at the sign of The Pink Pig

Mercadito Cantina Talks Back

[The War on Fun by Wilfrid:  January 17, 2011]

Following the recent announcement that Mercadito Cantina plans to close, citing the lack of a liquor license.  Instead, they've offered "Tric-quila"-based cocktails, using a tequila-style cordial which is actually a type of sake, and therefore a wine.  What ludicrous hoops honest businesses have to jumpt through in this town.

Heartening, however, to see a response - albeit unofficial - to the mean-spirited good riddance comments from some of the nimby die-hards.  A letter purportedly from a Mercadito employee, published today by E.V. Grieve.  It tells some hard truths:

"I grew up here in the East Village. My Dad's from here too... A lot of us are from the area and the owner and mgmt were really cool about hiring us back during off time between semesters to make some extra cash. To wish us gone or to say we were some kind of bad thing for the community is just wrong.

I know for a fact that Cantina often donated food and gift certificates to many local schools and fund-raising events. I know because I got to serve at some of those events...

A bunch of us got to go to the CB3 meeting when we applied for a full license the second time. Our manager and one of the owners went up there and basically got yelled at by the ladies who ran the meeting. I really felt they were really confrontational and disrespectful at certain points. Almost looking for a fight...

We are going to close and a lot of us will probably be unemployed for a while before we get another job. But, the real losers are CB3 and the community. Whether you realize it or not is another story."

There's some testimony.  Read the extended letter at E.V. Grieve.

 

 

 

 

 

The Slow Death of Live Performance

[The War on Fun by Wilfrid: February 22, 2008]

Maybe this shouldn't be in the War on Fun Department, as I can't place all the blame the evil alliance of unelected Community Boards and New Puritans for these problems.  But I wanted to draw attention to this article in the New York Observer...

Avenue B! (And So Can You!)

[The War on Fun by Wilfrid: October 26, 2007]

I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to get some comment from Community Board 3 about the bar explosion on Avenue B.

Appearances suggest a change in policy, resulting in an immediate deluge.  Of booze, that is.

Who Breaks a Bartender Upon a Wheel?

[The War on Fun by Wilfrid: May 11, 2007]

The Oberver's Chris Shott continues good coverage of the over-policing (my term) of New York City's nightlife scene with a May 7 piece on police sting operations.  The purpose of these daring undercover manoeuvres, as any fool can see, is not to combat underage drinking, but to improve that with sufficient ingenuity and patience, plain-clothes police cadets can trick even the more diligent bartender into breaking the law.

Little Italy Full of Italians: Residents Lash Out

[The War on Fun: By Wilfrid: May 4, 2007]

Okay, it may not be fun to fainthearts who fail to see the joy in indigestible sausage links, bouncy castles, and religious icons on sticks, but it's a largely harmless piece of carnival which has been entertaining locals and attracting tourists for, oh, some eighty years.  I refer, of course, to the festival of San Gennaro, the annual summer tribute to the patron saint of being carried through the streets.

Zum Schneider Celebrates Win

[The War on Fun by Wilfrid, April 27, 2007]

Congratulations to the Zum Schneider family, celebrating in style their lease extension through 2021 with three days of free beer and sausages (too late, ya missed it).  Their settlement with a pesky landlord (citing noise complaints, of course) includes the landlord's consent to maintain the sidewalk cafe (this is one of the few places in the neighborhood where al fresco refreshment can be taken).

In the Tides articles above, mention is made of the role of restaurants and businesses in making previously forbidding parts of Manhattan safe - fun, even - after dark.  Zum Schneider, on the corner of Avenue C and 7th Street, was a true pioneer.  Along with Esperanto, a few blocks up, it was one of the few outposts of enjoyment five or six years ago on a strip which now boasts a string of bars, lounges and restaurants.  The popular bar gathered 3,800 signatures for its petition to stay open (including mine).

Proost to you too, bier guys.

Mehr.