Happy 40th to Pangea

Here's an East Village anniversary we're very happy to celebrate.

Pangea, the restaurant, bar and performance space at 178 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street, is marking its 40th anniversary on Tuesday. The festivities run from 6 to 10 p.m. 

Forty years is an impressive run anywhere in New York City — and particularly in a neighborhood where longtime independent establishments continue to disappear. 

Through the decades, Pangea has remained a wonderfully old-school East Village place: somewhere to have dinner or a drink ... or catch live music or cabaret. The venue still makes room for live music and alternative performers in its cabaret room and front lounge. 

It's also the kind of neighborhood place worth embracing while it's still here — not just remembering after it's gone. 

So, happy 40th to Pangea. Here's to many more.

Some history. 

Gas service is restored at Pangea after 7 months

After seven months without gas for cooking — not to mention heat during the winter months — the service has been restored at Pangea, the restaurant-cabaret at 178 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

As previously reported, on Oct. 30, Pangea management entered 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 went ahead and shut down the gas service to just the restaurant.)

In the ensuing months, Pangea's ownership was entangled in the time-consuming bureaucratic process that included scheduling inspections by the DOB, Con Ed and an assortment of plumbers. Local elected officials, including City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office, had been helping navigate the red tape. However, complicating matters: an inspection showed that Pangea needed all new pipes before gas service could return. 

In the interim, Pangea owners Stephen Shanaghan and Arnoldo Caballero took action and bought electric cooking equipment and created a menu to fit their circumstances with the help of a new chef. 

In an update on their crowdfunding campaign earlier this year, Shanaghan noted:

Dealing with bureaucracy in normal times is a challenge. Being subjected to it during pandemic restrictions is immobilizing. 

We quickly reinvented and began operations using all-electric equipment. The process has been unnecessarily drawn out, costly and back-breaking.

He went on to thank Pangea's loyal patrons:

The only reason our doors are not shuttered is due to the tremendous support we have received from our extended family of customers, friends and artists. We are fortunate to have so many who believe in what Pangea stands for. Over the years, Pangea has become a second home to all. In more recent years, it has become an incubator for artistic expression in our performance space. All genres of music, theater, satire and comedy have been presented. 

Hopefully, things will continue to look up for Pangea. Aside from the restored gas service, they started to host limited-seating shows in the cabaret space... they are also hosting no-cover entertainment in the Piano Lounge in the front of the restaurant. (Check out their website for details on upcoming events.) And there's the recent return of Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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

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. 

The 1st Pangea Jazz Festival starts Friday

Pangea, the restaurant-supper club on Second Avenue (and an EVG favorite), is hosting its first-ever jazz festival starting Friday evening.

Here's a quick overview of what to expect via the EVG inbox...

The shows vary from sophisticated outré cabaret by the Downtown legend Joey Arias, to jazz vets like Joe Giglio and Keith Loftis, all the way to unexpected turns by tapper Felipe Galganni, and indie improvisers Plaster Cramp, and a number of new and newish groups like the David Stern Quartet, The Theory Conspiracy and Marty Isenberg’s The Wes Anderson Project.

Find ticket information and details on the nightly shows at this link. The festival runs through Aug. 31.

Pangea is located at 178 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Downtown film classics return with 'The Spaghetti Chronicles at Pangea'

Starting tomorrow (Monday!) night, Pangea's back room will play host to a new film series.

Here are details via the EVG inbox...

American Montage’s Eric Marciano and Kevin Malony team up to curate a series of avant-garde downtown film classics every Monday night from July 16 to Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. Served up with $10 spaghetti dinners these $5 cash-at-the-door screenings called “The Spaghetti Chronicles at Pangea” will give you a delectable diet of little-seen and — in some cases — uber notorious downtown hits, including The TWEED Fractured Classicks series, as well as art-house wonders from Marciano, whose groundbreaking work is in the permanent collection at MOMA. It’s a veritable phonebook of household names from the East Village heyday.

