Showing posts with label Sin Sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sin Sin. Show all posts

Friday, February 16, 2018

Bareburger is leaving 2nd Avenue; new outpost slated for Orchard Street



Bareburger is on this month's CB3-SLA docket for a new beer-wine license for 173 Orchard St. between East Houston and Stanton. (Their questionnaire is online here.)

While Bareburger, which sells a variety of organic and all-natural burgers, is expanding with multiple locations in NYC and overseas, the East Village site on Second Avenue at Fifth Street will be closing in the weeks ahead.

Matt Kouskalis, who owns and operates a handful of the city's Bareburger outposts, confirmed the East Village closure. He said escalating rents at the location were behind the reason for the move.

"So we are moving to a slightly smaller and cozier spot on the Lower East Side," he said via email. "We are sad to leave the East Village but our new location is only a few blocks away and our delivery area will remain the same!"

He said he hoped to be open in late April on Orchard Street.

Bareburger debuted on Second Avenue in January 2012. The previous tenant in the two-level space was neighborhood scourge Sin Sin.

Previously on EV Grieve:
'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

Monday, January 9, 2012

BareBurger is now open at former Sin Sin space

Back on Aug. 19, we first reported that an outpost of the organic hamburglar BareBurger is opening on Second Avenue at the site of the former Sin Sin space.

This past weekend, several readers told us that the place had opened... and EV Grieve Pedro ventured inside the two-floor restaurant at East Fifth Street ...





...and the final product, the BareBurger Supreme...


BareBurger is on tonight's CB3/SLA committee agenda for a beer/wine license.

Check out their menu here (PDF)

Friday, November 4, 2011

BareBurger not looking so bare inside

As you know, an outpost of organic hamburglar BareBurger is opening on Second Avenue at the site of the former Sin Sin space...


...and some of the blackout paper along the front windows fell back... and EV Grieve reader Pedro took a look...


Find the BareBurger menu here (PDF)

Monday, August 22, 2011

[Repost] BareBurger coming to former Sin Sin space on Second Avenue

We first posted his Friday around 5 ... so in case you missed it...


Another outpost of the organic hamburglar BareBurger is opening on Second Avenue at the site of the former Sin Sin space. This after the bakery-cafe-bar concept died.

Check out their menu here (PDF)

New: On Friday evening, EV Grieve reader Stephen Popkin happened by the BareBurger location in Murray Hill ... and sent along these photos ...






Friday, August 19, 2011

BareBurger coming to former Sin Sin space on Second Avenue


Another outpost of the organic hamburglar BareBurger is opening on Second Avenue at the site of the former Sin Sin space. This after the bakery-cafe-bar concept died.

Check out their menu here (PDF)

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Former Sin Sin space back on the market


Earlier today, a tipster noted that the city slapped a stop-work order on the under-renovation space on Second Avenue at Fifth Street that once housed Sin Sin.

Apparently the bakery-cafe-bar concept is dead. The space is now on the Tower Brokerage site ... currently asking $15,000 per month.

A stop-work order for the former Sin Sin space


A tipster notes the stop-work order here on Second Avenue at Fifth Street. Per the DOB: "BORO COMMISSIONER HAS ORDERED ALL WORK STOPPED IMMEDIATELY DUE TO PERMIT HOLDER WITHDRAWL UNDER PERMIT #120552286-01-EW-OT"

Yes, of course!

As DNAinfo first reported, a cafe-bakery-bar called Sweet Boutique is in the works for this space. Sweet Boutique withdrew its application for the July CB3/SLA meeting.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Former Sin Sin space to become bakery — with full-liquor license


The former Sin Sin space is on the docket for this month's CB3/SLA meeting on June 20. According to DNAinfo, a bakery-café tentatively called "Sweet Boutique" will open here in the next few months. The building's owner tells DNAinfo that the bakery will have food display cases and café seating on the ground floor with more seating, waiter service and a "small bar" on the second level.

And the early verdict from the East 5th Street Block Association? "It's a little confounding. I am unsure as to why a bakery would need a full liquor license," Association president Stuart Zamsky told DNAinfo's Patrick Hedlund.

Countered building owner Alex Shkolnik: He needs to serve alcohol and keep late-night hours for business to stay viable. "They have to have liquor," he said. "I don't think it's going to be bar."

Meanwhile, we need to add a "bakery" category to the community board-State Liquor Authority drinking game.

Previously on EV Grieve:
'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Mayhem for muffins? Former Sin Sin space becoming a bakery, probably



The owner of 85 Second Ave. — once home to Sin Sin — said the space will likely be home to a bakery, DNAinfo reports.

