillac, the 1970s-themed bar that opened in the former Boca Chica space on First Avenue at East First Street, closed for good last July 3 after just eight months in business.

The owners revamped the space for another retro creation called Boilermaker, which is now open ... and enjoying press galore.

Here's a look at some of the previews/reviews.

First, Fork in the Road:

If design details and personnel are reminders of the previous concept, though, the menu couldn't be more different. Boilermaker takes its cues from a different era, the late 19th and early 20th century, when dockworkers would hunker down in bars for a post-shift beer and a shot, usually whiskey.

And the Daily News:

[Y]ou can try an All American ($6) which is Narragansett Lager and a shot of Ancient Age Bourbon, and groups of three or more can order the Bucket of Boilermakers ($45), that comes with a six-pack of Miller High Life and six shots of Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

The bar features cocktails on tap, like the the Uncle Jalapeño ($10) with tequila, jalapeño and pineapple soda. Or get nerdy with the Ken Burns Effect, which is a stirred drink with rye whiskey, oloroso sherry, maraschino liqueur and Angostura bitters.

“I asked people what they’d be willing to pay for a cocktail or beer and lowered it by a dollar,” says Greg Boehm of Cocktail Kingdom, one of the co-owners.

And here's the drinks menu that we borrowed from Gothamist...

Boilermaker Cocktail Menu

Previously on EV Grieve:
Boca Chica apparently won't be reopening on First Avenue; and the return of Golden Cadillac

End of the road: Golden Cadillac closes tomorrow night (29 comments)

Report: Golden Cadillac will reopen as Boilermaker next month on 1st Avenue

Golden Cadillac, the 1970s-themed bar that opened in the former Boca Chica space on First Avenue at East First Street, closed for good last July 3 after just eight months in business.

The owners have revamped the space for another retro creation, Grub Street reports.

Say hello to Boilermaker.

The retro cocktail list cribbed from Playboy's Host and Bar Book has been overhauled with a selection of actual boilmakers, including one combining Old Grand-Dad bourbon and Brooklyn Lager and another that teams up Ramazzotti amaro and Victory Storm King Stout. There will be four cocktails on tap, including a Zombie made with three kinds of rum ...

Boilermaker is expected to open next month.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Boca Chica apparently won't be reopening on First Avenue; and the return of Golden Cadillac

End of the road: Golden Cadillac closes tomorrow night (29 comments)

End of the road: Golden Cadillac closes tomorrow night

Golden Cadillac, the 1970s-themed bar that opened in the former Boca Chica space on First Avenue at East First Street, is closing after service tomorrow, Zagat reports.

The too-concepty bar, which just opened this past November, served snacks like knish fondue and drinks such as the Hot Buttery Nipple.

The same ownership will return with a new concept here in the months ahead, per Zagat.

Any suggestions for new concepts?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Boca Chica apparently won't be reopening on First Avenue; and the return of Golden Cadillac

Report: Golden Cadillac will pay homage to the Lenox Lounge and Odessa Cafe

The New York Times has more on Golden Cadillac, the new bar-restuarant opening Thursday at 5 p.m. on First Avenue and East First Street.

The space is going for a 1970s vibe.

“Images of discos come to mind,” said Giuseppe Gonzalez, a bartender whose past posts include the cocktail bars Clover Club, Dutch Kills and Painkiller. “We’re going to try to make people think differently about the ‘70s.”

Mr. Gonzalez’s vision of that decade is all about the New York he grew up with. “The birth of punk music, birth of hip-hop,” he said. “Keith Haring moved here in 1978. Martin Scorsese made four films set in New York in the ‘70s. That’s what I wanted.”

And!

The interior, designed by Jeannette Kaczorowski of Crow Hill Design Studio, along with Fieldlines Architecture, pays homage to two recently vanished New York landmarks: the Lenox Lounge in Harlem and the Odessa Cafe in the East Village. “Jeanette said there were lots of layers in those bars,” Mr. Boehm said. “You started with Art Deco, and then it was built upon. Lots of oranges, burgundies and browns.” Another inspiration was the fictional Volpe Bar in Mr. Scorsese’s film “Mean Streets.”

The space was previously home to Boca Chica since 1989.

As for the Odessa Cafe and Bar ... as we noted last week, the Odessa will serve drinks in a cozy ambiance similar to the former Cafe and Bar in the back of the restaurant Wednesday through Saturday nights starting at 8.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here's Golden Cadillac, the '70s-nostalgic bar' opening at the former Boca Chica space

Here's Golden Cadillac, the '70s-nostalgic bar' opening at the former Boca Chica space

Boca Chica, the inexpensive Latin American restaurant on First Avenue at First Street, closed its doors back in February.

By April, we learned about the bar-restaurant called Golden Cadillac that was in the works for the space... it's the latest venture from Giuseppe Gonzalez, a bartender who has worked at places we've never been before like PKNY, Clover Club, Dutch Kills and Flatiron Lounge.

Eater had more details on Golden Cadillac yesterday...

The food from Miguel Trinidad, the chef behind Maharlika and Jeepney:

[T]he food menu ... consists of variations on New York classics that have been 'inspired by vintage editions of Gourmet Magazine.' A few of those dishes include knish fondue, a Monte Cristo, and hunters stew for four.

The drinks:

There's "a menu of 'classic' 70s-era cocktails like the grasshopper and the Miami Vice (that's a pina colada topped off with strawberry daiquiri)."

The decor:

The bar's aesthetic takes its cues from the "sad glamour" of a seedy late-70s dive bar, furnished inside with wood paneling and patterned wallpaper mixed with mirrored surfaces.

The opening date is set for Nov. 6. And this isn't the first time that we've heard about Golden Cadillac. Time Out reported in November 2011 that the bar was opening on East 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. But that never materialized, for whatever reasons.


[The mural on the rolldown gate from the other week]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Boca Chica apparently won't be reopening on First Avenue; and the return of Golden Cadillac

[Updated] Report: CB3 says yes to Golden Cadillac, denies the Asphalt Jungle

Golden Cadillac received the OK last night from the CB3/SLA committee to take over the former Boca Chica space on First Avenue at East First Street, Grub Street's Mary Reinholz reported this morning. (Read more about Golden Cadillac here.)

Meanwhile, regarding another big-ticket item, we heard from several attendees of last night's meeting about the contentious nature of the discussion over The Asphalt Jungle, the new cocktail lounge from the Dutch Kills team. They were applying to take over the former Mercadito Cantina space at 172 Avenue B.

Jean-Paul Buthier, owner of vintage shop Rue St Denis next door, was one of the people to speak out against the applicant. From his view, there are already enough bars on Avenue B ... "Maybe we need more AA meetings."

We'll let Grub Street pick up what reportedly happened next.

Seemingly stung by the Frenchman's comment, [Dutch Kills partner] Boccato replied that he and his partner Ian Present had roots in the East Village and were trying to create a safe and reputable establishment. "We're not carpetbaggers," he said, adding, "with all due respect, sir, your accent doesn't sound like a Native New Yorker." The barman's zinger elicited groans and protests from spectators, and even resulted in calls from committee chair Alexandra Militano for attendees to settle down.

The committee later voted to deny the Asphalt Jungle application. Read the rest of the Grub Street post here.

Updated 4-10
The Dutch Kills team have said they will not move forward with this project on Avenue B.