Here's a tip for you as you begin your week: If you're going to be somewhere illegal, expect that legal things won't be happening there. A good example of this happened in Brooklyn on Saturday night. When most of us were searching every bodega within a 10 block radius for D batteries in preparation for Hurricane Irene's arrival, two men were shot in Brooklyn, one fatally. According to The Daily News, the shooting occurred in an illegal "social club," which we imagine probably isn't that social anymore. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] As part of what seems like a city crackdown on artist's loft spaces this week, Clinton Hill's Rubulad has been shut down, and artists began moving out their possessions on Tuesday when they were presented with a padlock and an eviction notice. more ›

A 75-year-old man went into cardiac arrest and died after he was handcuffed during a raid Tuesday afternoon at the Italian social club he managed in Bensonhurst. Besides running the Banner Civic Social Club on 72nd Street, Sam Nastasa had bit parts in The Sopranos and other crime movies like Rounders; neighbors say the club was a hang-out for old men who would chat and play cards. But state and federal investigators say the club was once the base of operations for the Bonanno crime family, and has been patronized by members of the Colombo crime family. more ›

Despite a recent triumph for Carroll Gardens, an area that once hosted one of the city’s most concentrated Italian communities, there are few remaining vestiges of the neighborhood that was. Among them is Sam’s Restaurant, a quintessential red sauce joint and pizza destination helmed by Louie Migliaccio, the self-named “Son of Sam.” more ›

amNew York takes a look at how well night clubs do with safety code compliance. It doesn't sound sexy, but getting trapped in a burning club isn't that sexy - we remember the Happyland Social Club Fire in 1990. The good news: Only 36% of restaurant and club owners have failed to comply with safety codes, in 2005 versus 50% in 2004. The bad news: That still means 36% of venues have failed to comply with safety codes. Some problems are that clubs will put more tables and chairs in, blocking exits, as well as locking emergency exits to prevent people from sneaking in. Then there are issues with ignoring capacity rules and not clearly marking entrances. But before you get too freaked out, the NY Night Life Association says, "We had 64 million admissions last year. That's all of New York City sports teams, the Metropolitan Museum, and all Broadway shows combined. It's not blind luck that nothing has happened." Okay, so just worry about shootings outside the clubs. more ›

the way it is in the movies! Here's testimony from Michael DiLeonardo, Gambino loan sharker and star government witness, via the NY Times:

He went to an apartment on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, a few blocks from the Ravenite Social Club, home base of the Gambino family. There he waited in a room with four other men, including John A. Gotti, the son of the family boss, to be inducted as "made men" into the family. more ›

Damn, it's cold out there! Gothamist recently had a friend check weather.com before deciding whether to venture out of her home. News flash, folks: It's January! It's cold, finally! Put a coat on and let's rock: more ›

New York magazine looks at the new hanger steak (apparently, the hanger steaks are the old black in the beef world) to wow chefs, the Flatiron Steak. Worried that the Flatiron Steak was some attempt to ride the Flatiron Building train, the Flatiron Steak is named so because, like the Flatiron Building, it looks like a flatiron. NY says Flatiron steak is "remarkably flavorful, surprisingly tender, and�most important�cheap cut from the shoulder." Restaurants serving the steak du jour are Jane, Sunburnt Cow (137 Avenue C /212-529-0005), WD-50, Dominic Restaurant/Social Club and Cub Room.
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Gigante Says He Was Crazy...Like a Fox if only because that's something Gothamist would write. [Jake]: for fans of Gigante, you can walk by his old headquarters at 208 Sullivan Street- the "Triangle Civic Improvement Association", between Bleecker and West Third. Gigante actually lived right across the street, at 208 Sullivan, and would often take walks through the neighborhood. This being Manhattan, there is a lively debate about which mob family had the best clubhouse location. While I love Sullivan Street, I still give that award to the Gambinos and their Ravenite Social Club, at 247 Mulberry Street between Spring and Prince. That's a great location by anyone's standards- right now I think someone is using the space to sell overpriced women's shoes. Does anyone know the location of other famous NYC mob hangouts? more ›