the end of an era (their words not mine)

Well it finally happened this week, Nova Express has left for the big burning man-style pizza haven in the sky (they went out of business). Rumors of this happening have been around the Fairfax block for years now, and this week marked the end of the empire built on cheese, sauce, and odd hours.

If you had ever wanted to live out your fantasy of going to the Star Wars bar, Nova Express was the closest legal place to do it. I first became familiar with Nova before I landed this job after an in-store here that John Wiese & Jarrett Silbermann did back in April of 2007. After the show John suggested we celebrate such an occasion with pizza, immediately I said Damiano's, but John was thinking of something else. With XM Radio's trance station blaring and some kind of 1970's "future" movie projected on the screen in the middle of the restaurant John, his Sissy Spacek bandmate Corydon Ronnau, Peter Kolovos, and I all sat down. With names for the different pies such as the lightship (with Roma tomatoes, surely you are jesting) and the satellite (mozzarella and tomato sauce, okay so they could have just said cheese pizza) I knew I was in for an interesting, out-of-this-world (pardon the pun) experience. Peter and I discussed our afinity for HBO's hit crime-drama, The Wire until our pies came (I say pie because we didn't order slices) and then it was the moment of truth. The verdict: eh, it was alright, not mind blowing but not the worst pizza I've ever had, remember this is California, not New York. Maybe I didn't realize it then, but looking back that first bite may have been the beginning of the end for Nova.

I walked by Nova the other day and there's some kind of letter from the owner about a silent auction regarding their decor, so if you've for whatever reason ever wanted to own a giant Octopus-type of thing then apparently you should make your way to Nova Express this coming saturday, March 22 from 7-10pm. In addition to that Nova has printed up commemorative t-shirts on what the note said was a "cotton/polyester blend" with the phrase "The End Of An Era" printed under a picture of "the mighty Cthulu." And yes, they made baby t's. Said Shirts can be inquired about through novatshirt@slantadvertising.com

This block, she is a-changing, and these days there is an almost ground-zero type of vibe I'm picking up on. With Nova Express out of business and the owner of Picanty presumed dead (or on vacation, I dunno, but they haven't been open all week) I can't say I don't feel just a little bit lost.

Nova Express ???? - 2008
posted by NATE at 8:08 PM
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