With its graffiti covered walls, lovable cast of regulars, and award winning bathroom, Cheap Shots was a true East Village dive bar, the Moe's Tavern of the 10009. But a recent bust for allowing underage drinking led to a change of ownership and supposedly a new name, with promises of more changes ahead to help convert Cheap Shots from a public nuisance into a welcome member of the community. Many of these "improvements" were announced at last night's Community Board hearing.
EV Grieve attended the festivities and reports that the owner of the Shameless Slut loving Patriot Bar has taken over Cheap Shots, and has already started classing the place up.
Gone is the interior graffiti, the legendary all-you-can-drink-for-free birthday special, and the video games. The young people are gone too, as the bar now has two bouncers equipped with ID scanners working during prime time. Most importantly, the bar no longer sells its infamous Truck Bombs, a pitcher of beer with a shot inside.
This was enough to convince the Board to approve a license renewal for the bar. But perhaps a new application would have been more appropriate, because you can't renew something that is no longer there. So let's all pour one out for the late, great Cheap Shots, a true legend gone before its time.
· Cheap Shots Gets Liquor License OK [EVG]
· Cheap Shots Coverage [~ENY~]
Image courtesy of DMoren