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Speaking of new bar names... the former Lilly Coogan's on First Avenue near Sixth Street apparently has a new name...



Molly and Shawn from the International will be opening this space... finally, a new bar that I'm looking forward to...

Previously on EV Grieve:
International Bar owners taking over Lilly Coogan's

Hype Lounge will be covered with TVs, among other things

Jeremiah first brought news last month of Hype Lounge, former home of Daphne's Hibiscus Restaurant on 14th Street near Second Avenue.... There's plenty of work happening in the space...



And the sign out front offers a few more details of what to expect come October:




The Hype website is now live too. Per the site:

Hype Lounge is New York City's premier sports lounge. With 29 HD TVs, you will never miss a game. Our sound system is state-of-the-art, giving you the best experience possible. This is truely a sports-lover's dream come true.

Our goal at Hype Lounge is comfort and convenience. The entire lounge is covered with TVs in order to maximize your viewing potential. There is wall to wall seating as well as our extended bar area. No matter where you are standing or sitting at Hype Lounge, you will never miss a play.

There are also specials:

Monday Night - Martini Monday $6.00 (8pm-10pm)
Tuesday Night- Tequila Tuesday - $5.00 Cocktails (8pm-10pm)
Wednesday Night- Ladies night (Ladies drink free 8pm-10pm)
Thursday Night- Three Olives Cocktails $5.00 (8pm-10pm)
Friday Night – Say it ain’t so Stella - $4.00 Stella (8pm-10pm)
Saturday Night – Sexy Saturday - $6.00 Specialty Cosmos (8pm-10pm)

And on the seventh day...?

Bedlam brings the stars to 'a relatively dingy, run-down neighborhood'

[Photo via the Voice]

Well, Black Book has a press release feature on Bedlam, the new venture from Eastern Bloc's Benjamin Maisani. Here are some passages for you:

What used to be a dingy, run-down bar in a relatively dingy, run-down neighborhood has transformed into a posh lounge destined to draw crowds to Avenue C. Bedlam, named after the first insane asylum in London, opened its doors this past week, offering a new hang-out spot for those who like to feel old-world in a modern way. Non-crazies Sara Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Anderson Cooper, Solange Knowles, and Alan Cumming made it to the opening fete earlier this week. The new bar and lounge captures the mood of late 19th-century parlor life — think Edith Wharton or Robert Louis Stevenson.

And!

Thankfully Bedlam isn’t a showy, out-of-place jewel box of smartness; the flavor of the neighborhood and the former space is retained with the exposed brick wall and original, red vinyl benches. The back room—slated to host private events—still features 40C’s generous-sized bathroom and skylight (in addition to—surprise!—more animal heads).

And!

Creative cocktails like the Sagamore House — named after Teddy Roosevelt’s country house — will be available for whoever’s feeling fancy, but the average hipster can still order their Bud. The new bar has also plucked some top DJs from well-known establishments like Santos, Heathers, Le Bain at the Standard, and the former Mister Black, so expect — dare I say it — bedlam.

OK! Will take some time to process all this. Meanwhile, you may have some comments.

Previously on EV Grieve:
40 Avenue C getting another renovation

Anderson Cooper's boyfriend opening 19th-century cocktail bar on Avenue C

Anderson Cooper's boyfriend opening 19th-century cocktail bar on Avenue C

Last month, we noted that the former 40C and Batista was undergoing renovations on Avenue C between Third Street and Fourth Street... Thanks to Fork in the Road, we have a better idea of the new tenant. It's called Bedlam Bar and Lounge.

According to Chantel Martineau:

It's the latest venture by Benjamin Maisani of Eastern Bloc in collaboration with illustrator Pablo Raimondi. The décor is 19th century parlor chic, with plenty of antique-looking leather-bound books and taxidermy lining the walls. The cocktails will offer subtle twists on classics like Negronis and Side Cars, and will be complemented by a selection of craft beers. Bedlam soft opens September 16, with a grand opening on October 1.

[Photo via the Voice]

The post didn't note, though, that Maisani is reportedly the boyfriend of CNN personality Anderson Cooper.

Previously on EV Grieve:
40 Avenue C getting another renovation

New Avenue B rock club to feature White Castle's, Artichoke and a 'Weirdo Room'

UrbanDaddy has details on the "New Luxe Rock-and-Roll Attic Bar" in the former Uncle Ming's space on Avenue B near 14th Street... (Above Bee Liquors and across from Mona's...)

