East Village Reviews
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[email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:17 PM Page 89 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 90 17 8 At times, it can appear irreverently pretentious, intimidating and 42 3 19 14 48 exclusive — but always...always, 13 the East Village is exciting, 9 56 shocking and alive. 25 36 44 ith each passing season, the East Village 15 29 46 2 37 sheds another layer of its nightlife persona, W 20 ever offering something new, though not always 38 improved. 34 50 53 39 7 45 The area first appeared as a distinct 27 24 22 neighborhood in the 60s as struggling artists, fleeing skyrocketing West Village rents, invaded and set up camp. Their radical political and artistic 21 views immediately set this loosely knit colony 52 apart; professing an in-your-face attitude that saturates the neighborhood to this day. Most 30 28 31 23 16 47 recently, the area has absorbed large numbers of Latinos and Ukrainians, as well as gays and 10 49 lesbians. 41 18 4 5 54 43 40 An afternoon stroll through the East 6 1 Village is secondhand shopping at its best, with 55 32 streets lined with cheap outdoor cafes, music 35 11 shops and vintage clothing boutiques. Music 51 33 26 venues like C.B.G.B. showcase local talent, while political playwrights hold captive audiences at KGB 12 and Nuyorican Poet's Cafe. The heart of this area's scene, though, is Alphabet City and its abundance of bars of all shapes, sizes and persuasions. From the drag queen staff at Lucky Cheng's to the pulsating throngs at Webster Hall, 1 288 Bar 20 Casimir 39 Liquids there is something for everyone. Please Mr. Musto, 2 2A 21 Cherry Tavern 40 Lucky Cheng s 3 7B 22 Chez es Saada 41 Marion s tell me downtown is dead no longer. 4 Angel s Share 23 D.B.A. 42 McSorley s Old Ale 5 Astor Restaurant & 24 Decibel 43 House 6 Lounge 25 Detour 44 Musical Box 7 B Bar 26 Drinkland 45 Nevada Smith s 8 Bar XVI 27 Fez 46 Niagara 9 Baraza 28 First 47 One and One 10 Barmacy 29 Flamingo East 48 O p aline 11 Beauty Bar 30 Flea Market 49 Opium Den 12 Belgo Nieuw York 31 Gemini Lounge 50 Pierrot 13 Bond Street 32 Global 33 51 Solas 14 Bouche Bar 33 Great Jones Cafe 52 Standard 15 Boxcar Lounge 34 Indochine 53 Temple Bar 16 Brownies 35 Izzy Bar 54 Tenth Street Lounge 17 Burp Castle 36 Joe s Pub 55 T ribe 18 C-Note 37 Korova Milk Bar 56 Von 90 New York @ Night 19 C.B.G.B. 38 The Library W ebster Hall [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 92 Type of 288 Bar Angel’s Share Type of Establishmen 288 Elizabeth Street 8 Stuyvesant Street Establishmen t t Hours No Phone Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues Bar Daily 12pm- 212.777.5415 Hours 4am The origin of this bar’s name remains a Daily 7pm- Drink Prices total mystery (although its alias is Tom & Um, where is this place? We’re not telling, 3am Inexpensive Jerry’s), as does its pull on the people who because finding this little gem is well worth Drink Prices Food come here. Sure, there’s more than a the effort. On the nights we went, a mellow Moderate N/A nominal pickup scene, and more than one jazz duo was cooling the summer heat out- Food Nearest patron loves the jukebox as it slides from side with a blue bossa, but Angel’s Share is Light Asian Subway the Bee Gees to Al Green to Curtis May- perfectly imaginable as a wintertime retreat fare B,D,F,Q to field. But sometimes you and your friends with its large windows looking down to the Nearest Broadway/ just want a bar with no bouncer, no guest snowy street below. At other times the quiet Subway Lafayette list, no VIP section, and no overly self-con- is nothing if not delicate, and since parties 6 to Astor Credit Cards numbering over five are not permitted, this Place Cash Only scious theme...just drinks. And at 288 those drinks come fast and furious. Oh, spot remains an intimate destination for you Credit Cards and we should mention the pickup scene and your tasteful significant other. AmEx,V,MC again. Astor Restaurant & Lounge 2A 316 Bowery @ Bleecker Street 25 Avenue A @ 2nd Street 212.253.8644 212.505.2466 Type of Decorated in a visually stunning Moroccan- Type of Establishmen There’s an interesting sibling rivalry going on inspired motif, with the shades of old New Establishmen t t Bar/Lounge at 