May 20, 2011

It’s time, well, past time, to shake the tree of Life. And so we have, as you’ll notice.

We’ve lived with scaffolding surrounding the building that houses Life Café for too many months. Our landlords continue to work out their issues over renovations to the buildings leaving us stuck in the middle of their wrangling.

So to give our old tree a shake, I’ve brought in my good friend Darin Rubell, founder of Mercadito and owner of Gallery Bar and Ella in the Lower East Side. Darin’s brief is to re-vitalize Life Café. He loves the East Village and Life Cafe and sees the Cafe’s 30-year history as an essential part of the fabric of the area. His mission is to bring new life to the old girl! And he’s passionate to see this happen. To that end he’s brought in Chef Consultant Paul Yellin to breathe new life and taste into our menu, creating new twists on old favorites and introducing some exciting new ones. The new menu with its fresh graphic styling makes it easier to choose a menu item and it’s much more easy to handle.

First Readers of Redesigned Life Cafe Menu

It’s still the old Life, but when you come in you’ll feel the buzz and excitement from the staff and the customers alike over what’s going on. You’ll notice the improvements right away when you step through the door. This week saw a fresh coat of paint and a new look: a soft creamy white ceiling with soft grey accents brighten up the room. Out have gone our vintage TV’s and in have come flowers and a more open feel. Our cozy corner is still cozy but without the one-eyed monster looking down on you. A second black chalkboard wall helps announce our new specials. John Sunderland’s off-the-wall artwork of his menu-based picture riddles remain in house to continue our policy of connection with the arts and to spur lively conversation among customers.

Fresh Look for Life Cafe for Spring 2011

Outside in back our freshly planted secret garden became a lush tropical jungle this week with all the rain, whilst out front our new bistro style sidewalk café brings a surprisingly European flavor to the corner of 10th and B.

Spring Bursts open in Life Cafe's Garden

We hope you will enjoy the new life we are breathing into the old, just in time for the next thirty years! Tune in tomorrow for “Who’s that Yellin’ in the Kitchen?” where we’ll give you a look into the exciting flavors Chef Paul Yellin has created for us.