Introducing White Noise, a new luxe rock-and-roll bar in the East Village (naturally), opening [this Friday] with the promise of hazy Jack Daniel’s nights, impromptu live shows and a crowd that feels good being bad.

Climb the stairs to White Noise’s hidden second-floor lair ... and you’ll be thrust into a world of vintage couches covered in black vinyl (leather is so pretentious), a bar layered in old tin roofing and windows boarded up and covered in thick black curtains. Even the chandeliers have been dipped in black tar.

It’s the sort of dark cavern that will gracefully usher in your next night of moody carousing with hot muses and rigorous academic debates about bass players, which may just end with a session in the secret "Weirdo Room," where you will sit alone, under a strobe light, and contemplate the meaning of "Stairway."

And the next morning, when the hot blaze of the Sunday sun proves too much, you can head right back in for their hangover party (starting in a few weeks), complete with vintage rock operas playing on a projection screen, microwave White Castle burgers and slices of Artichoke pizza.

The reader who sent me the link included a simple comment: "Gawd, this looks awful."

On the liquor license docket: Hot & Crusty! Superdive! (Again!) DBGB's sidewalk cafe!

Well! The CB3/SLA agenda for August is now online... Eater and the Lo-Down had the early word on several of the more interesting items. (Clearly they hacked into Susan Stetzer's hard drive! ... Kidding!)

Anyway! Here are some of the items of possible interest ... with helpful comments afterwards in italics...

Monday, Aug. 16 at 6:30 pm — JASA/Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at Bowery

Renewal with Complaint History
• Cheapshots, 140 1st Ave (op)

Good luck given recent history there.

Sidewalk Cafe Applications
• The Penny Farthing (East County Louth, Inc), 103 3rd Ave

Thought this had already been OK'd...

• DBGB (Bowery Restaurant LLC), 299 Bowery

But of course!

Applications within Resolution Areas
• D Burger Inc, 26 1st Ave (wb)
• D Pizza Inc, 26 1st Ave, Store #2 (wb)

The Rama Cafe space...

Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades
• Kate's Joint, 56-58 Ave B (alt/op/usage of basement as storage/minor kitchen modification)

Storage for what? That Post intern who blew the lid of the fact that underage people sometimes go to bars and drink?

• Habibi Lounge (Zaika Restaurant Corp), 198 Ave A (alt/op)

Still haven't met anyone who has been here...

• Superdive (Rapture Cafe & Books LLC), 200 Ave A (alt/op/kitchen/size & location of bar)

Hahaha...fifth time they've been on the agenda in the past six months...

• East Village Tavern (Brooklyn Bar NYC Inc), 158 Ave C (alt/op/stips/extend hours/add live music)

Live music? Longer hours?

• Corp to be Formed, 200 Ave A (trans/op) (Superdive)

Haha...

New Liquor License Applications
• Stromboli Pizza (Stromboli Pizza Inc), 83 St Marks Pl (wb)

Just noting.

• Dans Le Noir (Dans Le Noir Corp), 107 Norfolk St (op) (Tonic)

Eater has more on what may be coming to the long-dormant Tonic space...

• Corp to be Formed (Alexander Stupak), 101 3rd Ave (op)

Oh, the old Cosmic Cantina space... Eater noted that pastry chef from wd~50 has his name on this ... which probably maybe means -- high-end dessert!

• Hot & Crusty (14th St Bella Pizza Corp), 400 E 14th St (b)

Beer for Hot & Crusty?!

[Image via]

Rock

Oh, just noticed that an exterior sign for Billy Hurricane's on Avenue B is up...Far as I know the bar isn't open just yet...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Whatever happened to simple bar names...concepts?

Whatever happened to simple bar names... and concepts?

I'm thinking about some of the bars that I like in the neighborhood... Joe's, Mona's, Lucy's, Sophie's, Manitoba's, 2A, 7B ... all have pretty simple names — and concepts. Some other bars have been around long enough that I don't even think twice about the names anymore ... the International, the Blue & Gold, Mar's Bar, the Phoenix, the Grassroots, the Holiday Cocktail Lounge ...

Apparently, simplicity doesn't work anymore ... simple names, simple concepts... In the Times last week, Frank Bruni noted the three owners of the new Blind Barber on East 10th Street:

"This troika of tricksters is determined to get your attention. That’s no easy feat in the crowded downtown drinkscape, where the competition comes armed with secret entrances, hidden alleys, pharmaceutical paraphernalia, taxidermy. What’s left? A bar with barbers, it turns out."

Given the economics, I suppose you can no longer open a bar called Jim's where people could come and drink and have conversations and be profitable.