"It's not going to be a bar," assured Alex Shkolnik, who owns 85 Second Ave. "It's never going to be something like was there."

Shkolnik claimed this time around he would not work with Sin Sin's owners, who unsuccessfully tried to transfer their liquor license last year to a new group of operators.

Instead, he explained, Shkolnik's son will take over the space and open a restaurant featuring items like baked goods, coffee and juice.

"They're going to do probably a bakery there," he said, noting that it would serve "health food."

Previously on EV Grieve:
'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A look inside the old Sin Sin space

Paper and works permits went up last week at the former Sin Sin space on Second Avenue and Fifth Street...

EV Grieve reader Pedro caught some of the gutting action in the two-level bar yesterday....






Wonder when workers will chuck that Sin Sin awning... Meanwhile, the space remains on the market for $20,000 a month.

Check out previous Sin Sin coverage here.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Renovations at the former Sin Sin space; 'toilet rooms' moving too



There's paper on the windows now at the former Sin Sin space on Second Avenue at East Fifth Street... according to the work permit in the window:

"Replacement of existing commercial kitchen equipment at cellar and 2nd floor kitchens. New exhaust hoods. Relocation of existing toilet rooms at 1st floor."

Meanwhile, the Sin Sin space remains on the market for $20,000 a month.

Previous Sin Sin coverage here.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Sin Sin saga continues

While Sin Sin may be physically gone from its space on Fifth Street and Second Avenue, there's plenty of behind-the-scenes drama.

At the end of September, The East Fifth Street Block Association, who has been battling the bar for several years, learned of a hearing that was taking place in October regarding a violation against Sin Sin issued in 2009 for a second-floor kitchen, which no longer existed, listed in their original application.

The violation was for making alterations without permission from the State Liquor Authority (SLA). The operation's license application was attached to the official violation issued, and from that it was apparent that the operation was nothing like its representation in its SLA application.



The application was for a full-service restaurant, staff being listed as chefs, sous chefs, waiters, dishwashers, etc. According to experts in the business, Sin Sin should have done like most other operators do — settle with the SLA and pay the fine. But they allegedly did not.



The East Fifth Street Block Association representatives thought that this hearing would be a good forum to relate to the SLA how, through an alteration to the premises and methods of operation, the space had become what they described as "a scourge on its neighborhood." SLA officials postponed the hearing from October to this past Monday.

However, given that workers have dismantled the bar, Association representatives were unsure if Sin Sin would appear at the hearing.

"It appears that they are gone, so we did not even know if they would show up," Block Association President Stuart Zamsky said via e-mail. "Out of the ashes came their SLA lawyer to fight the charges. And so, it is anybody's guess whether Sin Sin has really packed their bags. They have not turned in their license as they should, and they are fighting the fight."

The Block Association is also fighting the fight. At Monday's hearing, they delivered an array of documents to the State Liquor Authority, including:

• A printed version of Sin Sin's website (since removed from the web) and event posters, depicting the space as primarily a bar and dance club, not a restaurant.

• A printed version of user reviews, offering a perspective of the operation as it existed — a dance club with a happy hour, not a restaurant.

• A DVD documenting two separate occasions that depict a wilding crowd outside the cub and acts of assault, not usually associated with a restaurant.

• A letter signed by State Assembly member Deborah Glick, State Senator Tom Duane, State Senator Daniel Squadron, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer making mention of the fact that violence and prostitution have been associated with the club. Also stating that these representatives, "refuse to believe that support for free enterprise requires turning a blind eye to businesses that disrupt and endanger our communities." It refers to Sin Sin as an establishment that has spiraled out of control.




• A letter from Counsel Member Rosie Mendez asking for the revocation of Sin Sin's liquor license.

• A petition from more than 250 Sin Sin neighbors asking the SLA to revoke the bar's license.

Meanwhile, there's a "for rent" sign on the former bar's second-floor window.




The number is for the 85 Second Ave. Realty Corp. — Sin Sin's landlord. No word yet on the next steps. Sin Sin owner Philip Quilter didn't respond to e-mails asking about the bar's future.

Previously on EV Grieve:
'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

The empty corners of Fifth Street and Second Avenue



Rhong Tiam on the northwest corner of Second Avenue shuttered back in August... and, on the southwest corner, Saturday night marked Sin Sin's last day in business... Walked by last evening for the first time since both places have been closed... and it seemed, well, dark....

