The eternal candle at John's of 12th Street fascinates me. Can it really be true, that the owners have lit a candle in the same place every night since the 1930s, the wax building and building and building over the decades, cut back only when it gets too close to the ceiling? Could there be 70-year-old wax at the bottle of the burning, man-made stalagmite? Depression-era wax? World War II wax?
John's of 12th Street, apart from having a great name, is a cozy nook of history to enjoy a quiet bowl of pasta in. What's more, it's so unlike much of the rest of the East Village. I would love it if it were just down the block from where I live, and probably make it a haunt.
I used to go there often, many years ago, when I dated someone who lived around the corner. The main thing I remember was that the waiter would always recite a seemingly endless list of specials. And they were the same "specials" every time.
ReplyDeleteI lived in the neighborhood for 4 years and only heard about this place a few months ago, when they (very quietly) advertised their hundredth anniversary, where the menu was scaled back to 1908 prices. The place was amazingly half-empty.
ReplyDeleteI brought my co-workers, and I got a plate of veal parm and two glasses of wine for $1.35.
Funny, I do live down the block and haven't been there in years though I can't quite say why. Maybe the scary candle? I will try to think of it next time the yen for pasta stops in.
ReplyDeleteI also used to go there years ago when I had friends who lived in that neighborhood. It's a great old place that's been there through practically all of the East Village's history. I hope it's there for another 100 years!
ReplyDeleteI have been there so many times that I can recite the specials on command.
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