New Avenue B bar won't be fratty or barfy, owner claims

Well! The other day we were understandbly horrified curious when we heard, via our friends at Grub Street, that a Speakeasy/Mardi Gras style bar is coming to 25 Avenue B. Hmmmm.....

Regardless! Grub Street's Daniel Maurer followed up with the new owner and learned that maybe we all shouldn't have the fear...:

We called the joint’s operator Kyle Radzyminski (also a partner in Thunder Jackson’s) and asked him whether East Village residents should invest in mops.

"We aren’t looking at ruining the neighborhood," Radzyminski told us. That's one thing people get frightened of. A couple of our guys have families and multiple kids. It's more of a place where you can watch sports, not a frat house." Radzyminski assured us that he’s looking to open "a place for almost anyone and everyone."

Goggla left this comment the other day: "Avenue B, the new Bourbon Street...hang on to your bead curtains." Heh. But can you imagine this place and Croxley's operating at the same time....?

[Photo via]

Speakeasy and Mardi Gras-themed bar coming to Avenue B

Grub Street has the details on a new venture coming to 25 Avenue B near Second Street ... in the former Rehab/Midway space (and, of course, Save the Robots). Per Grub Street: The owners hope to open the "'Bourbon. Beer. Rock'–themed Idle Hands in the basement space around Memorial Day (pending liquor-license approval), while upstairs a group with ties to Thunder Jackson’s and Point Break will open Billy Hurricanes, a Mardi Gras–themed bar trafficking in frozen daiquiris, Cajun food, and a signature drink that will be limited to two per person." I can smell the vomit already!

Not familiar with Thunder Jackson's? Here is a screenshot from their home page.

The Lounge at Dixon Place holds its grand opening tomorrow night

The Lounge at Dixon Place celebrates its official Grand Opening tomorrow night at Dixon Place, the nonprofit that provides space for literary and performing artists...

It's a Lower East Side bar that directly supports artists and a theater that presents their works in progress. "All of our proceeds go directly to helping support the Dixon Place mission. It keeps our ticket prices low and allows us to present free music and other events in the Lounge," Tim Ranney, Dixon Place's director of marketing, told me.

So is the bar open all the time? Or just before and after performances?

"We are open every night at 6 to the public just like a real bar. It's a neighborhood bar as well as for folks coming here for a show," he said.

And there's a 2-for-1 happy hour special every night of the week from 6 to 7. "No plans yet to adopt the 'buy a keg' concept from Superdive but we do have a bar special called 'The Bull Dyke' -- a shot of whiskey and a PBR."

Ranney also noted there's an agreement with the building and neighbors that mandates the Lounge closes by midnight Monday-Thursday and by 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. "And we keep the music very, very low," he said.

Details on the grand opening are here. Dixon Place is located at 161A Chrystie St. between Rivington and Delancey.

New bar slated for 12th Street and Avenue A

In March 2006, the building housing the Raven on the northeast corner of Avenue A at 12th Street was shuttered by a devastating fire... The building has been renovated, and the storefront (pictured below last fall) has been on the market for quite some time ...



On March 15, the Raven appears on the CB3 SLA docket (No. 15 and No. 16 on the agenda) in the Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades category. The docket reads:

El Camion (El Camion III Inc), 194 Ave A (trans/op) (The Raven)

Meanwhile, according to the real-estate listing...

Approx. 1500 sq ft vanilla box with liquor license, large wraparound storefront, basement (with dedicated internal staircase), and possible sidewalk cafe.

Price: $90,000
Rent: $10,500
10-year lease

I'm curious to see how this one plays out... there have already been numerous complaints about the bar scene on the upper stretch of Avenue A... Jill has noted this... and she took this shot in front of Drop Off Service last summer, for an idea of what life is usually like here on the weekends...



Previously on EV Grieve:
CB3 to explore bar-related noise issues on Avenue A?

Observations from last night's noisy bars meeting

The 13th Step sure to be big with the AA crowd

OK, we're all over the arrival of The 13th Step today... Several folks who have been to AA have mentioned how totally inappropriate it is to name a bar The 13th Step.

From the AA glossary of terms:

Thirteenth Step (a.k.a. Thirteenth Stepping):
There is no thirteenth step in the AA program. This term is used as a euphemism for inappropriate sexual advances by a member to a newcomer in AA (such as sponsors toward sponsees). Sponsors ought never be sexually involved with those whom they sponsor. This is why it is usually suggested that (heterosexual) newcomers choose sponsors of the same sex, thereby avoiding the temptation. Also, it is sometimes suggested that newcomers not enter into new relationships for at least a year after getting sober. The reason being that sexual relationships are prone to elicit emotional extremes, making relapse more likely. The term 'thirteenth stepping' is always used in a negative sense.

CB3 says no to 3,000-square-foot bar/restaurant "with an occasional D.J." at 14-16 Avenue B

As we reported in late December... A bar was taking over both the vacant storefronts at 14 and 16 Avenue B at Second Street.... This place was one of the many up before the CB3/SLA last night....




Eater was at the meeting, and they report:

A yet-to-be-named group surfaced with a proposal to utilize the old Butterfly space, a stone's throw away from Sigmund, for a 3,000 square foot Italian restaurant, catering company and lounge "with an occasional D.J." This scenario sounds familiar - and the residents didn't hesitate to show their fresh battle scars from the throes of Le Souk, China 1 and Carnivale, all restaurants-gone-clubs that they say wrecked havoc on the peace and quiet in their 'hood. Needless to say, this was too much for CB3 and the community representatives to stomach, and after a lengthy dispute of pros and cons, the motion was denied.

The Lo-Down was also there... and we can't wait for the rest of their report. As they wrote: "This evening was a bizarre one even for CB3’s SLA Committee. Tomorrow we’ll have details of a series of tense confrontations between CB3’s David McWater and other members of the committee."

UPDATED: Here's their epic McWater report.

Avenue A's new Black Market

Missed this yesterday at Gothamist:

The former Pizza Shop next to Niagra on Avenue A will be called Black Market.

Black market?

Keeping with the Clash theme perhaps?



Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Former Pizza Shop becoming a bar

Opening tonight: Bar Above Cabin, purveyors of "oysters and burgers and rock and roll"

Just when we were speculating about the new bar opening in the old Pizza Shop space next to Niagra on Avenue A...comes this report from Urban Daddy about the new Bar Above Cabin, which (soft) opens tonight:

Here's what you need to know: it's a bar opening on the hush-hush. It used to be a small, nondescript pizza shop. And it now deals in oysters and burgers and rock and roll. On top of a speakeasy. Rest easy knowing that the speakeasy, Cabin Down Below, is still alive and dealing in hipsters, loud music and strong cocktails. But in place of mozzarella and red sauce, upstairs you'll find exposed brick, tufted black leather banquettes, an old chandelier or two and just enough light to see Agyness Deyn sitting in the corner.

New bar coming to 14-16 Avenue B

Back in September, we reported that a new bar/restaurant was coming to the corner of Avenue B and Second Street. We were told then by a worker on the scene that the wall between the two vacant storefronts at 14 Avenue B and 16 Avenue B will be torn down... and the spaces will be combined.



It looked as if someone was working on whatever that bar used to be called at 14 Avenue B...



And now, something called BKLYN Local Draft LLC is looking for a full liquor license at 14 Avenue B before the CB3/SLA folks at their Jan. 11 meeting. The current liquor license for 14 Avenue B is inactive.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New bar/restaurant for lower Avenue B?

Superdive: "a total shitshow" and "impressively chaotic"

From the Eater tipline:

"I was there on Saturday night for about fifteen minutes getting change...it was a total shitshow. People couldn't figure out who worked there and who didn't. The mixed drink area was packed but no one could figure out how they were being charged for drinks. At one point I saw two pitchers of the same beer go for totally different prices. It was impressively chaotic."

Previously.

New bar for Avenue A?

Something is coming to this space on 32 Avenue A near Third Street (next door to Aces & Eights)... the former sushi joint that closed last spring.



The work permit mentions "ground floor bar." Haven't seen anything about a liquor license for this space.

Timber

The transformation of the former Mo Pitkin's space at 34 Avenue A continues....seems as if the folks behind the new bar, Aces & Eights, are giving it a ....



rustic log cabin/lodge kinda look...



It has come a long way from the vintage feel of Mo's...

Aces & Eights signage up at former Mo Pitkin's space

As I mentioned last Monday, a new bar has opened in the former Mo Pitkin's space at 34 Avenue A. I was told that the building was purchased by the folks behind the fratty Yorkville saloon Aces & Eights. Now, rather temporary-looking signage is up...




No indication yet how the performance space upstairs will be utilized. (Beer pong tourneys?) Something tells me that you won't be seeing, say, Kiki & Herb or Murray Hill headlining anytime soon...The 2-for-1 happy hour is in keeping with the four other bars on the next block -- Double Down, Kelly's, Nice Guy Eddie's and The Library -- that have the same deal.

Meanwhile, add futurist to the skills of former Mo's regular Ben Lerman. The ukulele-playing comedian had this to say to New York magazine in September 2007 upon hearing the news that Mo's was for sale:

“Like Brownies, Fez, Sin-é, Tonic, and many others before, Mo’s will be just another arts venue replaced by yet another bland, chic meat-market with delicious mojitos. The people moving into the town don’t want live entertainment. They just want to get hammered and drag someone home to their luxury condo. Which, when you put it that way, actually doesn’t sound so bad.”

Bar with no name opens in former Mo Pitkin's space

We were surprised to find the former Mo Pitkin's space reopened as a bar this past weekend. We knew something was in the works for the place. In any event, there was a "soft opening" -- as they say -- this past Friday in which a reliable EV Grieve operative reported that the place looked "sketchy" in sort of an Upper East Side way. There's no indication outside what the place is called. In any event, it's apparently run by the folks behind Aces & Eights, the fratty Yorkville saloon on First Avenue and 87th Street.

The former Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction bar/restaurant/performance space at 34 Avenue A closed in October 2007. It was owned in part by Two Boots honcho Phil Hartman. According to the Observer last November, the building was sold for $4 million.

We stopped by ourselves last night...but the place was closed...no word yet on what will become of the performance space upstairs. There is a rather rumpled-looking banner advertising loft space for rent hanging from the second level, though it looks like it's for LiveinNYC.net. (They have no listings for spaces on Avenue A.) It would be a shame if this becomes just another bar...losing the performance part of the space in the process.

A look inside Sunday night...

Former Vasmay Lounge space is now the Local 269

So, when did this pop up...? I swear it wasn't here Friday...The Local 269 was open for business last night at Houston and Suffolk on the LES (the bar's address is 269 Houston)...enticing 2-for-1 happy hour sign on the sidewalk...As enticing as this all was, I didn't have time to stop in and check it out...Another day. Or night.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The way we were, Vasmay Lounge edition

Fall from Grace

I was curious how much longer the inspirational message would stay up at the Grace and Hope Mission at 114 Third Ave. near 14th Street. Workers have been pounding away at this place in recents weeks....



to turn it into a barf factory. It's now revealed.



UPDATED: As a commenter notes: I don't think this spot is going to be a Mitchell Banchik bar anymore. I belive this is where Robin Raj (the deli on the corner is relocating too).... The Robin Raj people told me they are moving here sometime between Christmas and New Years.

Jeremiah has some history on the Grace and Hope Mission here. By the way, even though the place shuttered in the fall of 2007, the Grace and Hope Mission's Web site is still up and running.

More fancy $12 cocktails coming to "the Lower East Village"

Eater brings news of Ella, the newest nightspot on the "Lower East Village," as its owners are calling the area. The bar will be at the site of the former Julep at 9 Avenue, next door to the Library.

A list of $12 specialty cocktails, such as the Plum Gin Fizz (Muddled sour plum, 2oz Gin, splash of simple syrup, splash of lemon juice, shaken in a Collins glass) will be served nightly. Bottles of beer are $7 and glasses of wine will range from $10 to $20.

"The Ella staff will fit the theme dressed in classic sexy and sophisticated 1920's attire."