CHELSEA/NO MEAT—Just in time for the weekend, Red Rock West, which had been seized, is back open: "Following my original report, Red Rock West in West Chelsea has reopened, at least as of this afternoon. I walked past, the door was open, and the music was blasting. Walked inside, and it was business as usual. You were right about the temporary shuttering. [EaterWire Inbox]
UPPER EAST SIDE—Will Deathwatchee Jovia ever stop embarrassing itself? Here's the latest bit of chatter to leak out of the employees entrance, which we'll note has not been fact-checked (no visible signs of reporting here, Mr. Pete Wells) and is for cocktail party conversation-starting only: "You can't always have your coffee and cake and eat it. Apparently, the high-tech surveillance system, wages for non-douchebag kitchen help and serving gourmet Illy Caffe coffee proved too much of a financial burden for Jovia. Cuts needed to be made. But Illy made that an easy decision. They cut off Loffredo's Jovia from further purchases until they cleared up their old bills, a predicament Loffredo has become accustomed to. Apparently, Loffredo's staff learned very well on how to stretch a buck. This conversation was recently overheard:
Customer: This coffee is awful!Ah, Jovia. Even from the hospice, she keeps on giving.[EaterWire Inbox]Server: I apologize sir, but we ran out of Illy Caffe and had to switch to an alternative.
Customer: Oh, what kind of coffee is this?
Server: It's supermarket ground.
UPPER WEST SIDE—Chowhound is buzzing with some potentially troubling news: "I heard from a friend who was at Sal & Carmine's a couple months ago that they might not renew their lease. I very much hope this is not true - does anyone have any idea?" [Chowhound]
UPPER EAST SIDE—Who's down for some pre-Deathwatching? "I drove by Ollie’s Brasserie (formerly Mainland) yesterday and noted a HUGE banner screaming 19.99 all you can eat SUSHI. Unfortunately no picture, but wanted to keep ya’ll abreast of the desperate measures to get more business in the door." [EaterWire Inbox]
LOWER EAST SIDE—An insta-review from the one day old Nurse Bettie: Went to the Nurse Bette opening last night. The crowd was okay, the bartenders were amicable and the drinks were strong. But the press release itself was enough to make anyone wretch: "Nurse Bettie is a bar with aspirations of becoming a neighborhood staple and destination for non- LES'ers. The idea is simple: insanely inexpensive drinks, beautifully done décor, welcoming, vibrant ambiance and good ol' rock and roll!" Insanely inexpensive? Sounds great, right? But read on: "Nurse Bettie is a sexy, legit dive with an organic feel and a melting pot crowd. You will find everyone from your local celebrity musicians to the Upper East Side banking girl who wants to let her hair down. Nurse Bettie will be nursing all her patrons one drink at a time." We're were really in need of some legit dives in the LES. Thank god Nurse Bette came along with the remedy. Just wait until Corcoran starts to fill Blue Condo across the street at 105 Norfolk. [EaterWire Inbox]