No, wait. I suppose you can no longer open a bar called Jim's where people who live in the neighborhood could come and drink and have conversations and be profitable.

So let's take a look at some of the new bars (and restaurants) that just opened or are opening very soon in the neighborhood:

1) The 13th Step



The team behind Down the Hatch is opening the 13th Step at the former Telephone Bar on Second Avenue. I posted this back in February.

The term the 13th Step means: This term is used as a euphemism for inappropriate sexual advances by a member to a newcomer in AA (such as sponsors toward sponsees).

In a post on the new 13th Step sign last week... some readers here weighed in...:

13th step. What the fuck is that, now we're gonna get all quaint and cutesy and ironic about alcoholism? Gawd sometimes I really hate people and their "creative ideas".

And!

Pretty soon we will have more bars with ridiculous flippant alcohol problem-referencing names like "The Drunk Tank", "Drunk and Disorderly's", "Alcohol Poisoning", "The Binge", "DUI"... possibilites are endless.

2) SRO

Theres's a new upscale winery coming to Stanton in the Bowery... at the former annex for the SRO Sunshine Hotel. So. The new owners tastefully decided to name this place... SRO... This name annoyed the CB3/SLA committee last Monday night, as Eater noted. (Read BoweryBoogie's coverage of this place here.)

As Jeremiah wrote about SRO: "another unfortunate appropriation of poverty-related language by caterers to the affluent. Hey, why not call it Flophouse? Or Soup Kitchen? Or Skid Row? Wouldn't that be hip? How about Scabies?"

3) The Ninth Ward



As Fork in the Road reported, the owners of Shoolbred's are taking over the former Thai on Two space on Second Avenue. Per the Fork:

"The new place will have an 1890s' New Orleans feel, with absinthe drips and classic cocktails, much like Laffite's or the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street. Some food — most likely, Cajun standards — will be served."

Fine, but... When I heard that name, I recalled my trip to New Orleans in the fall of 2006 — nearly 14 months after Hurricane Katrina wiped out portions of the city. A friend, who was born and raised in New Orleans, took me for a tour of the devastation in various parts of the city, including the Lower Ninth Ward. Houses had been knocked off foundations. Not much remained except some muck — layers of canal water, sewage and dirt — and mold. Doesn't make me feel like a cocktail.

On Friday afternoon, Fork in the Road noted Louisiana-transplant and writer Cajun Boy's reaction via Twitter:

A New Orleans-themed bar in NYC called Ninth Ward has opened. Maybe I'll open a NYC-themed bar in New Orleans and call it World Trade Center

4) Billy Hurricane's



In the former Rehab/Midway space (and Save the Robots) space at 25 Avenue B, an upstairs/downstairs combo is opening soon. Grub Street reported in April that the owners will open the "Bourbon. Beer. Rock'–themed Idle Hands in the basement space 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."



Billy's has a blog. The first post notes:

Once we get the kitchen finalized, among other things... we will be ready to rock!
Watch out for our opening night party... will be off the hook!
Please welcome us to the neighborhood.
Are you ready to rock!?

DNAinfo had a follow-up on Billy's/Idle Hands a few weeks back. Per Patrick Hedlund's story:

But even though its door have yet to open, the space has already been forced to contend with negative criticisms that have cast the bar as a theme-park-style venue that will attract rowdy crowds to the residential area.

"There's always going to be somebody who doesn't like it and doesn't want you there," said co-owner Rob Morton, 37 ...

Morton responded to the snipes by saying his group is simply following a long list of glitzier nightlife establishments that have flocked to the formerly gritty area.

"You can't yearn for a neighborhood that was," he said

.

Or can you?

Noted

Yesterday!



The day before yesterday!



Previously on EV Grieve:
13th Step one step closer to reality

Shear madness?

Speaking of new bars, the Blind Barber has opened on 10th Street near Avenue B....at the former Plan B space (same owners, I believe)...

Frank Bruni paid a visit at the Times... Here's a Frankenblurb or two... He described it as "a new establishment in the East Village with a worrisome moniker but an amusing conceit: Every $40 haircut or $30 shave comes with a cocktail (or beer or wine) from an adjacent lounge in back, enabling the patron to do follicular and spiritual maintenance all at once."

And!

Although we reporters are usually loath to admit this sort of thing, the release got my attention. It heralded a “barbershop and lounge mash-up,” casting the enterprise as “the ultimate experience in multitasking.”

