Suzanne Rozdeba Looks like there is still some work to do before the Gin Palace can open.

Out with the Iberian, in with the Victorian.

Gin Palace, the Victorian-themed bar replacing El Cobre on East Sixth Street, is opening by the end of April, co-owner Ravi DeRossi, told The Local this morning.

The new bar, which has a fancy mural in the works on the ceiling, will not have the same air of exclusivity as Mr. DeRossi’s other popular establishment, Death and Company.

“The original gin palaces in England in the 1800s were a response to a failing economy, where people would go to get wasted and escape disease and the plague. It’s not as bad right now, but it’s a pretty weak economy,” said Mr. DeRossi, who also owns nearby The Bourgeois Pig. “This will be a spinoff of those old Victorian dive bars, and no pretension. If the space fits you in, you get in.”
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Billy’s Antiques has gotten a lot of coverage around these parts as of late, but when the man himself sends videos our way of the prep for the party, the bash on Friday, and then the funeral procession, we can’t resist. The two other short videos are after the jump.
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Noah Fecks The neighborhood’s most controversial burger — at least for today.

Here’s a pair of quick follow-ups to stories we posted yesterday: Josh “Mr. Cutlets” Ozersky’s tough review of the bagel burger at Tompkins Square Bagels resulted in an equally tough response from the shop’s owner, who said the burger was nothing more than a lark.

“I probably put more thought into what color chalk to use on the special board than to that burger,” wrote owner Christopher Pugliese. “The fact that you actually found this whole thing interesting enough to come, take pictures of the burger, and dedicate a headline to it had all of us laughing our [faces] off.” Check out the story to chime in on this delicious controversy.
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Suzanne Rozdeba The sign from last week, alongside this week’s new name.

First it was Bea’s Cafe, now it’s La Betola. On Thursday The Local noted that Bea’s Cafe was coming to 514 East Sixth Street, a building with a controversial rooftop extension that is owned by Benjamin Shaoul. Now, a new sign in the window says that the cafe will be called La Betola. The concept hasn’t changed, apparently: the sign still advertises “an espresso bar and more.” Anyone have a clue to the story behind this cafe crisis that’s piqued our interest almost as much as the mysterious messages on East Seventh Street?

Racked opens its citywide survey of bodegas in the East Village, and an employee of First and First Finest Deli shares a funny story about a regular customer with bipolar tendencies. “It’s the weirdest thing,” the unnamed worker says. “Like in the morning she will come in and yell at everyone and then later that afternoon she will come in and be very peaceful and sweet, saying things like ‘Jesus is good.'” Oh, and he says customers are always trying to convince him to order fancy juices that end up sitting on the shelves.

Noah Fecks The bagel burger at Tompkins Square Bagels did not get a warm reception from our local expert.

When we got wind of the bagel burger at Tompkins Square Bagels, we knew just the person to try it. So we called Josh “Mr. Cutlets” Ozersky, the East Villager who wrote “The Hamburger: A History.” Would the bagel burger replace the one at Veselka as his favorite? Or would it be too sacrilegious for a burger purist?

The Bagel Burger at Tompkins Square Bagels has the distinction of combining the worst hamburger in the East Village with one of the most disappointing bagels; but that’s not why I hate it so much. At first, it struck me that the clownishly oversized bagels, as puffy and bloated as parade floats, would actually serve a burger well.

A traditional bagel, which is what I had hoped for, would have been far too dense and chewy for any form of ground beef: a single bite would have sent the meat squishing out to the sides, or swallowed up all its juices entirely.

But one of these augmented, airy confections might be OK. And so they might have been, had not the place chosen to cheap out and serve a gray, pasty puck of meat that woudn’t look out of place in a convenience store refrigerator. Thin as a cat’s ear, without even a hint of taste or moisture, this thing would have been overwhelmed by a slice of wonder bread.
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The Local is following progress at the soon-to-open NoHo outpost of Mile End with an eager appetite. Today we spotted a sign noting that the Montreal smoked meat Mecca is hiring cooks and servers. A co-owner of the restaurant, Noah Bernamoff, recently told Grub Street that he was hoping to open this month. One thing is for certain: Katz’s will be facing some of its stiffest competition since the days of the Second Avenue Deli once Mile End does open.

