What becomes of Pork Village during the swine flu pandemic?

Back in December, the Times noted the following:

In the East Village, local cuisine is quickly whittling down to a single food: pig. With new pork-bun outlets and ramen shops, porchetta and hot dog specialists, plus bacon peanut brittle as a local bar snack (at The Redhead), the area is all bellied up.

On Tuesday, the Times had the following article titled "Pork Industry Fights Concerns Over Swine Flu." The lead: "The swine flu is producing global hesitation over eating pork."

The same article goes on the say:

Medical authorities say that people cannot contract the swine flu from eating properly cooked pork. There is no evidence so far that the people who are becoming sick were in contact with pigs. In fact, authorities are not even sure how susceptible pigs are to infection with the new flu.

Still, does pork sound good right now? One writer had this on his mind. At BlackBook.com, Ben Barna wrote a piece titled "Will Swine Flu Fears Affect New York’s Banh Mi Boom?"

He wrote:

Yesterday, amid fears of a global pandemic, I checked out the new East Village rendition of Baoguette — yet another entry in New York’s out-of-nowhere (but understandable) banh mi hysteria. But while normally I’d order their signature sandwich — a baguette stuffed with pork terrine, pate, and pulled pork, among other things — fears of sore throat, fever, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly death overcame me. So I ordered the BBQ chicken. If swine flu paranoia is already stopping one New Yorker from porking out on a traditional banh mi, how long before the entire Saigon Sub industry feels the side effects of a possible pandemic?

Although he did go back the next day for the signature sandwich, he admitted.

Donning a mask, this intrepid reporter walked by Porchetta on Seventh Street (pictured, above, in a shot taken on another night) to see what was what. Three people were digging on swine inside. Another person was walking out with some pork to go.

To be continued....possibly.

For further reading:
Will Swine Flu Finally Kill the Pork-Belly Trend? (Grub Street)

P.S.
You no doubt already tested yourself to see whether you have swine flu.

P.S.S.
I'm wondering whether the business at Porky's may suffer too.

A visit to Dumpling Man on St. Mark's Place

Photos and interview by Stacie Joy

I recently stopped by Dumpling Man — the first of the boutique dumpling spots in the East Village when it opened in 2004 here at 100 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.


[Co-owner and head chef Wu Feng Qun]

Dumpling Man changed hands two years ago from its original owner. Wu Yu Chou and Wu Feng Qun — who is the head chef — along with her husband and extended family run it as a family-owned and operated collective. Here, general manager Aaron Gallentine discusses the restaurant, its place in the neighborhood and what might be next for Dumpling Man.

What’s special to Dumpling Man about being in the East Village? How was this location chosen?

The original owner both worked and lived in the East Village so it only seemed natural to start in familiar territory. St. Mark's Place is the heart of the village and a good place for single-item restaurants to be highlighted.



How has the space changed since you opened?

We opened in 2004, and the space has not changed much. We used to have a refrigerator where the customer waiting bench is and our outdoor signage now lights up, and of course our customer database and popularity has grown but other than that ...

You were the first of the stylized dumpling places to open in the East Village. How have you persevered through the years with more and more competition?

Consistency! We have rarely made changes to our menu and recipes over the years — a couple of improvements but that’s it.

Also, by keeping our East Village attitude in place. People come to the village because it’s a unique place. We help to keep it that way.

And last but not least our lovely team who wraps and cooks the dumplings — Liang Ci Yan has been here since Day 1. Yan is the dumpling original and I am second in line to her. She is a widely recognized member of our team, many of the customers over the years come in for more than just dumplings, they come in to see the team, and we develop happy friendships with our fellow villagers.

Finally, the price has only changed twice over the years to keep up with inflation. Each time we renewed the lease, we try and keep it affordable.


[Dumpling makers Lin Bao Yu, left, and Yu]


[Wu Feng Hua]

What is the best-selling item?

The best seller is definitely the pork dumpling followed by veggie dumplings; pumpkin is the best-selling dessert.


[Seared pork dumplings]

How many of each dumpling do you make on a typical day?

We average about 2,000 dumplings per day counting all the flavors.



What is your personal favorite?

