The Loopy Doopy is on the 16th floor, just down a bland hallway and through a door. When I was trying to gauge how large the bar area is, my first thought was that it’s about the size of a floor at Tiny’s—although it may be a little bigger. The furnishings are nondescript but the views are fantastic, and of course nothing beats being outside. The crowd was very much post-work; I’m seeing it as a lovely place to go on a Sunday evening, if it’s open then. On weekdays, weather permitting, it’s open from 5 p.m. till midnight.

Tip #1: Bring sunglasses, because the sun beats down on the bar. Tip #2: There was only one bartender when I was there, and if that happens to you, order something simple (like a gin and tonic) and maybe she’ll make it before the large orders from the specialty cocktail menu (click to enlarge). Beer is available, although I believe the one tap is for Prosecco. Tip #3: Don’t waste your time trying to find a button for the elevator. I asked a staffer when I was back downstairs, and he said it was a design flaw they’re working on fixing. If the wrong elevator comes, he said, just send it away.

UPDATE: A reader just sent this in!

••• I’m pretty sure this is about whether to allow residential development on Pier 40: “The Hudson River Park Trust has been working with a task force comprised of elected officials, community boards, and environmental and civic organizations to discuss possible changes to the Hudson River Park Act. We have just scheduled a public meeting to update the general public about these discussions. The meeting will include time for questions and answers, and the public will be able to provide their ideas about how the Park can best meet its financial challenges. [...] The meeting will take place on Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Chapel, 209 Broadway.”

••• Remember: Taste of Tribeca is Saturday! Here’s the list of participating restaurants—love seeing new places like Lotus Blue, Tribeca Tap House, Tre Sorelle, and Super Linda on there. Also: There will be “an exciting raffle sponsored by Sean Turner of Stribling & Associates. 10 lucky winners will receive a $200 gift certificate to the Taste of Tribeca participating restaurant of their choice. Visit the Stribling booth at Taste on Saturday and show your ticket to enter.”

••• Speaking Super Linda: Its take-out taqueria (at the north end) sure looks close to opening….

••• Just a reminder that the twice-weekly email newsletter is the easiest way to keep up with everything on TribecaCitizen.com. You can sign up by entering your email in the box in the upper-right corner (and then you’ll be sent an email where you have to click a link). I promise that the list will never be handed to anyone, and unsubscribing is a breeze.

••• The Dusty Rebel tweeted this great street-art image and I thought it was worth passing along….

••• “Another food truck lot [is] spawning downtown [at] the Lent Space at 70 Varick (at Grand) next to Duarte Park, and it’s another one involving the NYC Food Truck Association’s members, like the collection at the World Financial Center five days a week. According to the association’s site, there will be four to six trucks at the lot on Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.” —Midtown Lunch

••• “The owners of the landmarked Woolworth Building signed a contract to sell the top 25 floors of the tower to an Israeli investor group for nearly $70 million, or around $700 a square foot, sources familiar with the deal said. [...] The top floors, which total roughly 100,000 square feet, are empty and have been for a while as the owners contemplated turning them into a hotel or condos. [...] The remaining 32 stories, which are the bulk of the building, are occupied by office tenants. Sources says that although the owners weren’t actively marketing the space, they starting receiving numerous offers as the hotel and high-end condo markets revived in the wake of the recession.” —Crain’s

••• The New York Times on Demi Monde: “A hostess will greet you at the little entryway in the financial district and announce your arrival”—ladies and gentlemen, please welcome I.P. Freely!—”at this below-ground cocktail lounge and restaurant. The food, by Phillip Kirschen-Clark, formerly of Vandaag, will be small plates like Negroni-flavored oysters, king crab rolls and pork fried rice [...]. These drinks are also served with Mr. Kirschen-Clark’s $130 nine-course tasting menu at a 12-seat chef’s table. This summer, the entry space will become a coffee bar by day. (The lounge is open; the chef’s table opens May 24, for dinner Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.): 90 Broad Street (Stone Street), (212) 248-7220.”