Suzanne Rozdeba The Cut, at 120 East Seventh Street.

A new barbershop, The Cut, is opening up at 120 East Seventh Street, next door to the Turntable Lab and across the street from Butter Lane and the Big Gay Ice Cream shop.

The shop was still closed at 1 p.m. today, with no word yet on when its touted grand opening will occur. But shiny new chairs, barber’s tools and mirrors could be seen neatly in place inside the store.

There’s also no indication whether pricey cuts and Sweeney Todd cocktails — a la the Blind Barber on East 10th Street — will be on the menu, or whether it’ll be as social of a spot as Perfection on Avenue C, where co-owner Hubert Phillip said it best: “A haircut is 80 percent of where the night will take you.”

Add Max Brennan to the long list of East Village business owners who have opened outposts in Williamsburg. Gothamist reports that Mr. Brennan, an owner of Lit Lounge, will open a new “swinging 60s-type jazz club” called The Flat on the other side of the East River later this month. Mr. Brennan, whose fellow Lit-owners celebrated the bar’s 10-year anniversary last week, will join familiar East Village eateries like Max, Crif Dogs, Mama’s and Cafe Mogador that have followed the L train east.

Daniel Maurer

Life Cafe’s bar was still standing last week when The Local reported that one of the shuttered cafe’s two landlords had given up trying to come to terms with the other. If the lingering fixture gave you hope that there might be an eleventh-hour rapprochement in time for outdoor brunching season (which, apparently, is already upon us), you can set it aside.

A peek into the space last night revealed that although the summer specials are still pitifully up on the chalkboard, the wooden bar decorated with covers of Life magazine has now been dismantled. Rentheads, if you’re looking for souvenirs, this might be the time to keep your eye on the sidewalk.

Oh, and speaking of brunch, Grub Street reports that the Beagle is now serving it. Pancakes with foie-gras maple syrup, anyone?

Evan Bleier

The city has whacked a bodega on Avenue D with a hefty fine, and not because it was selling “loosies” or illegal Four Lokos. Indeed, the Sergio Deli Superette’s stock resembles that of other bodega: Goya products, six packs, the daily paper. And that’s exactly why it’s in the city’s cross-hairs.

According to the Certificate of Occupancy that was issued in 1940, 127 Avenue D was zoned for use as a “garage for not more than five automobiles and storage.” When a city inspector following up on a complaint confirmed in December that the building was storing beer cans instead of cars, Bernard Margalit, the owner of the building, was hit with a $6,000 fine. Read more…

Suzanne Rozdeba

As one of Benjamin Shaoul’s buildings loses a tenant, another one is gaining one: Bea’s Café, a new coffee shop, aims to open next month in a building that has brought criticism to the ubiquitous developer.

A sign in the window of 514 East Sixth Street touts Bea’s as “an espresso bar and more.” Read more…

Suzanne Rozdeba

Since opening in December, Tompkins Square Bagels has unleashed its share of headline grabbers: French toast bagels! Sashimi-grade tuna bagels with wasabi cream cheese! Oh, and square bagels are said to be in the works (don’t tell David Cross), as is a deal with Doughnut Plant. But this. This. That’s right: a bagel burger.

It’s not the city’s first – RUB in Chelsea has offered one – but if nothing else, it single-handedly one-ups the entire menu of stunt burgers a couple of doors over at Bad Burger. Our mission is two-fold: to photograph this beast, and to eat it. Please stay tuned.

