Famed Lower East Side watering hole Barramundi shuts its doors after tonight, preparing for its swim east. Curbed special correspondent Andrew Krucoff files this report:
Tonight is the last for Barramundi/Collective Unconscious at 145-147 Ludlow. In time, the address will occupy luxury apartments and only the ghosts of bar patrons, bad hook-ups, and quirky performance space artists will remain. It's a sad moment of reflection for me since Barramundi's opening roughly marks the time I arrived here ten years ago. To the best of my knowledge (and memory), on the entire stretch of Ludlow from Houston to Division Street there was only Max Fish and Ludlow Street Bar (now the Dark Room) to knock back some Brooklyn Brown. Barramundi finally crossed the Stanton Divide and the Lower East Side exploded like the proverbial egg in a microwave that's on all of our faces now. But it was a good spot, perfect showcase for out-of-town friends to let them know you hang out in "cool" bars. Admittedly, I fell in and out of love with the place several times during its residency but at least the place taught us about a hermaphroditic fish. (Answer: that's a barramundi.) Some personal highlights include: making fun of a silly French guy who was wearing acid-washed jeans and hitting on the girl I was hitting on, getting grabbed around the neck by the boyfriend of a girl I was hitting on, hitting on the ex-girlfriend of a friend as he sat across from us (sorry Lock!) and...well, let's stop before I repeat myself. Go out, toast the place, but don't cry too hard; they're re-opening at 67 Clinton Street in the near future.· Barramundi Swims East [Curbed]