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And the venue credited for launching Dylan’s premier act was Gerde’s in Greenwich Village….sadly Gerde’s closed its doors a short time after.

Bob Dylan did rocket straight up, and remains one of the utmost respected musicians of all time. Dylan is vague about his antecedents and birthplace, but it matters less where he has been than where he is going, and that would seem to be straight up (Shelton).” Robert Shelton was right.

A review by Robert Shelton in a September 1961 issue of The New York Times would transform his life forever. The fortunate “fish” ended up being Gerde’s Folk City coffee shop on 11 west 4th street. Like many who venture toward achieving the American Dream, Dylan threw his hope into the water hoping for the big fish to bite. Cigarette in hand, he gazes into passing bars and coffeehouses envisioning himself one day to perform live at such establishments. A mosey down Macdougal Street will arouse his every ardor. How awesome! As they always say: what’s old is new again.Bob Dylan, a young 20 years old, strolls down the historic streets of Greenwich Village circa 1961, frost glistening off the stones he saunters upon. There is, however, one interior element that has remained intact throughout the years: original issues of Le Figaro from the 1950s and 1960s still adorn the walls. According to an official press release, "the current owner's grandfather provided coffee for the original café so it only made sense the modern incarnation gets its coffee from the Longo family, who still owns the operation."ĭesign-wise, a new 25-foot bar anchors the space, which is filled with large mirrors, deep chairs, wide banquettes and a library ladder that will help staff reach top-shelf bottles. Photograph: Liz Clayman Photograph: Liz ClaymanĪlthough clearly offering a more food-focused menu than the original coffee shop did, Figaro Café pays homage to the past by partnering with Porto Rico Coffee, a third-generation owned coffee company with a shop a few doors down, in providing customers with java. Black Coffee Liqueur.įood-wise, the menu includes a selection of flatbreads, cheese fondue service with thick-cut bacon, a seven-ounce short rib and brisket patty topped with caramelized onions and spicy aioli served on house-made brioche, an oyster and shrimp cocktail and more. The Uppers and Downers is the venue's version of an espresso martini, this one made with maple syrup and Mr. Take the Figaro Negroni, for example, which modifies the classic recipe with the use of a grapefruit liqueur.
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Patrons will get to browse through a pretty large list of martinis, plus a number of re-imagined cocktails. Let's start with the changes to the original iteration of the destination: the space will now simply be known as Figaro Café, which will also be more of a cocktail bar than a coffee shop. "We would pay proper homage to it and give it a new life as a gathering space for modern crowds." Photograph: Liz Clayman Photograph: Liz Clayman "When we dove into researching the significance of the space, we knew we wanted to be a part of the long and storied history of Figaro," Mario Skaric said in an official statement. Even Bob Dylan was spotted working on his first album on-premises!Īlthough slightly different in look and function, Le Figaro Café officially re-opened this past weekend, courtesy of husband-and-wife team Mario and Marta Skaric and their partner Florence Zabokritsky. Rumor has it that Kerouac started jazz poetry nights here back in his day and that famous stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce would stop by after his sets at the nearby Gaslight Café, which shut down in 1971. Opened by in 1957 and named after the French daily newspaper of the same name, the space was a go-to for the beat generation until it closed in 2008. Photograph: Liz Clayman Photograph: Liz Clayman There is just something about Greenwich Village that captures the very essence of artistry in New York-and perhaps no other space has been more emblematic of cultural life in the city throughout the years than Le Figaro Café, the legendary coffee shop frequented by the likes of Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, Lou Reed and Al Pacino throughout the 1950s and 1960s at 184 Bleecker Street by MacDougal Street.