2A. The bar downstairs is like the South, York that its name implies, Astor’s street level dining room is spacious and stately in Restaurant/ Hours steeped in tradition and leery of outsiders. Lounge The lounge upstairs is like the North, wel- its decor. The downstairs lounge, though, is Daily 4am- Hours 4pm coming newcomers, trend-setting and mod- where the action is. Hide away in a dark- F-Sa 6pm-4am Drink Prices ern. Neighborhood veterans, some of whom ened corner booth as you nibble on a snack Su-Th 6pm- Cheap have been coming to 2A for over a decade, with your date, or politic with a circle of 2am Food stay downstairs. They set their watches by friends on the couches or at the bar. The Drink Prices N/A their favorite bartender’s shift, grab a bar service here is key. Moderate Nearest stool and order a pint. Upstairs, candles Whether you’re a robber Food Subway abound and the lights, covered with 30s pin- baron, a captain of indus- American/ F to 2nd up girls, are dimmed. Patrons laze on try, or a struggling free- French A venue leather sofas and order drinks from the ser- lance writer for the city’s Nearest Credit Cards best nightlife guide, Subway Cash Only vice bar. 6 to Bleecker Astor’s staff always Credit Cards comes with the respect. AmEx,V,MC 7B 108 Avenue B @ 7th Street 212.473.8840 B Bar 40 East 4th Street @ Bowery Looking for loud music and good whiskey? 212.475.2220 Type of Both the bartenders and the neighborhood Establishmen regulars who love them can’t get enough of It used to be the Bowery Bar and now it’s t either at 7B. Considering they’ve been open just the B Bar. Though it’s lost some its Bar since 1933, they must be doing something letters, it certainly hasn’t lost any of its atti- Type of Hours right. Of course you can expect there’s tude. The Frankenstein-like guys at the Establishmen Daily 12pm- been at least a few changes since the days door control the requisite velvet rope and t 4am Bar/Restaurant right after Prohibition: the pig knuckle make sure everyone that enters has a Drink Prices sandwich advertised on an old menu board ‘look.’ The vogueing can get a little ridicu- Hours Inexpensive Sa-Su has given way to the latest in pinball lous and the place can be a bit of a meat machines. But when everyone’s first priority 10:30am- Food market, but once the Boss and Elite model 3am N/A is getting smashed, nobody’s complaining. M-F 11:30am- One bartender suggests that, “Thursdays wannabes relax and stop trying to get dis- Nearest covered, a good time is definitely had by all. 3am Subway are the new Fridays,” where rock rules Drink Prices F to 2nd every night of the week. Moderate Avenue 92 New York @ Night East Village 93 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 94 Type of Bar XVI Beauty Bar Type of Establishmen 16 1st Avenue 231 East 14th Street Establishmen t t Bar/Restaurant Between 1st & 2nd Streets Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues Bar 212.260.1549 212.539.1389 Hours Hours Daily 8pm- M-F 5pm-4am 4am It’s entirely possible that life exists at Bar Depending on your childhood, Beauty Bar is Sa-Su 6pm- XVI the other six nights out of the week. either really cool or truly frightening. If you spent 4am Drink Prices Moderate But ‘hump day’ takes on an all-new mean- hours in front of the mirror as a kid, come on Drink Prices ing when DJ Franco hosts his Vampyros down. However, if you liked to wear the same Inexpensive Food N/A Lesbos party here on Wednesday. Spend- clothes all weekend (and still do), this con- Food ing $7 at the door never felt so good as N/A Nearest verted hair salon might be a bit much, packed Subway you step into a world of multi-screen soft- as it is with vintage beauty supplies. Face it, Nearest F to 2nd core porn images and vintage Euro pop you or your friend might not be ready to sit Subway A venue rock. Named after a 60s Spanish skin flick, under a hair dryer with a cold one in hand. But L to 3rd Avenue Credit Cards the party is a groovy place to meet up with if that sort of thing appeals to you, you’ll love AmEx the other freaks from your office, and your scouting out all the weird stuff on display. Credit Cards girlfriend might just dig it too. Vampish? AmEx, V, MC Yeah, baby, and a shagadelic way to close out a millennium, century, decade, or Belgo Nieuw York evening.