My personal favorites are the shrimp and the pork, but honestly, I love them all.

What’s next for the Dumpling Man?

Well, I can't speak for the owners, but I had a little plan in the making with the original owner to open a second location, perhaps in Brooklyn (this was only a plan in making). It’s something I still think about today and may bring up with the new owners soon, but other than that I think we are just gonna keep on making dumplings for at least eight more years — the remainder of this lease.

When that time is up well, we will find out then. Oh, and I have a new dumpling flavor in the making! We took a short break from the seasonal dumplings when the new owners took over so they could get a grasp on the place but it’s time to bring back our seasonal flavors.

---

You can visit Dumpling Man daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., except on Friday and Saturday when they are open until 12:30 a.m. This shop is cash only, but there is an ATM on premises.





Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street

A visit to Bali Kitchen on 4th Street

A visit to Eat’s Khao Man Gai on 6th Street

A visit to Yoli Restaurant on 3rd Street

Preparing for Saturday's dinner at Il Posto Accanto on 2nd Street

A visit to the Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen on 7th Street

A trip to the recently expanded Lancelotti Housewares on Avenue A

A visit to C&B Cafe on 7th Street

A visit to Rossy's Bakery & Café on 3rd Street

A visit to CAVAglass on 7th Street

These are longtime food writer Robert Sietsema's 10 favorite East Village meals

Food writer-critic Robert Sietsema, in partial disguise, at the 6th & B Community Garden 

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

I met longtime food writer Robert Sietsema at the 6th & B Community Garden earlier this summer.

While enjoying a simit from C&B Café, Robert tells me about moving to the area. He lived for 13 years on 14th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C starting in 1977 when he paid $150 monthly for a four-room railroad apartment with a toilet in a closet. (It was rumored that Sylvester Stallone may have lived in the tenement building, now a co-op.)

"NYC was aflame when I arrived,"  said Sietsema, originally from Dallas. 

Sietsema was a rock star — or, as he says, a micro-celebrity — for 14 years playing (bass, guitar, keyboards) in Mofungo. 

"If you weren't carrying a guitar around the East Village, there was something wrong with you," he says of the time. 

He also started a rock star food fanzine called Down the Hatch, which focused on under-the-radar spots. 

The Village Voice took note of the zine and offered him a job as a part-time food critic, which soon turned into a full-time gig. 

Sietsema, who currently works at Eater on the NYC beat, considers himself a consumer-focused reality-based food photographer and, in the past, had to pay cash mostly to avoid detection when on the job.

He says he can now use his credit card, as he believes no one cares as much about the reviewer's role, which has been entirely eclipsed by the social media influencer.

An adventurous food consumer, Sietsema admits that he will eat anything, though he doesn't care for brains (although he happily tries other organ meats). 

As we debate where the official borders of the East Village are, I ask him for some of his favorite local dishes: 

• Mushroom barley soup with buttered challah bread from B&H Dairy Kosher, 127 Second Ave.

• Pork katsu don from Beron Beron, 164 First Ave.

• Egg and chorizo sandwich from C&B Café, 178 E. Seventh St. 

• Three mezze with a glass of wine from Café Mogador, 101 St. Mark's Place

• The spicy redneck from Crif Dogs, 113 St. Mark's Place

 • Falafel sandwich from Mamoun’s Falafel, 30 St. Mark's Place

• A bowl of pho from Sao Mai, 203 First Ave.

• Pierogi with sauteed onions from Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen, 33 E. Seventh St.

• The slightly sweet cheese slice at Stromboli, 83 St. Mark's Place

• Potato-filled flautas with salsa verde at Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery, 215 Avenue A 

Sietsema says the East Village is one of the best food neighborhoods in the city and across all socioeconomic levels. 

What’s missing from the local food scene? A good masala dosa. 

You can keep up with Robert on X (formerly Twitter)

Taco time: Amigo debuts on 2nd Avenue

Amigo officially opens today at 29 Second Ave. between First Street and Second Street (it has been in soft-open mode).

