"Chow" Shines Again

As loathe as I am to say anything good about the business that took the place of Second Avenue's late great Chop Suey joint Jade Mountain—as heartbreaking a closure as any this blogger has ever had to face—well, here I go. I'm going to say something good. A couple things, actually.

First and foremost, the bar, called Shoolbred's, has kept Jade Mountain's iconic Chop Suey/Chow Mein sign hanging, and, what's more, kept it lit—at least the half of it that lit during the last days of Jade Mountain's life. Second, Shoolbred's has replaced the great Jade Mountain neon sign with an almost equally great neon sign saying Shoolbred's. Look at it. You've gotta admit, if someone told you that sign was 50 years old, you'd think it was fantastic.

Additionally, the new bar has a weird and wonderful New York provenance. It's co-owned by William Ivey Long, a longtime Broadway costume designer and a true New York eccentric. (Read this profile.) Long collects houses, mainly down in the Carolinas, and many of the antiques in the bar are from his several homes down there. And the name of the place isn't a goof. It's the last name of Long's Scottish grandfather. Not a bad selection of scotch, either.

All that taken into consideration, I have decided not to boycott the place. Just a hunch, but the owners seem like the kind of guys who would have actually appreciated Jade Mountain.

Classic Jade Mountain Chow Mein Sign Is Missing

A couple months ago, I expressed concern that Shoolbred's, the bar that occupies that space long held by old-school, East Village Chinese institution Jade Mountain—wan't taking care of the old "Chow Mein" neon sign that still hung from the second floor. The lights, long ablaze, had gone out, depriving the community of a lovely visual delight, as well as a link to history.

Now comes more disturbing news from EV Grieve. The sign is gone completely. There's construction netting over the old building and work is being done. That's the obvious reason the sign was removed. But will it be returned?

Meanwhile, JVNY reports this comment from a reader:
"Spoke to Dean Maroulakos the General Mgr of Shoolbred's and Ninth Ward today. He asked that anyone with historic/preservation concern for this sign please contact him through email at info@ninthward.com or call his cell 646 275 0461 so he can direct you to the landlord."

That would sound like the sign is not coming back, which would be a crying shame. But at least it may be preserved. It's very probably the last of its kind in the City.

Lights Out on Jade Mountain

A solace to those who continue to mourn the closing of the old-school Chinese restaurant Jade Mountain has been the continuing presence of the classic, two-sided, "Chow Mein" neon sign at the joint's old East Village location. Even as the bar Shoolbred's moved in, with its own (pretty handsome) neon sign, the old signage remained, and remained lit.

No longer. The sign's still there. But it's as dark as midnight. I'm sure the bulbs all just burnt out eventually, and weren't replaced. (Only half of the sign's letters were lit when Shoolbred moved in.) It's a shame, though. That sign should blaze brightly for all time.