Cocktail Bodega Opens Next Thursday at 205 Chrystie
This image has been archived or removed.
For awhile there, we thought 205 Chrystie Street would remain a dormant mess for years to come. However, restaurateur Matt Levine put that baby to sleep with his new Cocktail Bodega venture. Think hipster Jamba Juice meets downtown Margaritaville.
Next Thursday, Cocktail Bodega will be released into the wilds of the Lower East Side, offering liquor-blended smoothies and spiked fresh-squeezed juices. Yesterday afternoon, the plywood encasement was dismantled after roughly three months in residence. And we snooped a look inside. The upstairs has a white-walled “grocery” type vibe to it, with a pinch of the graffiti aesthetic thanks to mural work by Doug Aldrich (his art also appeared on the sidewalk shed).
This image has been archived or removed.
Downstairs, meanwhile, is the separate Cocktail Bodega Underground (“CBU”), designed to resemble the innards of a subway car. Decor is complete with token plastic seats and stripper poles presumably for dancing. And of course, additional commissioned work by Aldrich. CBU has its own entrance on Stanton Street.
This image has been archived or removed.
This is another similar business arrangement between Levine and new building owner DelShah Capital, which also owns 133 Essex Street. It is there that Sons of Essex currently lives.
This image has been archived or removed.
Chef Roble has been tasked to oversee the following menu of street-food:
Black Bean Veggie Burger
Mango Bodega Salad
Bodega Wings
Clam Bake Gyoza
Cuban Sandwich Quesadilla: 3 tier quesadilla stuffed with ham, Swiss cheese, Gus’s pickles and aichote aioli.
Curried Coconut Shrimp: Gulf Shrimp marinated with yellow curry, coconut milk and lemongrass then grilled and served on wooden skewers.
Jamaican Beef Patty: Curried beef & caramelized shallots in aichote pastry. Served with a smoked chili & scallion cream.
Jerk Chicken Satays: Grilled pieces of jerk chicken served on a wooden skewer with pineapple salsa.
Kimchee Reuben: Corned beef, gruyere cheese, kimchee and a pickled aioli pressed between two slices of rye bread.
Seasonal Vegetable Tamale: Sauteed seasonal vegetables folded into corn masa and then steamed in a jacket of corn husk, Served with salsa verde.
Spare Ribs: BBQ heritage pork spare ribs sold by the piece with house made mopping sauce.
Watermelon Sandwich: watermelon, smoked goat cheese, watercress and sherry glaze served on sourdough.
Waffle Fries: Waffle cut potato fries served with a spicy ketchup
Recent Stories
East Broadway Subway Station Turns 85
The East Broadway subway station wasn’t always a shady dungeon attracting crime. Once upon a time, the transit stop inspired celebrations across the Lower East Side. It was exactly eighty-five years ago – January 1, 1936 – that the East Broadway subway station debuted to the public. The feat of subterranean engineering, then known as […]
Looking at the New Ludlow House Annex Atop Demolished Libation Site
Well, that was quick. With Libation excised from the Lower East Side, the hole is now filled. Taken over by Ludlow House. The building at 137 Ludlow Street was demolished last year, and replaced in a matter of months. In fact, it’s already operational. The architecture of this one-story newcomer mirrors design elements of its […]
Stringer Promises ‘Fair Share’ of PPP for City Businesses
City Comptroller (and mayoral candidate) Scott Stringer held a press conference yesterday at the Chinatown kiosk on Canal Street, announcing a plan to funnel federal Payroll Protection (PPP) dollars to New York city businesses. It certainly triggered an uncomfortable memory of last year’s PPP fiasco. The first round of PPP went into effect just a […]
‘Open Streets’ Town Hall Yields More Questions than Answers
Tuesday night’s Town Hall on Open Restaurants and Open Streets, hosted by Community Boards 3 and 6 – left residents with more questions than answers regarding the long-term impact these pandemic-era health and economic neighborhood solutions have on a post-COVID city. However, the online meetup did bring a wide scope of information in terms of […]
Unused Half of Bowery’s Sunshine Hotel Flophouse Available to Rent
The leasing banner has been strung from the facade of 241 Bowery for more than two years. Without much success. The second and third floors (combined 8,938 square-feet) – once part of the Sunshine Hotel flophouse – are again on the market. And at a hefty price: $6,495 for a “raw” space that requires renovations […]