As previously reported, Amigo is a collaboration between Chef Ruben Rodriguez of Nai Tapas at 85 Second Ave. and Juan “Billy” Acosta, whose family runs the much-ballyhooed Carnitas El Momo in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Rodriguez and Acosta met and decided to team up for what L.A. Taco says will be "arguably the best carnitas you will ever find in the U.S."

From an Eater preview the other day: "The restaurant's headlining carnitas tacos ($6), from Acosta, comes in three meaty varieties: Maciza, or bone-in pork butt; buche, or pork stomach; cueritos, or pork skin; or diners can order a mix of all three on a taco. Carnitas tacos abound in the East Village, but this pork’s reputation is second to none."

You can find the menu at Amigo's website... and foods pics on Instagram. And the hours: Monday through Thursday from 5-11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from noon to midnight; and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.

Photos courtesy of Amigo

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The best carnitas in Los Angeles are coming to the East Village

Are you ready for some Monday Night ... Steakhouse at Casimir?

Back in April, our friends at East Village Eats pointed at that Casimir on Avenue B had new owners. What kind of changes can you expect there? This news release that arrived yesterday should give you some insight...

Who wouldn’t want to treat themselves to a decadent steakhouse dinner? However, steakhouse prices have put this luxury out of reach for more and more diners. But not anymore! East Village French bistro Casimir has introduced Monday Night Steakhouse – a weekly special featuring every steak on its menu for only $9.95!

Starting Monday, July 25, 2011 Monday Night Steakhouse is set to tempt your taste buds without sacrificing your budget. Indulge in 12 ounces of favorites such as ribeye and skirt steak, filet mignon, steak tartare, the juicy Casimir hamburger and even a grilled pork chop – all for the wallet-friendly price of $9.95.

This new and exciting special is the brainchild of new management that is poised to reinvigorate the restaurant, an early pioneer of the East Village dining renaissance. Mario Carta formerly of Chazal and Lea Midtown has amassed over a decade of expertise managing and developing restaurant concepts which he plans to utilize in this his latest endeavor. Monday Night Steakhouse is one of many new initiatives that Carta plans to roll out during the upcoming months. Although the management may be new, Carta plans to retain the inviting atmosphere, attentive service and uncomplicated cuisine that has made Casimir popular among destination diners and neighborhood locals.

Monday Night Steakhouse is available on Mondays from 5:30 pm to 12 am. Casimir is located at 103 Ave. B, between 6th & 7th Streets.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Changes in store for Casimir on Avenue B?

East Village Social is now open on St. Mark's Place

We've been meaning to stop by East Village Social, the new bar-saloon that opened last week at 126 St. Mark's Place near Avenue A. (In the space previously occupied by Lychee and Why Curry?)

Anyway, looks like a good, low-key neighborhood bar.

We tracked down proprietor Dee Dee Patton on Facebook. She has been bartending in the City for 12 years now, the last four split between Niagara and the Bowery Electric. This is her first place.

"I really want East Village Social to be a locals spot that I want to hang out in," she said.

There are 10 beers on tap as well as seasonal sangrias. They also serve "comfort food with a southern spin," such as pulled pork on a biscuit with applesauce.

And they have a cool ceiling.


[Via Facebook]

Lhasa, the celebrated Tibetan restaurant in Queens, opens an East Village outpost

Lhasa, the celebrated Tibetan restaurant that started with a tiny outpost in Jackson Heights, debuted its East Village location yesterday on the southwest corner of First Avenue and 11th Street. (These photos via Steven are from Friday.)







Here's more about the Jackson Heights spot — first championed by Anthony Bourdain on his show "Parts Unknown" — from Atlas Obscura ... "the Tibetan surprise at the end of a corridor of cell phone shops, a tailoring business, and jewelry stores."

For lovers of momos, Tibetan dumplings filled with pork or beef and heaps of chives or cilantro, Lhasa has been an open secret. ... The decor is sparse, the tableware disposable, but the food is a hearty invitation into Tibetan food culture. Steaming bowls of thenthuk, hand-pulled nubs of noodles swimming in a tomato-chili broth replete with vegetables and beef, are popular, as is shapta, fiery strips of beef fried with mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Bamboo steamers full of momos occupy every table, served with a hot sauce that feels like a call to arms.

