‘New year, new Grotto’

    

Azim Grotto, “The Handsomest Grotto in the Realm,” has new officers and a new schedule of social events for 2024.

Monarch Brian

Officers were elected three weeks ago, at which time Brian Donlon was cajoled into the Monarch’s chair. Congratulations! He has the support of a veritable dream team of Mystic Prophets in the officer stations.

But the bigger news is the Lucky 7 Club, a yearlong schedule of social gatherings around New York City on the seventh of each month. Why seven? Azim is the seventh Grotto to have been chartered, which happened way back in 1893.

As today is January 7, this first Lucky 7 event will take place from noon to four o’clock at Down the Hatch on West Fourth Street (between Sixth and Seventh) in the Village. The details:

Bottomless Brunch Menu

Noon to four

$35 per person

All drafts and mimosas

with eight wings or french toast sticks

w/sausage links and choice

of waffle fries, tots or onion rings

Standard Menu

Noon to Close

$6 shots of Tullamore Dew Green Tea

and Tullamore Dew

$5 all cans and bottles

(High Noon excluded) 

Monarch Brian, he say:

In an attempt to make Grottoing fun again, we are going to make it more convenient as well. This year we will be starting the Lucky 7’s Club. A movable feast of Grotto, if you will. On the seventh of every month, we will meet at a different dive bar or event space throughout the five boroughs, regardless of what day it lands on or who can attend. Whether it’s two Prophets or twenty in attendance, the idea is to bring Grotto closer to each of our homes throughout the boroughs and make it as convenient as possible to come and hang out more often—if within the length of your leather whip… I mean cabletow.

The very first Lucky 7’s Club meeting will be January 7, and as many of you know, the day before, our very own Past Monarch Anthony Ruffini will be installed as Potentate of Mecca Shriners. Many of us will be in attendance and it will be a very beautiful ceremony followed by a lot of celebrating. So the theme of our very first “Club meeting” will be recovery.

We will meet at Down the Hatch in Greenwhich Village for bottomless brunch. I’m sure many of you know the area is known for college/dive bars, and Down the Hatch is no exception. So bring your fez (or don’t) and come join Azim.

Sadly, the Magpie Mason will be unavailable for this one, but I promise to be a Seventh Day Eventist in the future. (Actually, I think I know this place, but in my day it had a different name.) Enjoy, Prophets! Brunch is the most important meal between breakfast and lunch!