Neighborhood Watch

Life Cafe Dead (for Now); Marble Lane Adds Lunch

Chelsea: Starting tomorrow, Marble Lane will be open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The menu will include some dinner items as well as new sandwiches, including a Kobe patty melt with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and American cheese. [Grub Street]
East Village: Life Cafe, the notable hangout commemorated in Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent (and its 2005 film adaptation), is closed until further notice. Owner Kathy Kirkpatrick wrote on the café’s website that the shuttering will remain in effect until the landlord completes necessary repairs to the building “sometime in the near future.” The café’s sister location in Bushwick remains open. [Eater NY]
Financial District: Through the end of the month, Andaz Wall Street is offering a special Oktoberfest menu Mondays through Saturdays at their Bar Seven Five, Bar Seven Outdoor Terrace, and Andaz Biergarten locations. Small plates of Bavarian radi, spaetzle with creamy mushroom sauce, and German-style meatloaf will be available for $8 alongside a host of special draft beers. [Grub Street]
Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club continues a month of weekly themed fests this Friday with WingFest. On the menu: bottomless chicken wings, hand-cut fries, and craft beer from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door. [Grub Street]

Flatiron: Not My Day Job offers food and beverage industry workers an opportunity to show off their hidden talents to raise money for Wellness in Schools. Besides entertainment, the event will feature foodie-friendly auction packages, photos, dancing, and — obviously — lots of food and drink. This year’s benefit is scheduled for 1 to 6 p.m. on September 17 at the Players Club on Gramercy Park South. Tickets range in price from $60 to $80 and can be purchased here. [Gothamist]
Greenwich Village: Frozen yogurt fans, take note: The 16 Handles franchise has signed a lease to open another NYC location between 12th and 13th Streets. [Grub Street]
Hell’s Kitchen: Boxers NYC, a gay sports bar in midtown, is proposing that its upcoming second location be split in two to ensure the bar is at least 200 feet away from two nearby schools. (The other half of the space will likely be a food venue.) The liquor license is scheduled to be taken up by Community Board 4’s Licenses and Permits Committee tomorrow. [DNA Info]
Little Italy: The City Grit supper club will pop up in an old elementary school on Mott Street for a series of Italian dinners starting September 15. Check out the full schedule here. [Grub Street]
Williamsburg: If you’ve ever wanted to see Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz tap a keg, you’ll have your chance at Loreley Williamsburg’s Oktoberfest kickoff party on September 17. Each guest will receive a free half-liter mug of the Oktoberfest beer until it runs out. To accompany the brew, choose from nine different types of Scahller & Weber sausage, or the traditional spanferkel (that’s suckling pig roasted on a spit, served with mashed potatoes and red cabbage). The event starts at 3 p.m. Admission is free. [Grub Street]
Brooklyn Brewery will team up with Betto for a beer-paired dinner on September 14 at 7 p.m. The family-style menu will offer spaghetti, smoked guinea fowl, braised pork shoulder, and peach cobbler with housemade crème fraîche, among other items. Seats are $75 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and can be reserved by calling Betto at 718-384-1904. [Grub Street]

Life Cafe Dead (for Now); Marble Lane Adds Lunch