Owner-chef Sang Jien Ben grew up in the Tibetan town of Rebkong in what is today Qinghai Province, China, as the Times noted in an enthusiastic write up in 2017. He opened an easier-to-find space in Elmhurst last year called Lhasa Fresh Food.

On First Avenue, Lhasa is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with an 11 p.m. close on weekends.

The previous tenant here, Little Tong, closed after three years in in mid-March. (They did return shortly after for donation-based takeout meals.)

In an Instagram post from March, Simone Tong, Little Tong's chef and owner, cited the coronavirus outbreak as the driving force behind the closure. The Midtown East location remains open. She also opened Silver Apricot to great fanfare in the West Village several weeks ago.

Pete Wells visits Foxface

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Late last year, East Village residents Ori Kushnir and Sivan Lahat opened Foxface, a small sandwich operation inside the William Barnacle Tavern at Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place.

And for his latest review at the Times, Pete Wells pays a visit... and he liked what he found.

Lately I have fallen under the spell of an East Village restaurant called Foxface. The cooking there is hard to pin down, geographically. Stopping in a few weeks ago, I ate Low Countryish wild red shrimp on grits, with sweet corn off the cob and a potent saffron-lobster sauce. More recently, I had skinless pork sausage inspired by sai ua, the spicy and tangy specialty identified with the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. The soft tripe I enjoyed the other weekend had been simmered with ’nduja, the fiery and malleable Calabrian sausage, and then covered with a few thin shingles of shaved pecorino.

He also describes the unique (and small!) work environment in which Kushnir and Lahat create their sandwiches...

Like the fox in the logo, Ms. Lahat has coppery hair and wears cat’s-eye glasses. She prepares the orders in the room behind the window, which measures 48 square feet. Inside the building, under the stairs, Foxface has a second room. Mr. Kushnir thinks it could be as large as 14 square feet.

A variety of equipment is stowed in the two rooms, including three induction burners, a roaster, a smoker and a dishwasher. After business hours, some of it comes out as Mr. Kushnir supervises the more time-consuming roasts and stews. He describes the food that he and Ms. Lahat cook as “dishes we like to eat, reimagined as sandwiches.”

In the end, the review reads a lot more positively than you might think for one star (it is a NYT Critic's Pick).

Meanwhile, read our Q-and-A with the owners at the link below...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Longtime East Village residents open Foxface, now serving sandwiches at Theater 80

H/T Steven!

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

Miss Heather finds another tourists/New Yorkers line in the EV (New York Shitty)

Trouble at the A Building (Curbed .... and The Real Deal)

Tah-Poozie has closed (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

BaHa finds more than brunch at the Knickerbocker (Daily News)

Slum Goddess is an "East Fifth Bliss" extra (Slum Goddess)

An actual "Sex and the City 2" promo pic (Nonetheless)

Plan B for 185 Orchard (BoweryBoogie)

EV Grieve regular Mykola (Mick) Dementiuk giving a reading tonight at the LGBT Center on West 13th Street (Elisa Rolle Live journal)

Catching up with the Specials (Flaming Pablum)

Who was watching Goggla? (The Gog Log)

Herald Square now and then (Ephemeral New York)

The classic Joe's Pork Shop in Astoria (Lost City)

Uncovering old ads in the West Village (Greenwich Village Daily Photo)

Truth in leads via Matt Harvey in NYPress:

The East Village is 100 square blocks of NYU-dominated real estate. On a Saturday night, its bars are all packed with out-of-towners.

And get to the 99-cent store on 14th Street near B now!

Who says that the East Village is no longer a bohemian mecca?

Item: Recent New York Times article on the St. Mark's Bookshop, which opened in 1977...

[Co-owner Bob] Contant acknowledged that the East Village was no longer the bohemian mecca where he and four partners ... had chosen to open their business, in a 600-square-foot storefront at 13 St. Mark’s Place that rented for $375. At the time, Mr. Conant’s apartment was $63 a month. When he moved a few years later to nicer digs with a fireplace, his rent soared to $120.

Item: Forwarded by an EV Grieve reader...via Thrillist...

Scoff at ordinary serving sizes and gird yourself for glorious gluttony from Avenue C’s flatscreen-’n-football fortress East Village Tavern.