Here are highlights from the first two nights in the series:

Screening 1 July 16
Untitled Fracture (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?)
Starring: Stephen Pell, Varla Jean Merman, Colleen O’Neill and Shelly Mars
The first of the Fractured Classicks. A legendary cast; an iconic play; a serious fracture that lead to other injuries.

Screening 2 July 23
“Un Chant ‘D’Amour” by Jean Genet (B&W - 25 minutes)
The only film created by Jean Genet “Un Chant d’Amour” offering contemporary viewers more than some unintentional gay giggles. Oh, those French boys!"

“Narrowcast” by Eric Marciano (Color - 21 minutes)
Starring Chris Tanner, Mary Lou Wittmer, Jeff Paul, Don Creech and David Anzuelos
Before Survivor, Big Brother, The Apprentice or Keeping Up with the Kardashian and Ru Paul's Drag Race there was “Narrowcast”, the most prescient film ever made about Reality TV.

The series concludes on Aug. 27 with the "surrealistic gender-fuck noir" "The Mailman Always Comes Twice," a loving tribute to "The Postman Always Rings Twice."

This link has more details on the series.

Pangea is at 178 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street. Revisit our interview with Pangea co-owners Stephen Shanaghan and Arnoldo Caballero right here.

Carol Lipnik, live at Pangea on 2nd Avenue Sunday evenings

Carol Lipnik's Sunday evening residency continues in the cabaret room at Pangea, the 25-year-old Mediterranean bistro at 178 Second Ave. between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy attended this past Sunday's performance … "She was doing original material and people responded well to her off-the-cuff commentary and soaring singing voice."




[Matt Kanelos accompanies Lipnik on piano]



Rachel Mason was her guest performer last Sunday. (Recent guests have included Joey Arias, Justin Vivian Bond and Penny Arcade.)



Lipnik performs her ethereal cabaret at Pangea Sunday evenings at 7:30 through Jan. 31. Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 at the door, with a $15 food/beverage minimum. You can look for tickets here.

Read our interview with Pangea owners Stephen Shanaghan and Arnoldo Caballero here. Read an interview with Lipnik, a Coney Island native, here.

Classic movie nights continue at Pangea this month

Pangea, the 25-year-old Italian restaurant and bar at 178 Second Ave., will continue to show classic movies on Wednesday nights at 8 this month… Good picks with "Citizen Kane" and Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" … and wow — Michelangelo Antonioni's "L'Avventura."

Pangea screening film classics Wednesday nights this winter

Pangea, the 25-year-old Italian restaurant and bar at 178 Second Ave., is now hosting a classic movie night on Wednesdays.

There's a solid lineup, as you can see in the flyer above... films start at 8.

This isn't Pangea's first foray into films... Last March, Pangea hosted The East Village Film Series.

Reminder: The East Village Film Series starts tonight at Pangea

As we noted Tuesday, the folks at Pangea Restaurant & Bar, 178 Second Ave. near East 11th Street, are launching The East Village Film Series tonight at 8. The series kicks off with A Night of Short Films... showcasing "Nomadique." (Read more about that here.)

NYC-based director Matt K. Firpo is the series founder. He shares more about the vision with us:

"The East Village Film Series is dedicated to giving the community a place to mix and meet like-minded artists. Like the salons of old, the EVFS blends fine art and incredible stories, with a fantastic, comfortable environment, for a great evening of work by award winning New York filmmakers. I think in an age, where more than ever, we as an audience watch our content on the small screen, on computers in the comfort of our own home, we wanted to give people an excuse to come out and share cinema with others. We think there is nothing like the electricity, the buzz, of watching film with a great audience."

Pangea presenting The East Village Film Series, starting this Thursday night

The folks at Pangea Restaurant & Bar, 178 Second Ave. near East 11th Street, passed along word about The East Village Film Series:

The Series was founded to showcase award-winning works from local and international filmmakers, and to celebrate the silver screen. Aiming to take cinema off the computer, and back on the big screen, the EVSF is dedicated to sharing important, entertaining, and challenging works of art with New York City.

