This downtown bar is a “tropical hellscape” of food and drinks
Restaurants and bars open at an incredible rate in New York City, reception ranging on a scale from “okay?” to “wowie zowie.” Will the public be moved by yet another boîte billed as a love letter to something or other that turns out to be affection for profit alone? Actually, sometimes yes. But folks really take notice when a place premieres with some pomp, pageantry and pizzazz.
Paradise Lost, which opens Friday, October 13 in the East Village, is billed in a press release as “a campy, transportive experience that takes guests to a tropical “hellscape,”” with a space that “elicits a sinister escapism.”
But wait, there’s more—including an invented backstory that somewhat borrows from Milton’s epic poem by the same name, like a fable that the bar “exists in a cosmic plane known as “The Abyss”.” Where Milton’s Abyss was, of course, famously visited by Satan, this one’s “inhabited with unique characters,” with drinks and design elements intended to engage guests with this fiction.
Some of those narrative-pushing fixtures number an eight-foot altar, oversized bat taxidermy (head only), a white fur interior door and snakeskin banquettes. There is also a lighting arrangement that changes when you order select cocktails.
Takes on “tiki-inspired and tropical” tipples are ominously monikered, like the archfiend, (jalapeño-infused tequila, makrut leaf-infused mezcal, galangal agave syrup, lime cordial, hibiscus syrup, hellfire bitters), the classic and threateningly-termed cobra’s fang (blend of rums, Fassionola syrup, lime, orange, absinthe) and the piña colada-like Beelz’s road soda, which sure sounds like it’s named for Beelzebub, who, in Milton’s Paradise, is not one with Satan, but rather, just a friend.
Snacks include topically titled mezu musubi, damned dumplings and somewhat less excitingly labeled sticky ribs, but I guess you can imagine they’re from devils or something.
The menu further incorporates surf imagery, and a proprietors’ note that reads, in part, “We would like to acknowledge the legacy of tiki is one built on cultural appropriation and erasure and would like to state firmly that we are dedicated to creating a new experience built upon respect for all cultures and peoples.”
Paradise Lost at 100 2nd Avenue will be open daily from 5pm-2am beginning Friday, October 13.
Inside the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s first Holocaust exhibition for children
When Jack Kliger, President & CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Battery Park City, and his team started working on a new kid-friendly exhibit about the Holocaust almost four years ago, they could not have imagined the chaotic world order that the show was eventually going to premiere in.
“Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark” tells the story of the Danish Rescue, when citizens of the European country came together to usher nearly 7,000 Jews to safety and away from concentration camps during World War II.
The show opens this Sunday, October 15, a week and a day after over 1,000 Israeli Jews were slaughtered, murdered and raped by Hamas militants in a surprise terrorist attack that has been referred to as “the 9/11 of Israel” by many outlets.
Pleas to “never forget” what happened during World War II have defined conversations about how to prevent another Holocaust for decades but the latest images out of the Middle East, and the social media discourse surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, paint a scary picture and make a few things clear: humans are capable of acts of inhumanity and antisemitism is still palpable around the world.
The timeliness of the show is therefore not lost on Kliger.
“Because of what happened in Israel on October 7, we feel that our mission is important more than ever to execute,” he says.
When asked about the inspiration behind the exhibit and the decision to cater it to a younger set, Kliger mentions a three-part process.
“One of our board members had just seen an exhibit about the Holocaust in England specifically targeted to young people,” he explains.
At the time, Kliger himself became the head of the institution and found out about the existence of “an amazing artifact:” one of the actual rescue boats that the Danes used in the mission.
“It was donated by the Danish but it wasn’t our property,” he remembers. “It was somewhere where it could be properly maintained and I thought that it would make a great subject for us to talk about. Specifically looking at what people could do and not at what they didn’t do. “
Author Lois Lowry’s historical fiction book for children about the escape of a family of Jews from Copenhagen during World War II, Number the Stars, also spurred the museum to select this specific topic as the subject of an exhibit for elementary-age students.
We hope to help that particular age group make moral choices and teach them that this was a collective action by the entire nation that showed the difference between being upstanding and being bystanding.
Although, traditionally, American schools have been teaching about the Holocaust beginning high school, Kliger believes that the world has changed, kids have “evolved and gotten smarter” and are therefore able to grasp key lessons before heading to ninth grade.
