There are big plans in the works for the former Revitali Hookah Lounge at 125 First Ave. between St. Mark's and Seventh Street... Ray LeMoine, an owner of the late Bowery Beef inside the Bowery Poetry Club, is one of the proprietors behind a fish market/retail shop/restaurant in the works for this storefront.
We asked LeMoine via email the other day to explain a little about the concept. Fish monger and retail shop by day, restaurant by night?
Not exactly. We have a hallway entrance that would make a fine small market. We love Commodities up the block, but they mainly do greens and health food. There's no seafood market in the East Village, save our enemies at Whole Foods. The company has a dock behind my dad's house in Gloucester, MA. Both the Whole Foods on Houston and 14th have signs on the wall saying they sell a lot of fish from Gloucester. They don't. We will. And meat too.
Anyway, the market will lead to a kitchen and dining area with seating for 60 or so. The final concept is still fluid. Our new partner is Mitch Zukor, a local gent who always came into Bowery Beef. Talking to him, we learned his younger brother was hardcore punk legend Jay Anarchy of the NYHC Youth Crew.
Food-wise, assume a lot of the market's products will hit the menu. We're talking to some young chefs. It will be a chef-driven menu serving three meals. Lunch, we'll serve the beef again at $5, plus other deli-style items. Dinner, we have some ideas, but the chef will create the menu. Front of house, we have ex-Blue Ribbon and Blue Hill folks. Assume we're entering our blue period, but no more Blue Bottle coffee.
We have a cultural component too, like we did with Beef at Bowery Poetry Club. I can't say the whos and whats yet.
Here's what the place looks like inside these days...
LeMoine and his partners, Mike Herman and Mitch Zukor, are having an open house tonight and Thursday from 6-8 for anyone in the neighborhood with ideas and concerns.
They will appear before the CB3/SLA committee for a liquor license on Jan. 9.
[All photos by Kathy Grayon]
9 comments:
This site USED to be the best health food market ever (PRANA) and there USED to be a fantastic fish/seafood market a block away. Both driven out due to landlord greed?
I was so happy when I moved to 6th Street and was close to Prana. The LL kicked them out so he could allegedly redo the floors, and has been unable to rent it with any stability since.Of course the LL gets to right off the empty space on his taxes, so we get to subsidize that!
Thats the most adorable spelling of "write off" I have ever seen. Like, get it "right off" my taxes.
Essex mkt has some good fish, but this would be good too. Also always happy to see one less Hookah bar...
Oh, yeah. Prana was great!
Hope the new owners sell grassfed beef, only available in the neighborhood at incredible markups at Whole Paycheck.
A seafood market would be fantastic. We used to have great ones: Victor's on 1st and 13th, and the one at 1st and 9th. I HATE Whole Fucks and have actually gotten sick from fish and meat purchased there. So much for their vaunted purity.
Please. A shout out to Prana and all of the kooks who worked there. Commodities does not even come close. Prana's bulk section and cheap bread, pour-your-own maple syrup and tamari... Sigh. The neighborhood still need something like that.
The fish market is gone? That place was wonderful!
i remember way back before prana
there was a great health food store there
GREENBERGS {ole style!!
it was a great place!!!!!
on 11th between there was another one called
PETE SPICE n EVERYTHING NICE
it was different back then!! {not good not bad
just very different!!!!!!!
For those of you who miss Prana, walk over to the 4th Street Food Co-op at 58 East 4th Street, and its MUCH cleaner!
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