Barack and Mitt at Lit. (Photo: Daniel Maurer)
We’ve been hearing rumblings that the folks behind Lit, which just celebrated 12 years in the East Village, were working on a new bar in the McKibbin lofts. Back in December, Erik Foss said those were just rumors, but now he’s let the cat out of the bag.
Foss tells us the new place at 248 McKibbin is a partnership between himself, Lit co-owner David Schwartz, Rafik Video owner Mindy Wyatt, and Trash Bar owner Aaron Pierce. The bi-level venue, about half the size of Lit but boasting 17-foot-tall ceilings, will consist of a small upstairs restaurant, open daily and run by artist Tessa Hughes-Freeland. After Currant Cafe launches March 16 (Foss’s birthday) with a basic menu of coffee and pastries, chef Ryan Pico, a longtime bartender at Lit, will eventually introduce a broader menu of “simple, affordable and very delicious” food, Foss says.
Downstairs, in what’s currently a raw basement, a club with a separate entrance will open sometime around September. Asked whether we can expect drop-ins from the Melvins and such, Foss texted, “As of now we have no plan for live music. But that’s what we said about Lit, haha.” There will be DJs and regular parties, however.
Foss describes a “very rustic” design consisting of old barn wood, concrete, rusted steel, old leather and ironwork. The downstairs club space will have black-painted concrete walls and floors, with half of the room dedicated to a mural that will change sporadically. Naturally, there will be a platform for gogo dancers.
So there you have it — consolation for North Brooklynites who may not get that new location of Max Fish after all.
Correction:Â The original version of this post was revised to correct the address.Â