Post tagged with

7A CAFE

A New Look For A Favorite Cafe

7A, newly remodeledSuzanne Rozdeba The 7A Cafe, a neighborhood mainstay, re-opened this week after extensive renovations. “We haven’t remodeled since 1986,” said the general manager, “and the owner thought it was time.”
7A restaurant, newly remodeled
7A, newly remodeled

After a two-week closure for renovations, 7A Cafe is back open for business with a new, eclectic, jungle-meets-50s-diner look.

The 24-hour restaurant, a favorite in the East Village for brunch, re-opened on Jan. 18. It now has a green and beige color scheme with jungle and bamboo-themed wallpaper, spacious diner booths, a zinc bar with faux bamboo lighting hanging overhead, and an overall more open feel.

The décor was chosen by Mark Wilson, a SoHo artist who is a friend of the owner, Moshe Hatsav. “Mark was in Brazil in the Amazon, and he said, ‘Let’s do something with the Amazon, green with bamboo,’ and I said, ‘O.K.!’” Mr. Hatsav told The Local. “We wanted to give it an upscale-diner look. The look before was from the 80’s. I’m very happy with the changes. Green is the thing.”

Mr. Hatsav said customers are enjoying the new look. “Customers who have been coming for years really like the changes. The food is the same because the customers really like our food.”

The delicious, $13 brunch on weekends continues to include choices like Shrimp and Avocado Benedict, Smoked Mozzarella Frittata, and Brioche French Toast. The price includes coffee or tea, and your choice of freshly-squeezed orange juice or an alcoholic drink such as a Mimosa or Bellini.

Doug Rochelle, the general manager, told The Local, “Everyone else is remodeling in the neighborhood, or opening something new. We haven’t remodeled since 1986, and the owner thought it was time.”

Mr. Rochelle called the new design “diner-like with a twist. It’s an eclectic mix of things. There’s a new zinc bar, the bathroom has cartoon characters on the wall, there’s the jungle theme in the back, and the café feel in the front. We’re blending all of those different flavors.”


7A Cafe, East Seventh Street and Avenue A. 212-475-9001.


East Village, With All the Trimmings

FxCam_1289336440232Timothy Krause

They say there is a chemical in turkey that makes you sleepy.

Now, it’s safe to say no scientific institution or study has actually proven this information. The truthiness of this bit of knowledge goes unquestioned because on every Thanksgiving day the fact is loudly announced by the obligatory young and obnoxious cousin/child of a neighbor/stranger’s nephew to a room full of people who are wiping gravy sweat from their brows. Often, it’s the last thing many people hear before drifting off into a tortured, caloric slumber.

It is for this reason alone that Thanksgiving shouldn’t be celebrated at home. Since our fair collection of loud and populated street corners means this city never sleeps, we certainly can’t be sleeping on Nov. 25 ; we have things to do. Funkmaster Flex and Swizz Beatz will be at Webster Hall, and after that it’s straight to Union Square to stand in the line at Best Buy. If we sleep, someone will steal our spot.

However, some East Village residents who actually admit to having a family – and maybe, god forbid, a life before their days of wearing a leather jacket – do get nostalgic for sweet potatoes and gizzards. Luckily, a few restaurants are providing prix fixe menus for gobblers of gravy and gratin. And, thank your holy fowls, it’s all the same delicious East Village food at the same reasonable prices.
Read more…