A Good Sign: Clover Delicatessen

I was swinging around the southwest corner of 34th and Second Avenue the other night when, Bam!, this neon beauty hit me square between the eyes. The Clover Delicatessen. I had never known it had existed, but it's been there for more than 60 years. Both the north and east sides of the corner store are adorned with gorgeous signage in green and pink neon. The curly font of the "Clover" is especially appealing.

A Good Sign: Clover Delicatessen

I've shot the great Clover before, but during the night. It's so beautiful, it's worth shooting in the day as well. Plus, a close-up as an added bonus!

Clover Deli Needs a Light

The Clover Delicatessen neon sign—one of the most goddam gorgeous in the city—is in a sorry state. Half the letters, on both sides, are out. Below is the sign in better days. C'mon guys—get it together!

A Good Sign: Clover Barber Shop

Clover Barber Shop. Long on the west-facing sign.


Squishy on the south-facing side.


And they didn't skimp on the scissors-and-comb "A" on the south side just because they were short on space.

On Seventh Avenue in Park Slope South.

Lost City: New Orleans Edition: Clover Grill

The Clover Grill, in the French Quarter, looks the kind of new diner that intentionally tries to look older than it is. The details just seem too perfect. But it actually is an old joint, founded in 1939 as far as I can tell. It advertises "world's best best hamburgers." Now, that's chutzpah. Even in New York, places just vie for the best burger in the city. Apparently, they're cooked under a hubcap in order to keep up the juices. What would the NYC DOH say about that?

Have You Been to the Bazar Francais?

Most old businesses are lucky to have a single reminder of their existence survive their closure. Charles R. Ruegger must have been born on a bed of clover. His Bazar Francais, opened on Sixth Avenue near 22nd Street in 1929, has scattered remnants all over the place. There's the faded, hand-painted wall sign, seen above. And his name is still on the oxidized cornice, seen below. Furthermore, you can see the name of the business, an importer of French kitchen and table ware, on the second floor of the building, seen far below.

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Patois' "Rude Owners" Move Brooklyn Restaurant to Mulberry Street

Those rumors you heard about pioneering Smith Street eatery Patois moving from Brooklyn to Manhattan—they're not rumors anymore. It's there, at 177 Mulberry Street!

So says a big piece of paper in the window of the French restaurant's old Smith Street space, which it vacated last January. Titled "For Immediate Release," it says that "we are now open 7 days and feature the same great food and wine and are run by the same rude owners. We now have a full-bar so you can start your meal with a dirty, Ketel One martini straight up!"

Among the "bullet points" listed on a separate piece of paper are "virtually stress free parking after 7 PM" (who drives?) and "Hit Whole Foods on the way back!" (who wants to?) and "$12.95 unlimited mimosas" (uh, ick).

I'm sorry, did the owners lose their sense of taste on the trip over the East River? A dirty Ketel One martini, indeed. Good thing they beat it out of Smith Street before the Clover Club cocktail police came after them for shit like that.

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Some Stuff That's Interesting

Ken Mac visits one of Lost City's favorites, the Clover Delicatessen. [Greenwich Village Daily Photo]

Where the Jefferson Theatre used to be. [EV Grieve]

Old Florent space gutted for new tenant. [Eater]

Ick and yikes. [Curbed]

More beguilingly skewed facades from Restless.

Forgotten New York visits Ditmars Boulevard.

The Berghoff Memorial Blog, honoring the bygone Chicago landmark restaurant, is gone, and I am sad.

Red Hook Mystery Solved

Gothamist today did a run-down of various mysterious storefronts on Van Brunt Street, and what the work being done on them may portend.

I believe I can shed some light on one of the mystery addresses, the plywooded-up corner spot at the southeast corner of Dikeman. This, I hear tell, is going to be a combination eatery/cocktail joint going by the name of Fort Defiance (a nod to Red Hook's military past). The cocktails will be haute, along the lines of those found at Clover Club and the like.

UPDATE: I am informed by a reader that Gowanus Lounge actually reported this news back in Jan. 28 (although that item identified the cross street as Van Dyke, not Dikeman). Apologies. Had no idea. Anyway, the owner, I believe is a veteran of Manhattan's swank Pegu Club.

What Bloomberg Wants for the Eight Days of Hanukkah

1. A third term.
2. For people to forget how he was able to run for a third term.
3. For Christine Quinn to stop dropping by the house at all hours "just to talk" and check what's in the fridge.
4. A Lexington Avenue subway spur leading straight to his Upper East Side townhouse.
5. A musical about his mayoralty, like LaGuardia and Koch got.
6. An invitation to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom.
7. To become a Democrat again, now that the Republican and Independent things aren't working for him.
8. A five-leaf clover.
9. "What do you mean there are only eight days to Hanukkah? Can't City Council do something about that?"

Strong Place Church Has Got Some Windows

The super-slow-in-transforming church-turned-condo formerly known as Strong Place Church is looking more and more like a livable place. Progress has been steady throughout the winter, with scaffolding coming down in December. Now, there's some actual glass on those arched holes on the sides of the steeple. Not stained glass, no, but glass nonetheless. And very specific shapes, too. Look at that clover-leaf jobbie! Impressive.

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Some Stuff That's Interesting

B&B Carousell to be fixed up in Ohio.

Ten real estate brokers—including four who work for the evil Corcoran—busted for tax evasion. My God! How could it happen in this market?! Begin gloating.

Things don't look so good for Moynihan Station, a rare big development that might actually do the City some good.

Starbucks buys the Clover company, because it simply must control the coffee universey, and bad coffee must ultimately triumph over bad.

Gridskipper thinks reporters still drink and have hangouts. Ah, the old romantic notions...

Queens' St. Savior's Church has been stripped down to the bare bones and looks starkly beautiful.

Some different water towers.