May 19th, 2009
If you read the exhaustive New York Times piece over the weekend on DBGB, Daniel Boulud's new restaurant on the Bowery, you know even restauranteurs with impeccable credentials and huge bank accounts are more than a little nervous about big ventures these days. In the words of one restaurant consultant, "does the word bloodbath mean anything to you?" Recently we checked in on three fledgling restaurants on the Lower East Side to see how the newbies are doing. None was empty, but they weren't exactly bustling either. In all cases they deserve a shot at success, even if they're not perfect in every way.
- Antibes, 112 Suffolk, open for lunch and dinner. The French food is straightforward but mostly well prepared. BYOB for now – incredibly gracious service. Best bet: guiness braised short ribs, $17.
- La Barra, 250 Broome Street, open for lunch and dinner. A Mexican ceviche and taco place. The chef, Allen Feldman, has cooked at La Grenouille and Veritas. No liquor license yet. Best bet: chef's special ceviche.
- The Clerkenwell, 49 Clinton Street, dinner and weekend brunch only. The English gastropub from Shay Kelly, a veteran of the London restaurant scene. Best bet, yorkshire toad in the hole with English sausages.
May 19th, 2009
If you really want to get Grand Street motorists going, ask them how they feel about bicyclists who don't obey the traffic rules. We found that out last month during the transportation "town hall" sponsored by Councilman Alan Gerson. Later Transportation Alternatives spokesman Wiley Norvell told us his organization is working hard to promote good bicycling behavior. To that end they have debuted a new web site, www.bikingrules.org. They lay out the rules of the road "from a cyclist's persoective." Among the rules spelled out online:
- Bicycles ridden on sidewalks may be confiscated and riders may be subject to legal sanctions
- It is against the law to park, stand or stop within or otherwise obstruct bike lanes.
- Bicyclists are granted all of the rights and are subject to all of the duties of the driver of a motor vehicle.
May 19th, 2009
If you really want to get Grand Street motorists going, ask them how they feel about bicyclists who don't obey the traffic rules. We found that out last month during the transportation "town hall" sponsored by Councilman Alan Gerson. Later Transportation Alternatives spokesman Wiley Norvell told us his organization is working hard to promote good bicycling behavior. To that end they have debuted a new web site, www.bikingrules.org. They lay out the rules of the road "from a cyclist's persoective." Among the rules spelled out online:
- Bicycles ridden on sidewalks may be confiscated and riders may be subject to legal sanctions
- It is against the law to park, stand or stop within or otherwise obstruct bike lanes.
- Bicyclists are granted all of the rights and are subject to all of the duties of the driver of a motor vehicle.
May 19th, 2009
Gawker unleashes a not unwarranted snark attack on this morning's New York Post story on rising assault cases throughout Downtown Manhattan. On the Lower East Side for instance there have been 10 more assaults so far this year than there were at this time in 2008 — not exactly the "Violent Crime Wave" the Post proclaims.
May 19th, 2009
According to the New York Post, the NYPD is dealing with a big increase in assaults downtown, the "city's party mecca." In the Lower East Side, there have been 43 assaults so far in 2009, up 30-percent from 2008. But the The Village (both East and West) topped the LES in violent crimes. The NYPD blames the big late night bar crowds downtown but the article does not explain what might have caused the increases this year.
District 1 City Councilman Alan Gerson barely squeaked out a victory last night in an endorsement meeting of the Village Reform Democratic Club. Gerson was expected to have an easier time – he used to be the president of the club. Gerson's weak attendance record and vote against term limits may have hurt his standing with the VRDC. Challenger Pete Gleason came in second.
Rent Board head Marvin Markus lays out his proposal for "a rent increase exemption," that would allow people who can't afford rent increases to apply for relief.
Saxelby Cheesmongers in the Essex Market trumpets the arrival of handmade corn tortillas from Hot Bread Kitchen. They're made from pure ground corn. Hot Bread Kitchen provides job training and English classes to women who have immigrated from Mexico, Bangladesh, the Phillipines,
Ecuador, Mali, and Afghanistan.
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