“We hope to help that particular age group make moral choices and teach them that this was a collective action by the entire nation that showed the difference between being upstanding and being bystanding,” he says before delving into the specific ways they’ve shaped the show on offer given its target audience.
In addition to consulting with witnesses, historians and researchers, the museum also invited young kids in while the exhibition was still in development, asking them how they felt about seeing it.
On a technical level, the design was created by a company called Local Projects that also used Discovery Walls to allow visitors to immerse themselves into 1943 through audio, photo and video props. Holographic narrators and animation systems are also employed.
As a result of that research, “Courage to Act” focuses on themes of separation, bravery and resilience, specifically commenting on the dangers of prejudice and the importance of collective action.
Although telling the story of a town in Europe, Kliger believes that setting up the exhibit in New York will be part of its draw, given the museum’s proximity to the Statue of Liberty and what that landmark represents when it comes to immigration, representation and remembrance.
As the number of Holocaust survivors still with us today diminishes and acts of antisemitism increase, the presence of an institution entirely dedicated to stories like that of the Danes becomes even more essential.
“We need to be here when, in the future, the survivors are not able to speak for themselves,” says Kliger. “That is a moral imperative for us that wasn’t the same 25 years ago.”
I pledge to each and every survivor that I meet that there will always be a place where their grandchildren’s grandchildren can come to learn about their story. I intend to fulfill that pledge forever.
That mission, of course, has not come without backlash: throughout the years, the institution has had to deal with acts of aggression big and small, including an incident during which people wrapped the Confederate flag on the front door of the museum.
But that has never deterred Kliger and his team, who seem entirely dedicated to the task at hand.
“I pledge to each and every survivor that I meet that there will always be a place where their grandchildren’s grandchildren can come to learn about their story,” he says. “I intend to fulfill that pledge forever.”
Long Island’s Only Halloween-Themed Restaurant Is Only 1.5 Hours From NYC
If burgers and the boogeyman sound like the perfect combination to you, allow us to introduce to you the Haunted House of Hamburgers, where they love Halloween, they love hamburgers, and it’s spooky season year-round.
The restaurant opened in the fall of last year in a shuttered Farmingdale Friendly’s, according to the Long Island Press, and they’re Long Island’s only Halloween-themed restaurant.
Owner Jordan Desner told the Press that he always loved Halloween and had the restaurant concept in mind for a while before finally turning it into a reality. Though this reality is more nightmarish than dreamy.
Both the inside and outside of the restaurant are covered head to toe in spooky Halloween decor, from coffins and light up ghosts to bubbling cauldrons and full-sized horror characters (close your eyes on the way in if clowns aren’t really your thing, because Pennywise is waiting outside to greet you).
The decor even makes its way to the bathroom, where you’ll find a skull toilet.
Rest in peace under a ceiling that lights up to Halloween music as you dig into a selection of dishes including delicious hamburgers (of course), mouth watering appetizers, fresh green salads, hot soups, and so much more.
Tombstone Tacos, Slayer Sliders, Scared to the Boneless Wings, and Casket Quesadillas make for perfect sharing bites before digging into bigger dishes such as the Killer Clown Clam Chowder, Buffalo Chicken Flatbread RIPizza, the Sea Monster Surf and Turf Burger, and the Foggy Night Fettuccine Alfredo.
If you haven’t been scared off yet, we suggest sticking around for dessert as well–the Death By Chocolate Cake sounds like the perfect way to end your…meal!
For those that need a bit of liquid courage, fear not–there’s a lovely selection of Crypt Keeper Cocktails as well.
The Zombie Breakout combines Stoli citrus vodka, St. Germain, strawberry, and mint leaf, the Grave Digger is made with Kahlúa, coffee vodka, and heavy cream, and the Smoked Witches Spell combines Empress 1908 gin, sparkling lemonade, blue curacao, and a rosemary spring.
And, what gives us the creeps the least is their Haunted Happy Hour, which features great food and drink deals Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Costumes are encouraged and be sure to grab some free candy on your way out! Learn more on their website here.
Haunted House of Hamburgers – 330 Fulton Street, Farmingdale
Sunday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
If you’re looking for more spooky fun, It’s Halloween Every Day At NYC’s Only Tim Burton-Themed Bar & Restaurant
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