••• “9/11 Memorial Chief Emphatically Says ‘No’ to Sphere on WTC Plaza.” —Tribeca Trib

••• “A homeless man was rushed to a hospital late Tuesday night after an unknown assailant beat him with a piece of wood outside St. Peters Roman Catholic Church.” —DNAinfo

UPDATE 5/16: Well that was fast! Dos Santos just emailed to say that she’ll reopen tomorrow.

••• “Some are upset over the visual impact of logo laden bikes at a station on Duane Street. And at Bogardus Plaza, there are worries about the safety of pedestrians.” The Duane Park one is a crime. Put it on Greenwich or Hudson. —Tribeca Trib

••• “Telltale $9 shows bidding war for 100 Hudson Street loft.” —Manhattan Loft Guy

••• “Landmarks Commission approves Howard Hughes Corp. plan for new mall building on Seaport’s Pier 17.” —Tribeca Trib

••• “The historic schooner Pioneer is cruising New York Harbor once again, after some much-needed repairs. The South Street Seaport Museum spent $57,000 overhauling the 127-year-old boat this winter, adding two new sails and installing a new transmission, ballast, foredeck hatch and more, the museum said.” —DNAinfo

••• “First responders who risked their lives on 9/11 will return to the World Trade Center site May 30 to mark the 10th anniversary of the end of recovery operations at the site.” —DNAinfo

••• “In honor of One World Trade Center becoming the tallest building in New York, EarthCam has released an exciting time-lapse movie showcasing the construction progress from 2004-2012. In just a couple minutes, you can witness years of construction.” I suggest muting it. —Arch Daily (via Curbed)

••• I remember how bummed I was when I realized I had lost the ability (and/or body type) to Hula Hoop—and Torly Kid’s video brings it all back.

••• Left: Another peek at Jean, the café/wine bar coming to W. Broadway between Warren and Murray, courtesy @MMDevoe.

••• An update from the Lilac Preservation Project: “The barque Picton Castle of Lunenberg, Nova Scotia is arriving at Pier 25 today and will visit through the weekend.  She will moor at the outermost berth on the north side of the pier. Arrival time is approximately 10 a.m.  I’m sorry about the late notice, but I wasn’t able to confirm her arrival until yesterday. Also, the Waterfront Museum on the barge Lehigh Valley #79 will be leaving Pier 25 today about 2 p.m. after 10 days of public events. The tug Pegasus will tow her back to Red Hook, Brooklyn and then return to her new home at Pier 25.”

••• There will be a free opera performance in Washington Market Park, sponsored by Downtown Symphony, Sunday at 3 p.m.

••• There’s a Burger King on Canal, near Broadway. You can tell how enthusiastic I am about this by the fact that I wouldn’t cross the street to take a photo. Anyway, I think it’s new.

THE RUMOR:

THE RUMOR: A tipster emailed that Tetsu, the forthcoming restaurant from Masa chef Masa Takayama, will be “teppanyaki with flaming huge fire twist.” Teppanyaki means the food is cooked on an iron griddle, à la Benihana. I asked him/her where the restaurant would be, but I got no response…. Hey, here’s a thought: Do you think it could be coming to the revamped World Financial Center? (Sorry, I didn’t mean to start a rumor.)
THE INVESTIGATION: Exceedingly good. Why? Because Googling “teppanyaki” and “masa” brings up a press release about how the Shaboo restaurant within (?) Bar Masa in Las Vegas will be turned into a teppanyaki restaurant named Tetsu. Sayeth the release: “Highly skilled teppanyaki chefs will oversee the evening’s culinary entertainment—prepping, cooking and plating orders specific to each guest’s request. A produce table will serve as the room’s centerpiece, displaying the finest quality meats, seafood and vegetables, and will allow guests the opportunity to hand select the proteins of their entree, specifying the exact cut, portion size and preparation style they desire.” Reminds me of this. “The teppan grill menu allows guests to try a variety of offerings at smaller portions and reasonable prices such as the Toro Tartare with Caviar, Wagyu Beef Steak Tartare and Pacific Lobster Sashimi Ceviche in addition to Tataki selections. Tataki, meaning to ‘pound,’ is a traditional manner of preparing fish and meat so they better absorb other flavors, therefore enhancing the protein in the dish. The cuts are briefly seared over a hot pan, marinated in vinegar, sliced thin and seasoned with ginger. Tetsu’s tataki offerings will differentiate the restaurant with the finest culinary creations, such as the Wagyu Ribeye, and Filet Mignon-Soy Vinaigrette. Main course offerings include prime cuts of beef such as Center Cut Lamb Chop and Filet Mignon. Seafood and steak also will delight guests with the incredibly fresh ingredients for which Masa is renowned, such as Butterflied Scottish Langoustine, Mediterranean Turbot and decadent Fatty Tuna. Side accompaniments including Kobe Garlic Fried Rice, Yakisoba Noodles and Seafood Udon will complement the main course. Completing the meal are unexpected and refreshing desserts such as Masa’s famous Truffle Ice Cream, Grapefruit Granite and Yuzu Sorbet.”

