OPENINGS:
Alphabet City: There’s a new wine bar called Lois and they are now serving 16 wines on tap, plus some craft beer selections. If you need some bites, there is bread from Pain D’Avignon, house-made pork rillettes with apple butter and arepas with duck confit. 98 Avenue C, 212-475-1400; www.loisnyc.com
St. Mark’s Place: Holiday Cocktail Lounge is open again after over 3 years of renovations, with new owners including Pirate’s Booty’s Robert Ehrlich, Michael Neff from Ward III and Rum House, and his brother Danny from Extra Fancy and The Bar Room. The cocktails are slightly more artisanal than the versions at Holiday Cocktail Lounge 2.0 but the horseshoe bar and old phone booth remain intact. 75 St. Mark’s Place, 212-777-9637, www.holidaycocktaillounge.nyc
Lower East Side: The husband-and-wife team behind Queens Kickshaw are almost ready to open the doors at Wassail, the city’s first venue serving all cider, all the time. The opening parties are expected for March 22 and 23, and there will be a “cider-focused” vegetarian menu meaning that “every dish is prepared with cider in mind and is sometimes prepared with cider,” says partner Ben Sandler. 162 Orchard Street, 646-918-6835, www.wassailnyc.com
Ridgewood: This fall, Queens Brewery (which has been operating out of upstate Saratoga Springs) will open a brewery and beer garden in its namesake county. More details to come.
East Side: Beloved dive bar Subway Inn was kicked out of its longtime location last year, but it’s getting ready to reopen in a new space on Second Avenue – and the iconic neon sign has even gone up in its new location.
Nolita: After a 4 year hiatus, Jeffrey Chodorow’s Asia de Cuba is back in the former Butter space on Lafayette Street serving delicious fusion dishes and, more importantly, cocktails.
CLOSINGS
Washington Market Tavern in Tribeca has closed its doors after just 8 months.
The Bubble Lounge – also in Tribeca – will close at the end of the month.
Reynolds – an Irish pub in Washington Heights favored by locals for over 60 years, has called it quits and has announced plans to reopen in a new location.
Terroir Murray Hill has shuttered. The Tribeca and High Line locations of Paul Grieco’s wine bars are still open for business.
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