Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Back Fence to Bark

The Back Fence, offering music on Bleecker and Thompson since 1945, was sold by a developer for $7 million, rent-hiked, and shuttered in 2013. It was a place filled with history, where folks like Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, and Allen Ginsberg walked across the sawdust and peanut shell-covered floor.



So what's become of it, now that the plywood has been removed?


photo: Gog in NYC

It's a Bark, says our friend Goggla, who sends in this photo. "Bark," according to Bark, "is the chef driven and environmentally mindful American fast casual restaurant from chef/owner Joshua Sharkey. Opened in Brooklyn in 2009." You might remember them from Bobo Bergen.

The menu comes with a "farmers and artisans" information sheet. It's hipster hot dogs--smothered in baked heirloom beans and oak barrel aged sauerkraut.

"All of our condiments are house made," they say, "except for Heinz’s Ketchup, French’s Yellow Mustard & Hellman’s Mayonnaise. Some things are just American Classics."

Some things like the Back Fence, dating back to World War II and helping to launch the folk music explosion in Greenwich Village. But, oh well, there's a vintage shot of the old bar on their "Coming Soon!" page.




6 comments:

Grade "A" Fancy said...

Ouch, I just tried to jump into the bottom photo and hit my head on my monitor.

randall said...

The Back Fence was great. When I was in High School circa 1994 I was in there one hot summer night drinking on a fake ID and dancing to a bar band with an NYU summer student. The band was playing a very passable version of Elvis Costello's "Alison" and the NYU coed claimed that that was her name too. My friends had already left for the night (2 AMish) because one of them was allergic to peanuts and the shells on the floor were causing his throat to constrict and I was left alone with Alison to fumble in the dark on a futon in an apartment somewhere around Washington Sq.

Good times. But I guess there's nothing wrong with an artesanal hot dog.

Ken Mac said...

The "foodie corridor" that MacDougal is slowly becoming hits Bleecker. Bark looks very glossy, very trendy, very family friendly. Shoot me.

Anonymous said...

Ken, bark will be out of business at this time next year.

T-Bone said...

God i miss The Back Fence. Used to go there all the time. Saw this place when i walked by the other week, was sad

nativer said...

horrific that this city allows such horrible cultural sacrifices.... they should have called it barf