Bowery Bar Leave Rochelle Out Of It Shut Down By FDNY
Leave Rochelle Out of It, the popular six-month-old bar on Bowery in New York City was just shut down by the Fire Department and ordered to vacate the premises.
The bar, known for "barrel service," or serving barrels of whiskey with mixings and fixings, was just slapped with a "Vacate: Do Not enter" notice by the FDNY, due to "conditions... imminently perilous to life in case of a fire." In other words, the conditions and design of the bar are not safe for occupants to exit safely in case of a fire.
Rochelle's, named after the co-owners' mutual ex-girlfriend, has released a statement on the matter:
"Leave Rochelle Out of It is temporarily closed as we are working to solve the issue at hand with the FDNY. Rochelle's has all of the proper certificates noted on the violation, and we are working through the proper channels to resolve the situation. Rochelle's plans to re-open shortly and will continue to serve the Lower East Side as one of The Line Group's most successful and esteemed venues."
Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi