Phew! Mona’s and Sophie’s Are in Good Hands
In December, the Post brought discouraging news that Bob Corton was planning to sell his two bars Sophie’s and Mona’s. Now the good news: We’ve discovered that Corton has transferred ownership to his brother and partner Richard, who plans to keep them more or less the same (a bartender at Sophie’s assures us, “There might be more toilet paper in the bathroom.”) Since 1986 and 1989 respectively, Sophie’s and Mona’s have been the local bars that everyone wishes they lived next to: Corton’s lament to the Post that they’re “dinosaurs” in the face of East Village gentrification is precisely the reason we’re glad they’re staying put, though we admit we were kind of hoping to score one of Mona’s church pews for our dream apartment.
Related: Bars Dive [NYP]
Mediavore
Gilt Besieged by ‘Gossip Girl’ Wannabes; More of the Old EastThe bar at Gilt is besieged by “a parade of ripe Lolitas,” all clamoring for cocktails like their idols on Gossip Girl. Unhappily for the nymphets, and any well-heeled Humbert Humberts who happen to be hanging around, you have to be 21 to drink in the real-world version of the bar. [Insatiable Critic]
Two of the last holdouts of the old East Village, Sophie’s and Mona’s, are both for sale. What will replace them? Trustafarian discos? Hookah bars? Collegiate-style ale houses? Somewhere Rockets Redglare is rolling in his grave. [NYP]
To help allay the bitterness of exile, the New York Food Anywhere blog will show you where to find New York food in places that aren’t New York. It’s depressing, but it does make you appreciate the fact that you don’t need to use it. [New York Food Anywhere via Serious Eats]
