This week we review Bowery Wine Company, the latest in a string of new spots seemingly designed to remind us that the CBGB-era Bowery is dead and gone. But while we mourn the loss of the punk age, it seems that Bowery Wine Company--which is part-owned by Bruce Willis--isn't half bad, at least as wine bars go.

Hits: Despite the fancy digs, inexpensive wine and sangrias are served along with a tasty roster of finger foods and desserts worthy of a multi-starred restaurant.

Misses: If you're allergic to yuppies and foreign tourists, try another wine bar; the surrounding luxury condos feed this high-end haunt with a high-rolling clientèle.

Read our full editorial review of Bowery Wine Company, then peruse other New & Notable bar reviews or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you hammered).

Just because John Varvatos is the new CBGB doesn't mean the Bowery is dead. Last week we dropped into the new rock bar Bowery Electric, the latest venture from the owners of East Village mainstays Niagara, Hi-Fi and Black & White.

Hits: It's low-key but not low-class, and with two large, sweeping rooms and ample seating, there's space to rock out or max out as you please.

Misses: The crowd may be a little thin, even on the weekends, but with the other bars intent on measuring success in terms of who they turn away, Bowery Electric is poised to scoop them up and keep them coming back for more.

Read our full editorial review of Bowery Electric, then peruse other New and Notable bar reviews or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you tanked).

And be sure to bookmark Imbible, and check back regularly--next week we'll be live-blogging from the Tribeca Film Festival, bringing you the latest on the celebs, the films and, of course, the parties ... stay tuned.

Above: The graffitti-filled corridor that leads to Soho hot spot Upstairs--just one of the many places where I punished my liver this weekend

Welcome back to the perma-hell that is your 9:00 to 5:00--or, as the case may be, 10:00 to 6:00. OK, fine, 10:30 to 6:00--after another weekend, one that was likely filled with various acts of depraved indifference of the liquid kind. This weekend alone, my drinking problem (and my poor choice in friends) led me to hit up Phebe's, Bowery Electric, Bella's, Pastis, Upstairs, Boss Tweeds and Whiskey Ward. In at least one case (that I recall), I wound up behind the bar, pouring my own shots, before the night was over. 

But there is no amount of liquor in my apartment on God's green earth that could ever cause a blackout so severe that I'd forget any part of what I witnessed Sunday night at The Tank, where a friend of mine performed in a play called "Sherri Zahad and Her Arabian Knights." The Village Voice recently described the show--which runs every Sunday and Wednesday at 7pm until April 30th--thus:

The Middle East is a big topic in theater these days—but taking an unusually lighthearted approach in yet another desert-set play is Laboratory Theater, whose new piece, "Sherri Zahad and Her Arabian Knights," turns Sir Richard Francis Burton's translation of the "Arabian Nights" into a Vegas lounge act.

The whole spectacle pretty much defies all logic, and though I don't suspect my friend will appreciate it, I've posted several short video clips on YouTube; I figure it doesn't really do any further damage to post them here. He's the one wearing the miniature novelty monkey hat and the jockstrap (oh, and sometimes he's also wearing a blazer, but mostly, it's just the jockstrap). Here's one--click through to view all 9 clips.

Given the apparent popularity of our first and second posts this week on the forthcoming Franklin Park bar and beer garden, we thought we'd end the week on this high note: Owner Matthew Roff just emailed us to say, "Liquor license is in the house. We are planning on opening next weekend."

And there you have it.

In the meantime, if you can't wait a week to start boozing (and who can?), check out our top 10 reviews of New & Notable bars, or peruse our list of spots that are too new too review (but not too new to get you wasted).

As promised yesterday, behold the soon-to-open Franklin Park bar and beer garden in Prospect Heights.

Official word is that the Employees Only gang have found a new home for Zeppelin, the bar/restaurant originally slated for West 9th Street, in Tribeca. Construction starts next week on a former bar around Church and Worth Streets with an opening slated for September ...

Continue reading "Employees Only Offshoot "Zeppelin" Alights on Church Street" on our restaurant blog, Bottomless Dish.

Move over, Radegast--you're not the only shiny new beer garden in Brooklyn anymore. Introducing Franklin Park (on St. John's Pl. between Franklin and Classon), the latest in a slew of new and notable bars to set up shop in BK. This one is the brainchild of Matthew Roff, co-owner of Southpaw. In an email that was forwarded to us, Roff described his latest venture (we've bolded the salient points):

Franklin Park bar & beer garden is located in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, three blocks from the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden ... Franklin Park was a 600 sq. ft. 3-car garage with 1400 sq. ft. of outdoor space. We converted the garage to an 800 sq ft. bar boasting 12 taps and a 1200 sq. ft. outdoor patio with multiple picnic tables and other outdoor tables and accessories. A kitchen will soon follow but for now the bar is where it's at.

We're told Franklin Park is awaiting its liquor license, but barring any unforeseen problems with that the bar will supposedly open its doors "within the next two weeks." We're also promised a photo by Friday, which we'll share as soon as it arrives.

This week we review The Hideout, Fort Greene's latest speakeasy-style cocktail den. Would local celebrity Ol' Dirty Bastard roll over in his grave? Probably. But that doesn't mean it isn't a nice addition to the 'hood--if you don't mind dropping a few extra bucks on creative concoctions like the Snow Mosquito and Whiskey Fig Fizz.

Read our full review of The Hideout, and then peruse other New and Notable bar reviews, or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you wasted).

This week we review Mansion, the New York outpost of the Miami mega-club that recently opened in the Chelsea space formerly known as Crobar.

Amongst the mammoth club's main attractions is the so-called Cougar Room--a private area with its own bar reserved exclusively for women, which features on-site makeup artists, hair stylists and a variety of sex toys. Seriously. Tables run anywhere from $200 to $2,000, and there's even a $5,000 bottle of bubbly (though personally, if I were going to drop five grand on a bottle of booze, it had better be gold-plated and make me hallucinate). 

Read our full editorial review of the 'Manse, then peruse other New and Notable bar reviews or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you hammered).

In the wake of last weekend's midtown crane accident, New Yorkers pause to share fond memories of Fubar, the local bar that was destroyed in the crash. NY Times

The term drunkorexia--which was recently used by the NY Times to describe the growing number of girls who take the concept of "liquid diet" a bit more literally than the rest of us--is finally catching on. Mediabistro

Down by the Hipster has intel on the soon-to-open bar Antik, located in the Bowery locale formerly occupied by Marion's Marquee. "It is the latest creation from nightlife impresarios Larry Kramer and Craig Koenig, the team behind the rustic-lounge Retreat," they report. DBTH

Anthony Minghella--who directed such films as "The English Patient" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley"--has passed away at the age of 54. Page 6