It's Pretty BASIC - East Village Demands Urban Simplicity

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With the rapid growth of districts and hip underground (and some not so underground) scenes popping up all over San Diego like circus tents that seem to appear and disappear over night, it's no wonder that, if you're not a resident, you may have missed the rise and fall of many trendy spots.

The "East Village," or the surrounding area of the southeastern corner of Downtown San Diego adjacent to PETCO Park, not surprisingly, may be a new term to some San Diegans. With a name like East Village, is it any marvel that this former industrial neighborhood would be reminiscent of East Coast edifice, with its brick buildings, ancient warehouses and modern metallic and concrete skyscraping condominiums?

Erik Tesmer, of Basic, an urban eatery and bar, explains the East Coast feel of the East Village was what originally drew he and his two other partners, Jon Mangini, and Jon Younger, to the district where Basic was first opened in early April of 2006. Mangini, who grew up around the prominent pizzerias in Connecticut, wanted to preserve a little bit of what he learned from his childhood and bring it to San Diego with a modern flair.

Former residents and natives of the east will be pleasantly surprised to discover that Basic serves up what East Coasters dub, "New Haven" style pizza. "It's not easy," says Tesmer, "many of the ingredients used over on the East Coast are different here in the West. Things grow differently." From the tomatoes to the cheese, Tesmer and his team have New Haven pizza down to a science; yet, the organization and attention to detail do not just end in the kitchen. Whether working the door or rolling dough, every member of Basic is familiar with the inner workings of the restaurant.

While some clubs and restaurants choose to curb their employees to a specific position, Basic runs on the multi-tasking team efforts of its staff. Cori Stephson, who has been a member of Basic for the last year and half, began as a "cover girl," a responsibility that includes manning the door to receive cover charges from patrons. Stephson currently serves, cocktails and bartends. After flirting with retail and other restaurant industry jobs, Stephson feels like she's finally found a niche, "I always look forward to coming to [Basic]. I never feel like, 'Oh, I have to go to work today.' Everyone here is really family-oriented," says Stephson. "Just the other day Jon [Mangini] was bussing my tables."

This type of bond with one's staff and place of business extends to Basic's relationship with its clientele. Basic stays true to its name with a simple laid back outlook and friendly, welcoming atmosphere that has become evidence of the difference between Basic and the rest of The Village compared to their nearby Gaslamp competitors.

Though dressing to impress is undeniably a treat for some of us, at times, the pretentious requirements to get inside several venues along 5th Avenue can be migraine inducing. Basic proposes to bring all the luxury and class of the Gaslamp together with the ideals of the East Village for those of us who want to proudly sport flip-flops on a Saturday night.

"People are overwhelmed from the Gaslamp. The East Village is off the beaten path and when you're here you feel like you're in another world; not in San Diego," says Tesmer, referring to the large older buildings which restrict the view of the familiar dotted hilltops and the endless horizon that illustrate California. Serving San Diego up with a little taste of "urban-ness" is not the only thing that Basic and the East Village have begun to provide. Like New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco, known for artist-friendly ambience, East Village is turning into its own little mini artist Mecca with Basic at the core.

With a large, wide interior and the preservation of the original warehouse building, erected in 1912, Basic is the ideal location for impromptu art galleries and live productions of film, dance and paint or aerosol art, burlesque, fashion shows, tattoo exhibitions and animated/comic book style art presentations.

Tuesdays, or Graffiti Tuesdays, are now dedicated to such forms of artistic entertainment and weekly pair with soothing sets from resident DJs, like Johnny Tran and Shane Baker, which range from jazz to blues to electro to hip-hop. This new weekly event at Basic make for a colorfully stimulating evening, not to mention a much-needed alternative to Taco Tuesday.

"The art wall is the first thing people see," says Tesmer of the art gallery, a signature element of Graffiti Tuesdays. In fact, the long concrete wall that graces Basic's VIP lounge and faces 10th Avenue is alit in such a way that motorists and people passing by might be blinded by the sight of such creativity.

Graffiti Tuesdays, inspired by the combination of "Shugariver" and Tesmer, are inviting scensters, hipsters, locals, and casual observers to stop by, have a slice and mingle with the rest of the art world. Shugariver, a company that sprouted from the minds of Matt Loney and Alex Del Rio, manages artists from all areas to produce and promote shows like Graffiti Tuesday. Tesmer, who is also a product of an artistic background, wanted to incorporate all the things he loved about city life and the art world and bring them together under one roof. With the help of Shugariver, along with other production companies like, Sushi Performance and Visual arts, Tesmer has been able to bring this vision to life.

Graffiti and Tuesdays aside, Basic has begun to be a home to all types of "live art," such as "bottle night," which occurs the first Monday of every month, since February, 2008. "A team of choreographers would come in on Monday nights and create dances around the bar inspired by the architecture," says Tesmer. At one point, some of the choreography ended with dancers literally "climbing up the walls." Although the group's slot ends on the first Monday of this April, Tesmer, with his relentless energy and infinite endeavors, intends to bring more unique blends of art into the Basic sphere.

The future of Basic will continue to live up to its name by making restaurant/bar standards high and keeping things basically simple. On the subject of The Village, Tesmer would like to see more art and clothing with a few restaurants mingling in between. This could be prophetic, considering the restaurants and shops that have followed in Basic's wake since its debut in 2006. "I was originally attracted to the East Village because of the anticipation of what 'East Village' would be," says Tesmer with a gleam in his eye, and perhaps, he muses, "a forefront for creating a new urban, artistic neighborhood."