“Not enough hours in the day for that much needed haircut?” it asked. “Has yet another social obligation cut into your grooming time?” Enter the Blind Barber, where you can socialize and groom simultaneously, or at least in rapid succession, under one roof. Get buzzed while getting buzzed. Combine hygiene with high jinks.

Uh, anyway, I walked by the place Wednesday evening and spotted a bouncer and velvety-looking ropes....



Back in January, Fork in the Road noted that Blind Barber would also be serving food from Gnocco next door...

3,000-square-foot bar/restaurant "with an occasional D.J." apparently moving forward on Avenue B

Last September, I noted that a new bar/eatery was coming into the dormant spaces at 14-16 Avenue B at Second Street...



Yesterday, work on the exterior began...






Back in January, Rebecca Marx at Fork in the Road reported that Beltrami Foods, an Italian restaurant, will open here. As she noted:

According to Cristiano Morroy, one of the restaurant's owners, Beltrami will be open from morning to night, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. The chef will be Morroy's mother, a professional chef whose food reflects where she lived and worked in her native Italy. The restaurant's menu will have a strong southeastern accent, as Morroy's mother spent time in towns like Apulia and Otranto, both located in the heel of Italy's boot.

Although this is Morroy's first restaurant in New York, he already runs a catering company that does a lot of work in the fashion industry. His mother, he says, is quite well-known back in Italy, having cooked for both Mick Jagger's and Willem Dafoe's wedding party.

Two quick comments:

1) Jagger and Dafoe?!
2) Can Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B possibly support another Italian restaurant? Especially with yet another one coming to Second Street and A? (And, more important, can this section of Avenue B support any more bars...?)

Back in February, the CB3/SLA folks denied Beltrami a license.... Here's how Eater reported it:

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.

As EV Grieve reader Mediainski commented back in February:

I love the claim of an "occasional DJ." In other words, this place is going to be blaring loud music every night!

Also! The denied transfer (from the former Butterfly at 14 Avenue B) led to an epic David McWater outburst at the meeting. The Lo-Down had all the details.

The current liquor license for this location is inactive...

One brief moment outside the Crazy Landlord Building

Monday afternoon, I spotted someone hanging something or another on the Crazy Landlord Building at Third Street and Second Avenue...



Less than 24 hours later, the sign (I think it was a stenciled Arizona Immigration piece) had been removed by Crazy Landlord Street Art Cleaners...



Previously on EV Grieve:
"Crazy Landlord" cleans up his corner: Here comes a "sexier Balthazar"

Ghost signage at former Telephone Bar and Grill?

The exterior work on the former Telephone Bar continues on Second Avenue near Ninth Street... EV Grieve reader Miranda sent this shot along from last Friday morning, when the work was really getting started outside...



Made easier, of course, without those pesky old red telephone booths... and work continued yesterday... So... What I can't recall... is that Bar & Grill sign part of the old Telephone signage from a few years back?




It just doesn't look like signage for what is coming to this address, the lovingly named 13th Step...

Previously on EV Grieve:
The 13th Step sure to be big with the AA crowd

Good Vibrations? Lava Gina's name change on Avenue C

EV Grieve reader Dan points out that Lava Gina on Avenue C between Eighth Street and Seventh Street has become Vibrations Lounge. Workers painted the front over earlier last week, but the new name in the window just went up on Friday...

So far so good at The Penny Farthing, but how about the possible not-actually-secret secret downstairs lounge?

EV Grieve reader Margaret decided to stop by The Penny Farthing last evening ... it's new place on the southeast corner of 13th Street and Third Avenue....it was the former Cafe DeVille, who never returned from vacation last summer.

Here's what she had to say:

"[T]hey've definitely reimagined the space. In the old cafe, the bar seemed pretty secondary, but it seems pretty front and center now.

Right in the middle is a large table, and it looks like they've partitioned off some tables for diners over on the left. The old
bicycle wheels are definitely up, as is a decent draft/bottled beer list.

The hostess said the downstairs area is not open yet, as it's more for the Thursday through Saturday night crowd. My fingers are crossed that a "Thursday night crowd" does not mean frat-tactic. The people there tonight definitely seemed a little more mature, so maybe there is hope! And there are 4ish large TVs up in the space. Interesting mix of bar and restaurant, that's for sure.

And the menu....



And what about that "downstairs area?"

"There's now a sign on the door to it on 13th that says 'PF 13,' which makes me think it's going to try to be the new not-actually-secret secret place.'"

"Another noisy bar" slated for Avenue A; actually, make that several noisy bars, perhaps

Unfortunately, I couldn't make the latest noisy bar community meeting on 13th Street last night...