On Friday, Second Avenue lounge Lit celebrated its ten years as a gathering place and showcase for downtown’s musicians, artists, D.J.s, and plain ol’ cool kids. The Local managed to squeeze a video camera into the crowded house and spoke to owners Erik Foss and David Schwartz, along with Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (one of the night’s many star D.J.s) and Alli Pheteplace and Ryan Macdonald of the Bootblacks, who performed downstairs. Stay tuned this week as we look back on ten years of bands (everyone from Panthers to Japanther), art shows, and bathroom hijinks, and feel free to share your own Lit stories (if you can remember them?) in the comments.

Speaking of iconic antiques-and-oddities purveyors, Billy Leroy has set a date for the goodbye party that will precede the teardown of his tent, which, a couple months after closing, is still standing next to the new mural at Houston Street and Bowery. While in Los Angeles shooting the sixth episode of his forthcoming Travel Channel show “Baggage Battles,” he told The Local, “The party is Friday, March 9 and we bury the tent the next day.” Check out the new teaser for “Baggage Battles” above: as previously reported, it premieres April 11.

Warning: If you didn’t enjoy the “Bodies” exhibit and get queasy at Freemans, you probably won’t dig this slideshow either. Photos: Vivienne Gucwa.

It’s been a real challenge finding shrunken heads, human skulls and mounted piranhas in the neighborhood since Obscura Antiques and Oddities closed in January. But search no more: the store selling all things weird opened in its new location at 207 Avenue A, near East 13th Street, on Saturday.

The new digs are nearly double the size of the previous store, meaning that owners Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson have more room to show off their wacky nicknacks, and fans of their reality show “Oddities” have more room to walk around. Read more…

For every East Village business that’s opening or closing, dozens are quietly making it. Here’s one of them: Kelly Glass Studio and Gallery.

Photos: Vivienne Gucwa

Patti Kelly took a stained-glass making class at All by Hand Studio in Bay Ridge in 1976 and “took to it like a duck to water,” she said. After years of study, she opened her own Kelly Glass Studio and Gallery in Dumbo in 1989, then moved to St. Marks Place in 1992 and eventually settled at 368 East Eighth Street. Her pieces have made their way into the homes of John Leguizamo and Mary Lou Quinlan, and can be seen around the neighborhood – everywhere from a door panel at 243 East Seventh Street to the façade of the Cooper Union clock. We asked her how she’s managed to make it in the East Village for two decades.

How long have you been in the East Village?

I came to the East Village in 1992. First I was at 29 St. Marks Place and there for two years before I moved to a bigger space on Essex between Stanton and Rivington. It was an old Jewish theater. The rent got too high so then I moved to Avenue C between Seventh and Eighth where I was for about 12 years until the rent was too much. I’d started at $1,800 a month and when I left it was $4,500 a month. Five years ago I moved here to East Eighth between Avenues C and D. This space was already an artist’s studio. He was a sculptor who moved to Mexico. Before that it was a hardware store. Read more…

Vanessa Yurkevich

The “Flea Market King” isn’t the only character at the Mary Help of Christians Church market every weekend: the parking-lot bazaar at Avenue A and East 11th Street has been around for more than two decades, and some of its vendors have been there just as long. Even in these winter months, they bundle up on Saturdays and Sundays hoping to make a bundle of cash. Today, The Local salutes just some of these weekend warriors. Read more…

Daniel Maurer Construction work on the building today.

As recently as yesterday, Kathy Kirkpatrick was holding out hope that Life Cafe would be resurrected in spite of the “For Rent” sign in the window of her iconic restaurant and a simmering dispute between her two landlords (yes, she has two).

“I’m still waiting to see how it plays out,” Ms. Kirkpatrick said. “Things are getting resolved, things are developing — though meanwhile, I wait.”

But today the dispute boiled over and Bob Perl, one of her landlords, said Life Cafe was dead — he could no longer bear trying to negotiate with Abraham Noy, the other landlord.

“I can’t get it done,” Mr. Perl said. “I’m done with Noy – these guys are just impossible.” Read more…