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Features, Food and Drink

And So…….Acme Bar & Grill Has Closed :(

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ARE YOU FRIGGING KIDDING ME?????

“You have to be joking!!!” is what I said to my friend when he said that he had learned that the popular Acme Bar and Grill over at 9 Great Jones Street had closed it’s doors after twenty five years in the location. I cannot tell you how upset that this news makes me. Oh wait, yes I can and I will as that is what the blog is for. With that being the case, the closure of Acme Bar & Grill really bummed me out because it was a place that I had been enjoying for about six years.

A Shuttered Acme

I realize that I had not been coming here as long as some other folks but I sure made good for it over those number of years that I had.  I first ventured into its doors when the band Blackfield was playing at the Bowery Ballroom.  I was hitting that show with Skeleton Pete and he suggested it as a dining choice.  Having enjoyed the Cajun style of food I was totally down for this.  I actually remember what I ordered that day for some odd reason and it was a chicken fried steak, with their mashed potatoes and some black eyed peas.  This would become one of my favorite dishes at the establishment and a fail safe order for me in the event of indecision.

Acme By Night

There was so much good about this place and after that night it became one of my continual picks as a spot to hold media discussions with press friends, enjoy the company of lovely dining companions or just chill out with buddies who were just wanting a good dinner and drink night out.  The food never disappointed us nor did their wall of hot sauce.  I wish I had photos of that in my archives but I never shot images of them because quite honestly I never thought I would be lamenting the restaurant’s having gone away.   The place would start its diners off with an order of freshly made corn bread and while that is not the most calorie conscious kind of thing, it tasted so good that few would argue.

 

 

I also enjoyed their house brew which was a red ale of some kind.  It was not too heavy and had a nice bite to it.  Sometimes they would do $2 pints of the beers and that always managed to make for a fun night.  I found the waitstaff for the most part to be friendly and on a number of occasions I met some interesting people in entertainment.  Some were dancers while others musicians or actors and actresses.  A typical New York situation.   The other aspect of the restaurant was that it was also the home to the once called Under Acme Rock club which eventually became Ace Of Clubs.  In my adventures as a music journalist I had covered a few shows at the space and also just went to rock out when the time was open for me to do so.

 

There was a rumor that Acme was going to reopen after being worked on but that doesn’t seem very likely since I read postings on popular regional blogs that said the whole staff had been terminated and that what all knew and loved as Acme was gone for the foreseeable good.  I will miss the place for sure since it was such a good memory for me and those who enjoyed being here with me.  The upside of being in NYC is that you can always find a new place and they can eventually become a favorite.  That sure doesn’t take away the sadness at this restaurants closure.  Thanks Acme, I will miss you very much.

Features, Food and Drink

PiercingMetal Pregaming Guide: Acme Bar & Grill

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While this place has been around for many years before my finally getting through its doors, I owe a debt of thanks to our own Skeleton Pete who first suggested it on the night that we were both catching the band Blackfield down at the Bowery Ballroom. It was a very weird night without question and while winter was upon us, a sudden snow had started to fall and not only was it a continuous downfall of it. It was sticking and to find this happening in the city takes some doing what with all the pipes under the streets. We were too early for the show, and decided to grab a bite to eat. “Have you ever tried Acme?” Pete inquired when we realized how much time we actually had before the show began and I told him I had not. So we wandered the five or so blocks it was away and I have never regretted trudging through the snowy mess for food ever since that night.

The menu was a Cajun one, and that meant a whole bevy of filling, comfort type food. They had choices of gumbo, friend chicken, blackened everything and assorted Po Boy sandwiches. They even had freshly baked corn bread on the table and a knock you out hot sauce. I remembered my first order was a chicken fried steak with a side order of black eyes peas and their mashed potatoes and grave. It was heavenly. There was also a house brew that I loved and while I didn’t realize this until we had sat down, this was also above the Rock Club “Under Acme”. Now the name made complete sense. This was officially going to be my pregaming spot for any shows that I was attending down at that club and perhaps even some of the close in proximity ones like Bowery Ballroom as well. Here’s a visual of the place during the day time and I am sorry but I didn’t take any from the inside.

Though I admit that I have to explore their menu a little deeper, I can say that I have had their burgers, the meat loaf, po-boy sandwich, gumbo, chicken fried steak, fried chicken, and even their wings. Whew, there is a lot of ground to cover and everything leaves you full and satisfied for sure. Take a look at this scan of the menu which I took home (don’t worry this was the take out menu so I was allowed to have it). Be warned, everything on this menu might prompt you to head into the kitchen and get some cooking done so don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Since that first night I have held court here on numerous occasions whether it was for some concert pre or post gaming, networking meetings with like minded peers in the industry or just to catch up with old friends at a comfortable space. It even ended up being a space I was not adverse to travelling to before gigs at Irving Plaza or Mercury Lounge which were more of a distance away than I would normally like to be when a show is happening. The club downstairs is awesome too if you are in a local band that kicks some ass. The sound is pretty good and while the getting set up can be a confining thing I have enjoyed quite a few bands here and written about them on the site. You can check out those reports and galleries via this LINK. Be aware that they changed the club name to “Ace Of Clubs” not too long after I first visited the establishment.