As gentrification "magically" restores an area historically dubbed Skid Row, can the Bowery's new neighbors, comprised of flophouse residents and the yuppie elite, learn to peacefully co-exist? This absorbing documentary probes for answers as it focuses on the way one New York City neighborhood's new upscale A-list restaurants are single-handedly revitalizing the community. For Gothamites who've felt this trend was just an anomaly prevalent only in the Empire State's urban areas, Bowery Dish offers a complete, three-tier definition of the worldwide gentrification phenomenon. The bittersweet dichotomy between rich and poor is examined in fascinating detail as the filmmakers visit locations like The Sunshine Hotel, which provides housing for more than 100 vagrant men in cubicle-sized mini-rooms, and the recently renovated multi-million-dollar rooftop loft space of supermodel Shalom Harlow, who we learn is planning to refurbish the space a second time to her specifications once she assumes residence. Highlighting the community's high property ownership turnover rate is the ever-changing status of Victor's Deli, which switches proprietorships two times during the course of the movie. The Bowery's notorious past is brought to life through the use of historical and archival footage, while interviews with restaurateurs, homeless people, landlords, displaced business owners, and urban sociologists illuminate the human stories of those who stand to gain or lose the most from this shiny-packaged economic boom.

Directed by

Kevin R. Frech