I went to the one last summer in which the Superdive manager attended. I still recall the longtime resident who said that "this isn't a neighborhood that 'sits on its ass' and looked at the Destination and Superdive reps and said that they are officially 'put on notice.'"

If anyone attended last night and wants to pass along details... I'd appreciate it...

Anyway, there's plenty of reason for concern. Take a look at this month's CB3/SLA slate on Monday ... all sorts of activity on the northern stretch of Avenue A:

Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades
-- El Camion (El Camion III Inc), 194 Ave A (trans/op) (The Raven)
-- Percy's (Steelbar 180 Inc), 210-212 Ave A (trans/op) (Al Diwan)
-- MBM Lounge Inc, 212 Ave A (trans/op) (Forbidden City)
-- Corp to be Formed, 503-505 E 12th St (trans/op) (I'll have more on this one - the former Mundial and Totem)

Plus, for good measure, the popular Westville at 11th Street is applying for a sidewalk cafe license...

Meanwhile, as I posted on Saturday, there was an "open house" this past Friday at 5 p.m. (!) for the new bar/restaurant going in the old Raven space at 12th Street and Avenue A...



I've asked several neighborhood power brokers about the open house... and no one knew a thing about it. Jill at Blah Blog Blah, who has chronicled many of the noise-related issues in this part of the neighborhood, said that she walked by Friday at 5:30 p.m. "I ... didn't notice any event."

And she echoed my thoughts. "Come to think of it, what an inconvenient time to have an open house, right when most of us working stiffs are still commuting. Maybe [the owner] thought he'd get his support from the students who live in the building."



Previously on EV Grieve:
New bar slated for 12th Street and Avenue A

Observations from last night's noisy bars meeting

Another nightmare bar for 505 E. 12th St.?

We've talked with several residents in the past about problems stemming from the former bars at 505 E. 12th St.... Mundial and before that, Totem... So a few people are anxious now that the following has appeared on Monday's CB3/SLA docket:

Corp to be Formed, 503-505 E. 12th St. (trans/op)

I was never in Mundial or Totem. Here's the Totem writeup from Shecky's to show you what you missed:

Totem: Join the ultra-hip Williamsburg and NYU kiddies as they jungle boogie ‘til they can’t boogie no more at this Alphaville hotspot. Prance without dancing (as it’s legally prohibited) around the totem poles, saunter over to the lounge area, or plant yourself in the outdoor garden. Featured drinks include the house special Totem Pole and the slightly less subtle Beaver Juice. Note: the menu literally warns patrons to mind the alcohol content of these drinks, thus reflecting a certain acknowledgement of attracting a young clientele. The Totem rocks throughout the week but occasional theme nights, like the cyclical Full Moon Party, can be a howl.

We don't know just yet what this "corp to be formed" is going to be bringing to the block. At this point, any new venture is bound to cause high anxiety for neighbors.

An open house for a new restaurant on Avenue A

At 12th Street and Avenue A... a new bar/restaurant is in the works...



Did anyone go to this open house?



Previously on EV Grieve:
New bar slated for 12th Street and Avenue A

"Crazy Landlord" cleans up his corner: Here comes a "sexier Balthazar"

On March 20, 2009, we first noted the "crazy landlord" sign on the long-dormant corner of Second Avenue and Third Street... Since then, the corner has attracted plenty of street art...




...even with the rumored Belgian Ale House coming in here...

After a back-and-forth between painters and taggers, the street art team seemed to have won, as the corner full of wheat paste and spray paint and stickers remained for months... Yesterday, though, workers came and painted the whole thing...



...even the "crazy landlord" sign came done...



This is serious!

Last week, Eater had more gory details on the new Belgian joint coming to this location... it will be called the Belgian. Here are the owner's words to Eater:

It is a beautiful high ceiling space with a very Gothic basement with a sidewalk vault all around, similar to Bacaro. The basement will have a separate bar and dining as well as beer and wine cask rooms and an area for brewing.
The main floor will have a large canopied bar, large tables beer hall style with old oak and mahogany church pews. The large french doors will open to a wraparound sidewalk cafe sitting 40 or so under large colorful awnings. It will be romantic yet appropriate. Think a sexier Balthazar marries a corpulent Fette Sau and the offspring is The Belgian.

[Sigh]

Thanks for the memories, Crazy Landlord corner...

The HorseBox now open on Avenue A

Near 14th Street...



And, at least based on the sign, sports will be featured...



Uh, giddyup?