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Prepare to Get Buzzed With a Former Child Star at All-Wise Meadery

Odin would be proud (Photo: Daniel Maurer)

Odin would be proud (Photo: Daniel Maurer)

It used to be that throwback drinking meant quaffing Prohibition-era cocktails and Hemingway sippers. But these days, we’re seeing an emphasis on even older traditions, and a resurgence of traditional techniques that have long fallen out of use. Mead, the fermented honey drink that was made as early as 7000 BC in China and was drunk in North Europe during the Bronze Age, is making a comeback that started in the homebrew community and grew outward. And in just a few short months, Williamsburg will be home to one of the largest mead brewing operations in the country.

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Audio: Williamsburg’s Italians Don’t Like Being Called ‘The Leftovers’

The inevitable arrival of Lululemon is only the latest affront to Williamsburg. And nobody knows that better than the Italian community that has been there since the mid-1800s. As Leonora Russo, the “Queen of Williamsburg,” told us before she died in November, the neighborhood is “growing so fast… They started building condos, condos, and condos. It’s all we have now, condos, condos.” While longstanding traditions such as the Giglio Feast have survived that hyper-gentrification, East Williamsburg’s Italian Americans are feeling the pinch. We spoke to three life-long residents about what has changed, and what’s left today. Play the above sound file to hear their story. 

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What the Tuk? Williamsburg’s Newest Hotel Has Its Own Auto Rickshaw

(Photo: Daniel Maurer)

(Photo: Daniel Maurer)

Having just returned from two weeks in India, I definitely don’t miss the honking: it’s enough to make Rudy Giuliani rip out the rest of his hair and run crying into the bosom of Daddy Trump. But I do miss the cute little tuk tuks, bobbing and weaving through traffic Mario-Go-Kart-style. So, you can imagine my delight when I passed by the newly soft-opened Williamsburg Hotel and saw this gleaming new ride outside.

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This Dude Robbed an East Village Bank, Police Say

155-17 MCS Bank, Robbery 9 Pct photoThe beardo shown here robbed an East Village bank, according to police.

The incident occurred Thursday, Jan. 12, around 4:30 p.m., when a hoodie-and-skully-wearing man walked into the TD Bank at 21 East 1st Street and passed a note demanding money. The 24-year-old teller handed over an undetermined amount of cash, the police say.

The suspect is thought to be 25 to 30 years of age, 5’7″ tall, 170 pounds, and was last seen wearing multi-colored kicks.

You may recognize this as the TD Bank that replaced Mars Bar. Who said the corner of 1st Street and 2nd Avenue has lost its grit?

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City Adds 22K Affordable Housing Units; President Sanders Film Festival

The loss of two young Bronx sisters last month blamed on a malfunctioning radiator has caused Public Advocate Letitia James to investigate the Bushwick-based non-profit that oversees the shelter where they died. [DNA Info]

In a lawsuit, five disabled or mobility-impaired tenants of 946 Bushwick Avenue accuse their landlord, GRJ LLC (helmed by brothers Graham and Gregory Jones), of violating their civil and housing rights. [DNA Info]

Last year, the city built or preserved nearly 22K units of affordable housing, a 27-year high. [NY Times] More →

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‘We’re All a Bunch of Cunts’: a Comedy Crew Making Safe Spaces ‘Aggressive’

(Flyer courtesy of Cunt Comedy)

Flyer by Chandler Moses (Courtesy of Cunt Comedy)

Comedy is not a pursuit for the faint of heart, and that goes for audiences and comics alike. Lately, there’s been a widespread and mercilessly drawn-out public debate over what exactly counts as “offensive,” and how that may or may not be something quite separate from old-fashioned hate– you know, the classics, like racism, misogyny, homophobia. Meanwhile the term “safe space” has become so common, so misused and abused, that invoking it comes with some seriously heavy baggage that makes it almost impossible to use without infuriating some people and inspiring others to swoon.

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New N’eat Chefs Keep Things New Nordic With Duck Heart Tartare

(Photo: Michael Garofalo)

(Photo: Michael Garofalo)

We haven’t heard much about n’eat since it opened in November. Despite its beefcake chef, the ambitious East Village newcomer hasn’t managed to garner the buzz of other New Nordic eateries, like the rebooted Aska in Williamsburg. That may well change with two new chefs, both of whom have some serious New Nordic bonafides. Chef Yelena Del Mundo, who replaces Gabriel Hedlund, comes to the restaurant after two years as sous chef at Atera, a seriously spendy Tribeca spot that advertises a “continuously sensory tasting menu experience.”

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Shows this Week: Icons of Noise Do the Supergroup + Knockdown Stays Nasty

(Flyer via Knockdown Center/ 'Nasty Women' & 'Stay Nasty')

(Flyer via Knockdown Center/ ‘Nasty Women’ & ‘Stay Nasty’)

Stay Nasty 
Thursday January 12 through Sunday January 15 at Knockdown Center: first night free, $10 individual, $20 all access pass

Earlier we told you about Nasty Women, the massive new exhibition bringing a whopping 1,000 pieces of art made by 700 artists (all of them women and female-identifying) to Knockdown Center this Friday. The organizers have lined up a “very diverse” group for the everything’s-for-sale exhibition (if you buy it, you get to drag it out the door with you that day), which pretty much guarantees a feeding frenzy. Sounds scary? Well, suck it up and relish in the competition because, seriously, when’s the last time you truly got excited about anything? Plus, if you can bring yourself to cough up a hundo bill–at the very most, since the art work must be priced at $100 or less (yup, that even applies to the fancy sparkly art stars involved in the show)– you can feel like a somewhat sorta decent half-human because all the proceeds are going to Planned Parenthood.

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New Vietnamese Spots in East Village; Planned Parenthood Benefit at MHOW

Ha Noi House debuted yesterday at 119 St. Marks Place, while fellow Vietnamese eatery Madame Vo is bound for E. 10th Street. [Eater NY]

The latter’s neighbor will be Patisserie Florentine, a new bakery offshoot of the eponymous Englewood, New Jersey-based French cafe. [EV Grieve]

Alex Dimitrov, owner of Ludlow Street bar Mehanata, now oversees a Williamsburg restaurant bedecked in Hogwarts-inspired decor called Pasta Wiz. [Gothamist]
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