STORMY WEATHER FOR HEATHER (CONTINUED)Thanks to
Erin and the lively message board at
The New York City Celiac Disease Meetup Group, I became aware of two letters to the editor of
The New York Times regarding Heathers, that rare Alphabet City bar that stocks gluten-free beer but also bothers some of its neighbors:
As a board member and resident of the building directly across the street from Heathers bar ("The Sound and the Fury," Jan. 21), I believe that the public opposition to the noise problem is legitimate and more than just an "active minority" of residents. My neighbors and I regularly endure noise and many other disturbances to our quality of life resulting from Heathers.
Although I live in the back of the building, I must now leave some of my windows closed at night year-round to avoid hearing the noise.
Many residents of our building are suffering from the nightly commotion, even with windows closed. One unit-owner recently moved out, citing the disturbances from Heathers, specifically, as the main reason for moving. For these reasons, I believe that the vast majority of the residents of our building and this block oppose the renewal of Heathers’ liquor license.
Stephen Cooper
East Village
I am a designer and artist living on 13th Street, two doors down from Heathers. As a patron, I appreciate the gluten-free beer and potato vodka, but primarily it is the vibe that brings me back.
Not since leaving the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco have I found a place that feels like a true community of locals, varied in interest, age, profession and gender. Heathers is one of the few gems at night that reflects what the East Village could be.
Before Heathers, the space was an after-hours club, and as a neighbor I much prefer Heathers. As a patron I am glad it has withstood the complaints, and I hope that the two parties can resolve their issues.
Cas Holman
East Village
And now
Gawker has drawn my attention to
this piece of investigative journalism, by Chris Shott of The New York Observer, in which Shott taped noise at Heathers and described some of what transpires there.
I'm still thinking along the lines of letter-writer Cas Holman: There must be a mutually satisfactory solution to the dispute. This is, after all, not an unusual problem in New York City. That is why, after reading about
owner Heather Millstone's attempts to mitigate the problem, I continue to be disturbed by the Community Board's hardline, seemingly uncompromising, position.
Ted's Montana Grill offers special guidelines for patrons on the gluten-free diet (as well as other special diets). When I visited the midtown Manhattan location during the holiday system, the staff seemed totally clueless, but more recently I stopped by and spoke with chef Jesse, who seemed much better informed. He said that restaurant headquarters might actually be preparing bona fide special diet menus, which I imagine would be at least as user-friendly as the guidelines its been using.
Well, yesterday's fundraising opportunity for the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) generated about $4.00 with approximately 400 hits on the GoodSearch search engine. Better than nothing!
Here's what's involved: You go to this web page and provide a little information. Then Barilla donates $1 to the America's Second Harvest food bank (up to a $100,000 total) and you get a little cookbook (pictured) via PDF. 
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