The Film Series is a perfect opportunity for filmmakers to meet meet and mix, for old friends to get together and new friends to be made. Designed for everyone from cinephiles and to the cine-curious, the Series blends fine art and incredible stories, with a fantastic, comfortable environment, for a great evening of work by award-winning New York filmmakers. An event by a community, for a community.

NYC-based director Matt K. Firpo is the series founder.

The series kicks off Thursday night with A Night of Short Films... showcasing "Nomadique." Read more about that here.

The films start at 8 p.m. The filmmakers are expected to be around afterward to discuss their work and what not.

Santas apparently stole this sign from Pangea

Via the Twitter feed for Pangea on Second Avenue...

Has anyone seen this sign in the #Eastvillage tonight. #Santacon ruffians stole it. #cometoyoursenses instagr.am/p/TPD1nwHghO/

— pangea (@pangeanyc) December 16, 2012

Pangea has a new lease on Second Avenue

As we reported back in the spring, Pangea and the restaurant's landlord on Second Avenue were in a dispute. As a result, Pangea had to close for several days.

Then the landlord apparently lined up Karczma, one of Greenpoint's favorite Polish restaurants, to be the new tenant, even submitting their name for the June CB3/SLA docket.

During all this, the RFK real-estate listing noted that Pangea was a "former tenant."

I asked Pangea owner Stephen Shanaghan where he stood with the landlord.

"We did sign a new agreement with the landlord in court last Thursday," he said. "One of the conditions was that he instruct RKF to remove this listing which has been up since February."

He said the lease is through December 2015. "Unfortunately, it's only until [then], but I'll take it."

Is Karczma the landlord's backup plan for Pangea on Second Avenue?

While looking at the June CB3/SLA docket, the following item jumped out at me from the New Liquor License Applications section:

• Karczma (Karczma NY Inc), 178 2nd Ave (op)

This is the address of Pangea. As for Karczma, Eater noted that "presumably this is a new location of one of Greenpoint's favorite Polish restaurants."

Earlier this spring, Pangea owner Stephen Shanaghan told me that he was embroiled in "a landlord-tenant dispute," which caused the restaurant to close for several days in early May.

However, after spending all of May 4 in court, "Pangea has come to a new agreement with the landlord."

Upon hearing of the listing for Karczma, Shanaghan told me, "It appears that the landlord had a backup plan in the works. I hope it all turns out in our favor."

Previously.

Pangea reopens tonight at 5

Last Friday, we reported that Pangea on Second Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street has been closed of late. Owner Stephen Shanaghan told us that he was embroiled in "a landlord-tenant dispute."

Shanaghan sent us an email yesterday:

"After a long day in court, I am pleased to say Pangea has come to a new agreement with the landlord."

They'll be open at 5.

Previously.

Why Pangea has been closed

Earlier today, we mentioned that Pangea on Second Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street has been closed the last few nights...

Pangea owner Stephen Shanaghan responded to our email this morning.

"We are currently engaged in a landlord-tenant dispute," he said. "Hopefully we will reopen soon."

He also discussed his ties to the community, where the restaurant has been operating since 1986 when they were known as La Spaghetteria.

"I always refer to Pangea as a community restaurant. We have partnered with many of the local arts, theater and other nonprofit organizations for the past two decades," he said.

Among them: the Danspace Project, the Poetry Project, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, Third Street Music School Settlement, P.S 122, Theatre for the New City and Classic Stage Company.

"We have always believed that by supporting them we are nourishing the roots of the community," he said. "To this day, I believe that this is why we have been able to keep our restaurant going for so many years."

Pangea has been closed the last few nights

Pangea on Second Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street has been closed the last few nights... mail was stacked up ... and the day's bread delivery was on the gate...

Wednesday evening!

Last evening!

It's likely just temporary ... [Updated: We just heard from the owner — will have more in a bit...but they do hope to reopen soon...]