Friday night we were enjoying a mellow drink in the unassuming confines of Culturefix when suddenly no fewer than eight cops swarmed the narrow entrance, brandishing paperwork. It seems the bar had served a beer to an undercover (and underage) cop a while back, and, while it isn’t getting shut down, the owners are facing fines in the four- to five-figure range. “Our customers aren’t even the type who get loud and break shit,” fumed one partner, before pouring out a round of prosecco to the lovers of obscure B-sides and fixed-gear bikes who tend to populate the bar. Turns out that wasn’t the only cracking down afoot in the neighborhood over the weekend: Bowery Boogie alerts us that Foundation, which happens to be next door to felled honky tonk Mason Dixon, has been temporarily shut down, following in the footsteps of Max Fish, Los Feliz, and GalleryBar. Much as we detest the increasing clubbishness of the Lower Eastpacking District, it’s impossible to deny that somebody’s on a witch hunt, and it’s bad for business.
Foundation Felled by NYPD Crackdown [Bowery Boogie]