Community Corner
Iconic East Village Eatery 'The Redhead' Closes After 10 Years
"Thank you for showering us with love this week as we said goodbye to the place and time that brought us all together. That's all folks."
EAST VILLAGE, NY — The holidays are generally a cheery time, but East Villagers mourned the final hours of The Redhead, while eating as much of their bacon peanut brittle (pictured above) as they could stomach. The beloved Southern comfort food restaurant closed it's doors Saturday after ten years in the East Village.
"After an amazing 10 years in the East Village it is bittersweet to announce that this will be our final week of service. Please join us as we celebrate one hell of a run," the restaurant announced on it's social media pages.
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The EV Grieve reports The Redhead's 10-year lease was up, and there was a rent increase. The partners apparently live out of state as well, as Chef and founding partner Meg Grace Larcom now lives in Colorado.
Many devoted diners showed their love for The Redhead in the comment section of the posts, from "Need to find a new Valentine's Day spot now" to "So sad to see you go. You'll always be my favorite of all time." Another Instagram user said, "We met here. Our first date. Was here. My favorite watering hole. And tonight it's over, but I still have Her. It was a good run Redhead!"
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The Redhead earned a blue ribbon in my book. Farewell to an East Village standard. Thanks for being there, for me and my friends. . . . #farewell #goodbye #redhead #nycbars #beer #cocktails #wine #food #family #friends #eastvillage #newyorkcity #bar @thirsty @thirstynyc @theredheadnyc @jlitchford
A photo posted by John Chamberlain (@thebartographer) on Dec 17, 2016 at 2:09pm PST
The 13th Street eatery was featured on twice on the Guy Fieri's show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network.
"Guy was blown away by chef Meg Grace's Homemade Pretzels With Beer Cheese. For a comforting main course, try the Buttermilk Fried Chicken or Shrimp and Grits," the show's website says.
Frank Bruni wrote about The Redhead in his last review for the Times in Aug. 2009:
In August 2009, Frank Bruni, in his last review for the Times, gave the place high marks:
"It wasn’t a readymade brand from another city, it wasn’t the latest outpost in a burgeoning empire, it didn’t have big-name investors and big-statement décor. It had bacon peanut brittle, buttermilk fried chicken, house-made soft pretzels and three scrappy proprietors unafraid to beg, borrow and toil round the clock to realize their ambition of a neighborhood place with an idiosyncratic flair."
Patch called The Redhead for a comment, but no one picked up the phone.
Photo by: Edsel Little/Flickr
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