Is Norfolk The New Clinton?

June 30, 2003 Credit prolific blogger and B14 correspondent Felix Salmon for that timely question, destined to be a Dining Out headline by year-end 2005. "So there's this nice new coffee bar on Norfolk between Rivington and Delancey called Lulu's," he emails. "Very bright, very friendly. Next door someone is building a new restaurant, and next door to that is an old restaurant—Lansky Lounge. Up on the corner (all on the same side of the same block) is the new 'German Jewish' place. And of course over the street at Tonic they have their Klezmer Sunday bruch. Trend! I smell trend!" Indeed. We peeked in at the "German Jewish" place, Schneiders (mentioned here in March), last week:


Where: Corner of Rivington and Norfolk | What: From Keith McNally, the man who brought you Balthazar and Pastis, comes a retro Lower East Side bistro serving up German Jewish cuisine. (We're as dumbstruck as you are.) We can say this: the place has the classiest plywood we've ever seen—it's contoured, for chrissake, like some project from an ambitious GSD first-year. Pushing open the sleek plywood door, we note a terrific bistro ceiling. We're guessing September for an opening, and have wagered $10 on the series finale of Sex and the City including a scene shot herein.

Keith is probably getting central Europe ideas from brother Brian Cafe Lebowitz was supposed to be more Austrian than French/Italian. When my friend Tania and I went to Cafe Lebowitz last spring when it opened, Brian was trying to figure out what kind of wallpaper to put up. We suggested he ditch the wallpaper and stick with the strange but charming stencils, so it wouldn't look so "brasserie"-ish. He said, "Yeah, have some sort of Freud thing going on." Whatever. But he took our advice, we like to think.

Posted by: Jen at July 1, 2003 04:07 PM

You have to admit, the Gawker chick got you pretty good with that plywood prank - it elicited one of my stately chuckles.

If she ever does 'punk' you, I propose a counter-punk: while she's sleeping, encase her bed in a thickly woven cocoon of used trucker hat mesh, and film her trying to claw her way out. I suppose this might be illegal, but it sure would be deck.

Don't be ashamed of your calling as a plywood hound. Plywood signifies rebirth and hope. If there is no hope, what can we look forward to? Well, personally, I'm looking forward to an "I fucked Wylie Dufresne" shirt. I would of course be outwardly enraged, and probably even sue, but on the inside, I would be mighty pleased. Without giving too much away, let's just say there are PLENTY of candidates for wearing such a shirt, if you get my meaning. But besides waiting for the shirt, it's all about plywood, I agree.

Posted by: Wylie Dufresne at July 2, 2003 10:25 AM

Thanks, Wylie. See you 'round the hood.

Posted by: Lock at July 2, 2003 02:28 PM

congrats on your page six mention. i always knew your name would end up in a gossip column at some point, but i thought there would be naked women involved. And william grimes.

Posted by: elizabeth spiers at July 3, 2003 04:14 PM

DOes my hand job count Wylie?

...xxx boris

Posted by: chourdri pouri at July 6, 2003 10:38 PM

WOW, things are getting a little graphic in here L-ster. did you hit the ballpark at all this weekend?

Posted by: RSF at July 8, 2003 05:38 PM

Just to follow-up: at the present time, Norfolk is still busy being born. After all, there is music on Clinton Street all through the evening. It's hard to beat that, friends.

Posted by: Jack at September 19, 2003 04:18 PM

Mishka rules !

Posted by: Mishka at September 23, 2003 12:03 PM

Boris rules !

Posted by: Boris at October 1, 2003 02:56 PM

thanks

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