I'm curious how much longer these prime corner spaces will remain vacant.... word is the Sin Sin owners will reboot with a new concept sometime soon. (Sin Sin owner Philip Quilter didn't respond yet to an e-mail asking about future plans.)

Monday, November 1, 2010

Weekend at Sin Sin

We first heard that Sin Sin was calling it quits last Thursday.



However! The beleaguered bar/club was open on Second Avenue and Fifth Street on Friday night...



and Saturday night...




...and yesterday morning, workers gutted the space....





Word is the owners will rebrand the bar as something else in the coming weeks....

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Breaking: Workers gutting Sin Sin

A team of workers are on the scene this morning at the beleaguered Sin Sin on Second Avenue and Fifth Street...



...basically throwing away everything... liquor bottles...



...the Red Bull machine...



The bar was originally set to close after Thursday night. More later.

Sin Sin comes undone






Here are more shots of Sin Sin's dismantling... courtesy of Honey Millmann.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Sin Sin-Leopard Lounge website has expired

Last week, we heard that the embattled Sin Sin-Leopard Lounge on Second Avenue at Fifth Street was closing at the end of the month...

And now the bar's website is no longer active...the domain name expired last Tuesday....Or they added an outdoor pool and hotel when we weren't looking...



Grub Street noted that Sin Sin "has decided to close, re-open and go a different route." Either way, it appears Sin Sin is done.

Meanwhile, we're thankful that we saved this Sin Sin website souvenir screenshot...

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

[Updated] Claim: Sin Sin is closing at the end of the month



That's the word, anyway, in a thread passed along by a tipster at rapmusic.com. Per chazraps:

SinSin is closing at the end of the month.
Just got the word at noon today. Freestyle Mondays, and the battle, will be moving to another location in NYC, as well as starting in Prague this month. SinSin itself, however, will be shutting down. The final Freestyle Mondays there will be October 25th.


The embattled club on Second Avenue and Fifth Street has been facing mounting criticism from residents in recent months. Then there was the tragic story of 37-year-old Devin Thompson, who was shot twice outside the club on Aug. 22. He died from his wounds on Aug. 31. According to reports, Thompson and the two men police believe are responsible for the shooting were inside the club earlier in the evening on Aug. 22.

Updated: Grub Street reports that Sin Sin “has decided to close, re-open and go a different route. Like many venues around the city they too have to keep up with the times and cost of operating here.”

Previously on EV Grieve:
'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

A letter about Sin Sin



Last night, members of the East Fifth Street Block Association (and others) convened for the monthly Ninth Precinct Community Counsel meeting....

One nearby resident, Nina d'Alessandro, couldn't make it due to work commitments. This is the letter she asked to be read during the meeting:

I've lived on this block at 231 East 5th Street since 1978 and have seen the neighborhood--and the corner of 5th Street and Second Avenue -- through many changes. The situation at Sin Sin ranks with the worst I've witnessed in all these years.

I'm afraid for the young people who get into fights in the streets below my window. I'm afraid for the pedestrians who might happen by at the wrong moment when violence erupts yet again among the club's patrons. I'm afraid for the residents of this block. I've reached the end of my understanding, good will and patience because the patrons of the club are so rowdy, violent and noisy that I don't sleep until 5 or 6 in the morning over the weekend.

The noise and violence keep me up, frighten me, frustrate and anger me and affect my health, my daily life and my livelihood.
I normally use my weekends to get work done, as well as to see friends and relatives -- I discourage visitors these days because I know they won't sleep if they stay in our apartment. I can't get my work done because there is so much noise in the street at night that I have to sleep in the daytime.

The situation at Sin Sin is affecting my ability to do my job and take care of myself. While the club's owners have a right to make a living, it shouldn't be at the expense of the block's tax-paying residents.

The death of Mr. Thompson outside the club last month was tragic and predictable. I have a sickening sense that there will be more violence. Last Saturday night, September 18 -- really the morning of September 19 -- was the final straw: young people were screaming, fighting, doing drugs and drinking, dancing, and playing their parked car stereos at such high volume that my windows were rattling. Three times, they stopped when the police and/or the Sin Sin staff ushered them away from the middle of the block between Second Avenue and Bowery, and then within ten minutes they returned started up again. I really thought I would go crazy...

Something has to be done to protect the residents as well as our safety and general quality of life, or the neighborhood will change for the worse, all over again.


[Updated: Patrick Hedlund reported on the meeting for DNAinfo. The sister of Devin Thompson confronted the Sin Sin owner about the deadly shooting.