Anytime Feast for 1: Individually assault a 90 min barrage of all the under-$7 craft brews you can slug from an ever-rotating tap selection, plus unlimited grub in the form of 5 types of sliders, or mac ‘n cheese flecked with bacon, sausage, beef, or vegetables, just like you'll be after such a heart-stopping meal.

Game Day Party for 4: Normally $184, you and 3 amigos will crush 90 min of your choice of drafts plus endless buffalo wings & fries, kicked off with a plate of Tavern’s lip-smacking pulled pork, Philly cheese, and beef sliders.

Oh.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Matthew (with Vincenzo)
Occupation: Welding, Plumbing, Electrical
Location: 4th Street between A and B
Time: 2 p.m. on Sept. 18

I’ve lived here for 46 or 47 years. I’m from the Lower West Side. I remember all the streets being cobblestone. I remember the Els — the elevated trains. I remember playing hockey on roller skates. I remember playing chicken on bicycles where someone would ride on your shoulders and you’d try to knock each other off — crazy games.

It was alright. It was very family oriented and everything was about the block. The neighborhood was all these different zones. There was Chinatown, which was right below Canal, and right north of Canal became Italian and it went from the East Side all the way to the West Side, up 5th Avenue. It was all factories, tenements, warehouses. Then in the Irish neighborhood that was uptown, there was a small pocket of Italians. We used to go to this one place, Esposito's, to get pork and sausage with my grandfather. It was all gangs. Spanish gangs, Italian gangs, Irish gangs.

My family is Sicilian. I always worked for my uncles and my father. My father had eight brothers and one sister. My mother had eight sisters and two brothers. I grew up doing electrical, plumbing and welding. I got my first job working for two German guys up in Yorkville. I was a child and worked in a furniture factory for 40 cents an hour. I used to go in and make hydrogen glues. I used to make glues in the morning. Let me tell you something, 40 cents an hour when I was 5, 6, 7 8… the coolest sneakers were $4.75. I was doing good.

I was born right after the war. The construction business was booming. They had to build for all these new families. The guys coming back from the war — everybody’s wife was pregnant. There were jobs and there was money in the 1950s. People wanted homes. So I started building all these developments out in Long Island — South Shore, North Shore. My father and his brothers built Levittown. It was a big development. There was no shortage of work.

I moved here because I like being anonymous. After I left the Lower West Side, I moved to Chambers Street. It was beautiful — it was like a big void. Nobody was ever around; nobody lived down there. I mean, there were a few people. Then, all of a sudden, it started getting SoHo-y and I said let me get the fuck out of there, and I came here. I betcha I came here about 1970, something like that.

I’ve lived on this block half the time I’ve been down here. I’ve had some outrageous places. I had this huge fucking place for $210 on 9th Street, where I had two rear apartments converted into one. That was between B and C. I also did artwork and I was painting in there. And I had another place on 9th Street. Wait till you hear this, you’re gonna die. It had three working fireplaces, five rooms, a huge backyard, and I paid $65 a month. Then I had a place right over here, top two windows over there, all the way down. I’ve had beautiful places.

The thing about this neighborhood, when it was supposed to be so terrible, you would walk down the street and see a person. You didn’t even know their name but you frequently passed, and you would say good morning and they would say good morning back. Now you say good morning to people and they look at you like you’ve said something terrible to them. There was a lot of community and a lot of love around here man.

Families may have been poor, they may not have had much, but these kids behaved and they were taught manners. If they saw someone from the neighborhood, some old woman carrying something, these kids would run and help her and not for anything. Their parents taught them. And then again their parents were in and out of jail. I’m happy to say I was able to influence some of them. There were a couple of kids who I turned into plumbers, who ended up getting their licenses. There were a couple kids who I turned into welders.

Where George’s bike shop was [on the block], back then there was a sandwich shop. The cold cuts in the display case were green-blue. Didn’t have a slice of bread in the place. They had milkshakes and all that crap. It was called The Sandwich Shop – did not sell one fucking sandwich ever. It was a coke spot. Down the block was brown bag; down the block from that was silver bag; over here was yellow bag.

You would think that, you take a guy like George, George’s landlord raised his rent two-and-a-half times what its worth. Now he’s got a psychic in there. Every single psychic place I have seen open has been open for 3 months and then from there on out the landlord is trying to get them out for back rent. They know how to work this game. Every single one, and for what? I’ve known George since I’ve lived on the Lower East Side, for 45, 50 years.

I want to tell you something funny: I hated my uncles and my fathers for making me go to work all the time. I wanted to hang out with my buddies, and now I thank God because of what I have learned from them. People don’t even know how to do [this work] anymore. In this area right here and the Lower West Side, all below 14th Street, I’ve converted hundreds, no more than 150 but no less than 100 boilers from coal, to oil, to gas. Some of my uncles were plumbers; some of my uncles were electricians, and I started at a very young age. I started at age where it wasn’t so sophisticated. You wanted your lights to come on at a certain time at night and you jerry-rigged an alarm clock to trip a switch. I remember watching my uncle Jimmy do it for my grandma, having the lights come on outside using an alarm clock. And my uncle Jimmy was a plumber, not an electrician. He got the idea from when we were converting boilers from coal to oil — there were timers on them.

Now what I do is I do electrical, plumbing, and welding. I’ve done work in a lot of buildings. I do emergency work for restaurants. I do any type of emergency job. No job is too small and no job is too big. I do plumbing, anywhere from boiler work, to fixing the drain under a sink, to snaking out clogged pipes, I do electrical, anything from putting in a new service, and I do welding, gates and fences. Come springtime I put all kinds of air conditioners in for people. Come fall I take them out. I put a solar panel in this building on 5th Street.

Listen, I mean it — I don’t care, whatever anyone needs done I can do. I’ve been around all this kind of work for so many years. Now there are all these specialists. You’ve got the air conditioner guy and the guy that does this and this. There were no specialists. A guy did work, people worked, they did that kind of work, from hanging doors to pouring cement. I’m 67 years old. Call me. I have no advertising, no cards. I could use some more work.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Le Sia on 7th Street is one of the neighborhood's (and city's) most exciting new restaurants

Le Sia quietly opened in January at 11 E. Seventh St. near Cooper Square.

I hadn't heard anything from readers about the restaurant, which serves Chinese barbecue, seafood and an assortment of kebobs. The dining room was empty the few times I walked by during the winter.

However, as Eater noted yesterday, Le Sia is catching on, especially with students.

Eater's Robert Sietsema paid a visit and came away impressed. (The headline: "NYC’s Most Exciting New Chinese Restaurant Dares to Pile the Heat on Seafood.")

An excerpt:

Beyond the seafood, the menu also offers robust menu of other Chinese dishes — many of them offered here for the first time outside Queens. It’s a bold move; many of the newer Chinese restaurants in neighborhoods outside of immigrant enclaves like Sunset Park or Flushing either come from restaurateurs with experience in Western-style restaurants (like Little Tong) or offer water-downed versions of traditional Chinese fare (like Han Dynasty).

Hunan and Sichuan restaurants nearby already stir fry fresh green chiles with sliced pork or pork belly, for example, but here, fiery peppers are instead tossed with gluey cubes of pig trotter, with a texture something like melting gummy bears. Called “wok-fried hog hoof jelly with pepper” ($16.95), it’s one of four chef’s specials. Another less-known dish available here is a “dough drop and assorted vegetable soup” ($12.95), a comforting tomato broth with free-form dumplings.

And in conclusion...

For now Le Sia is BYOB, making it one of the better restaurant deals in the neighborhood, and also one of the most exciting. With a restaurant right in the East Village, the owners clearly have faith that people other than first generation Chinese immigrants will dig the foods of their hometowns — it’s pure genius that may pay off in a big way.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Le Sia opens today on 7th Street

A round-up of the old-school Chinese restaurants in the East Village

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The neighborhood has temporarily lost two reasonably priced quick-serve Chinese restaurants this year — A&C Kitchen on Avenue C after a fire in the courtyard and Asian Taste on Third and B due to a gas shutoff in the building. 

In addition, New Double Dragon closed on First Avenue with the pending demolition of a three-building parcel. 