THE RUMOR: A reader said that maybe I had the spelling wrong on the new restaurant coming to 45 Murray (left), “because Benares [not Benaras] is a good new Indian restaurant in Midtown.”
THE INVESTIGATION: Indeed! Behold benaresnyc.com! “Restaurateur Inder Singh, a former partner of Devi and Baluchi, partners with acclaimed chef Peter Beck, celebrated for his creative interpretation of his native cuisine at the helm of the Tamarind empire.”

KNOW SOMETHING? Send tips—especially about where Tetsu will be located—to tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

••• The burger joint coming to Canal has opened: It’s called Black Burger. Look, there’s already a Yelp review! “I’ll preface this by saying that I understand that they just opened this week”—the “Coming Soon” sign is a bit confusing—”and they’re probably working some things out, but my lunch at Black Burger yesterday afternoon was one of the most disappointing, frustrating dining experiences I’ve had in a while. [...] When I finally got my food it was completely inedible: the burger patty was burned and tough, the tomato was either rotten or had frozen and thawed out, the onion was past it’s prime and the bun had was soggy and completely fell apart when I picked it up.”

••• The next Tribeca Meet & Greet—organized by BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center—will be Thursday, May 24 (6:30–9 p.m.) at ARC Athletics: “Anyone with an interest in Lower Manhattan is welcome to attend. Frankly Wines will provide libations and MaxDelivery will be donating wonderful nibblybits.

••• “Boardwalk Empire” is filming on Warren (near Broadway) this Friday. I think it was Friday. I forgot to take a photo. I’ll check in a bit…

••• If the Rangers win the Stanley Cup, they get a parade, right? I can only imagine what that looks like.

••• “FDNY Pulls Body from Hudson River [near Battery Pace]” —DNAinfo

••• “Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish is opening its second location in Sherwood Equities’ 370 Lexington Avenue.” —Commercial Observer

••• “Available for one summer only, for the months of July and August, this 1,400-square-foot Tribeca sublet offers two bedrooms, 12-foot ceilings, and a Chinese restaurant as a kitchen. Okay, so the kitchen is pretty typical save for a light-box Chinese menu mounted on the wall.” Makes my soft-serve-cone lamp look positively restrained. —Curbed

Salvatore’s doesn’t have a sign yet; if you enter the hotel from Goldman Alley and go up the stairs, turn left at the first opportunity, and continue past the gym. The room is clean and uncluttered, bordering on empty, with windows onto the atrium at the end. There’s a curtain near the last chair that I thought might be to shield Goldman execs from being spotted in such a vulnerable situation, but I was told it’s just a design element. On the day I went, the radio was playing classic soul, which I so prefer to a blaring TV. They wash your hair, cut it, blow-dry it until not one stray clipping lingers—something most shops don’t do unless you insist—and then wrap your face in a hot towel. The result in my case was a straightforward, no-nonsense haircut. The price is $30. At least for you.

Franco: The price is $30, but I’m only charging you $25.
Me: That’s so nice—
Franco: I’m giving you a discount.
Me: —but you don’t have to do that.
Franco: I’m giving you a discount.
Me: Really, thank you, but it’s a journalism thing. I’m happy to pay the $30.
Franco: I’m giving you a discount.

OK then! The shop is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It also offers shaves, manicures, pedicures, and waxing (the last three by appointment, for the time being). Kids are welcome.

Salvatore Barber Shop is inside the Conrad New York at 102 North End Ave., 646-769-4272.

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