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.

Back in late January, I noticed construction underway on my block at Avenue B between 11th and 12th--directly across the street from Panificio, which opened last week--and learned that a cafe was to open, "in early February." Well, a few months later, it looks like a cafe called De Nova is finally getting ready to open its doors fairly soon. The above sign (left) appeared several weeks ago, but after a graffiti writer quickly put the kibosh on that plan, the sign disappeared, then reappeared covered in some kind of plastic sheath that's presumably resistant to Posca markers and such.

The space, formerly home to the Furniture Place (which moved to Great Jones Street after my landlord raised the rent, also forcing out vintage shop Suzette Sundae), is larger than it looks, but it's unclear whether De Nova will be a coffee shop-style cafe posing as a restaurant that serves three squares a day, or whether it'll be more like a real restaurant with a coffee bar. I suspect they don't have a liquor license and won't be able to get one, so I'd say it's looking like the former. I walk by at least twice a day, so unless my rent is next on the hit list, I expect to know as soon as De Nova opens.

New York Magazine is reporting that the East Village Yacht Club has closed--after their landlord doubled their rent to $26,000--and that a new coffee shop-by-day, bar-by-night called Arlo and Esme has already set-up shop in the space.

Calls to East Village Yacht Club yielded confirmation in the form of a recording that says, "Hello, you've reached Arlo and Esme."

The closure of EVYC comes as a major blow to Upper East Side boarding school grads-turned-investment bankers, who could finally relax at a nautically-themed bar in the East Village and play out their "Talented Mr. Ripley" fantasies.

No word on whether NYMag's report that the Yacht Club will reopen soon in a different locale has been confirmed.

(Photo borrowed from Gawker)

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.

Last fall, we reported that a restaurant called La Scarpetta was to open at Avenue B and 11th Street, in the space formerly known as Uovo. Well, after months of waiting, last Tuesday the restaurant finally opened--under the name Panificio (an Italian neighborhood bakers shop).

I stopped by last Sunday to peruse the menu, which features a mix of traditional Italian cuisine and Italian American fare prepared by chef Kenneth Johnson. I didn't sample anything, but as one patron walked outside after dinner, I heard her say, "the food was excellent and we'll definitely be back."

Earlier this week I spoke with the manager, Ayo Balogun, who explained that part of the concept behind Panificio is to cater to neighborhood locals in particular, with specialty coffees offered at a reduced price if you leave nearby (he mentioned a price of $2 and change for fancy Starbucks-style drinks). Panificio also opens early and serves breakfast treats like lemon polenta pancakes, ricotta fritters, stuffed Tuscan toast, and an Italian bacon, egg and cheese sandwich made with pancetta and fontina cheese on ciabatta bread.

So...what about the matter of that elusive liquor license, which Uovo was unable to procure (eventually forcing its closure), and which had thus far been denied to La Scarpetta/Panificio when we spoke to the chef last fall? Ayo says a full liquor license is on the way, though we're not sure whether that means it has been officially approved, or whether he has reason to believe that the SLA has had a sudden change of heart, and that all signs point toward liquor license approval in the near future. That doesn't sound like the SLA we know, but, hey, surely there's a first for everything.

UPDATE: In an email, Panificio manger Ayo Balogun says they expect to receive their liquor license "in three weeks or so."

We recently reported that a modest new bar and resto called Berry Bistro would be opening in the East 14th Street space formerly occupied by Twisted Burger. A walk-by circa 9:15pm last night confirmed that the new spot is open, though there wasn't a soul inside, save a hostess sitting behind the counter in back.

OK, so there's not much buzz yet, but that could change--especially if this Yelp user has anything to do with it:

My friends and I just happened to stumble upon this place the other night as we were walking down 14th Street, and noticed it was new to the neighborhood. I had the most amazing pasta--penne with cauliflower and roasted pine nuts and currants in a light garlic-butter sauce! My boyfriend got the stuffed leg of lamb with delicious potato dumplings. For dessert we shared their pavlova, which we'd never heard of before. It was like a delicate meringue, so heavenly and dripping in fruit sauce and berries. The service was great, and everyone was so friendly. We are already planning our next trip.

"Amazing," "delicious," "heavenly," "great," "friendly" ... Sounds suspiciously like a PR person. But since, well, there is no PR for Berry Bistro (at least none that we know of), we can't help wondering whether "Isabelle A. from Brooklyn" might be "Isabelle A. from Brooklyn who owns Berry Bistro." Then again, just because the owner thinks it's good doesn't mean it's not; we'll have to wait and see.

We recently posted about a food and drink-related opening at 400 East 14th Street. A particularly lovely commenter tipped us off to the fact that it was to be a Hot & Crusty, and a weekend walk-by confirms it.

Though I generally don't support the chain-ization of the East Village, as a local, I must say that I'm not displeased to have a fancy deli in the 'hood. We've got tons of cafes and restaurants that are great for eating out, but there aren't many places that offer made-to-order takeout salads, bagels, etc., and if this H&C is like the one near my mom's house on the Upper West where I grew up, it may become a staple for well-made overpriced sandwiches and such. No word yet on whether, like its uptown counterpart, it'll be open 24 hours.

Above: KGB Bar, where the Soviet Union meets the East Village

With so much recent activity on the East Village nightlife front, the timing seemed right to revisit the best bars and clubs that live in the great expanse of space between 14th Street and Houston Street, from the East River to the Bowery.

From local favorites like Black & White and Angel's Share, to the best of AlphaBar City, and the 'hood's top dives, gay bars and wine bars, we've broken down East Village nightlife block by block--behold our new and improved East Village roundup, in all its glory.

(Photo courtesy of Ontheinside.info/david-hochbaum)

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