Previously, we saw the closure of New Chinatown Restaurant on Avenue D and China Town Restaurant on Houston. 

So it seems like there aren’t as many options for pork fried rice, sesame chicken and beef with broccoli these days. So, we decided to take inventory. I recruited local Chinese food enthusiast Josh Davis (an EVG contributor under the name jdx) to help me visit the remaining old-school East Village options. 

Here's our list. (Have we left any out? And note: We stayed between Houston and 16th Street, Avenue D to Third Avenue.) 

• Chen's Express Kitchen: 223 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue 

(Menu here)

• Baji Baji: 145 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street

(Instagram account here)

• China Wok: 63 Avenue D between Fifth Street and Sixth Street

(Menu here)

• Fei Ma: 79 Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street 

(Menu here)

• M&J Asian: 600 E. 14th St. at Avenue B 

(Website here)

• Mee Noodle: 223 First Ave, between 13th Street and 14th Street

(Yelp info here)

• No 1 Kitchen: 265 First Ave. between 15th Street and 16th Street 

(Website here)

• Red House: 203 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue 

(Website here)

• Yang’s Happy Wok: 175 Avenue C between 10th Street and 11th Street 

(Website here)

While we miss some mid-2000s casualties like Bamboo House and Jade Mountain, a decent variety of restaurants remain. 

Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite from this list...

Openings: Tacombi on 12th Street

Tacombi debuted at 139 E. 12th St. at Third Avenue (NW corner) last week. 

This is the 17th outpost for the brand, though the first counter-service-only location for the brand. 

A few details via a Tacombi rep: 

The menu, from Master Chef Carmen Miranda ... consists of five tacos: Tacos al Pastor, thin slices of marinated and Mexico City-style spit-roasted pork topped with pineapple; Tacos de Suadero, traditional slow-braised beef tacos from Mexico City named after the cut of meat; Tacos de Ribeye, with cilantro, onions, salsa ranchera and lime; Tacos de Longaniza, ground pork seasoned with garlic, dried chiles, achiote, cumin and clove, cooked with the meat of the suadero; and Tacos de Milanesa, a twist on a Mexican staple, this plant-based version is made with a blend of spices, flaxseed, and roasted mushrooms, that are breaded and lightly fried. 

And! 

The East Village location is a departure from Tacombi’s typical dine-in format and will offer a communal standing table for guests on the go ... guests will order when they walk in and then watch the Master Taqueros ... prepare their food.

The taqueria is open for breakfast tacos and coffee from 8 to 10:45 a.m. and lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

As previously noted, Tacombi takes over the space from iSouvlaki, which closed last summer after a two-year run.

Openings: Instant Noodle Factory on 7th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Instant Noodle Factory Downtown is now open at 130 E. Seventh St., just west of Avenue A. (First reported here.)

This is the second outpost for the husband-and-wife team of Tat Lee and Cierra Beck ...

The first Instant Noodle Factory is located close to where the couple lives in Long Island City. Both have resided in the East Village at some point and have a strong connection with the neighborhood. 

The two looked at several East Village storefronts before selecting the former Avant Garden space (AG moved around the corner to Sixth and A) for its layout and location.

Shop specialties include the beef birria noodle bowl and two new flavors: sweet-and-sour pork and ginger-scallion chicken. There are also vegetarian and vegan options.

The base price is $10.50, and it includes a noodle package, premium, classic toppings, and protein that you select. (The price goes up for additional proteins or harder-to-find noodles.) The team then prepares the bowl for you on the custom induction cookers and conveyance system. 

The two say they can make up to six bowls at a time. This differs from their largely automated system in the first location.

Lee speaks of the "infinite possibilities, so many noodles and options," with almost 90 noodles to select from currently, with more on the way. 

Many of the noodles are imported, and a new batch is en route from Korea. "We're always on the hunt for the best noodle, which is sometimes hard to procure," says Lee.

CB3 approved a beer and wine license for Instant Noodle Factory, and they plan to serve Japanese beer, soju, and sake cocktails.

The current daily hours are Thursday through Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday through Wednesday until 10 p.m. 

You can keep up with them on Instagram here.