Cold case: New information sought in the 23-year-old murder of Second Avenue Deli owner Abe Lebewohl

[Photo yesterday by Derek Berg]

There are new reward posters up on all four corners of Second Avenue and Fourth Street... the NYPD is seeking information about the murder of Abe Lebewohl on March 4, 1996.

On that morning, Lebewohl, owner of the Second Avenue Deli, was making a $10,000 bank drop — NatWest Bank at the time — on the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Fourth Street.

Here's more via a March 2013 ABC 7 story:

"That morning he never had time to get out of his van. They got him right before he got out of his van," said retired NYPD homicide detective Jimmy Piccione.

Piccione responded to the crime scene, just a few blocks south of the eatery whose owner had become almost as famous as his steady stream of celebrity visitors.

"It was 8:30 in the morning, I remember thinking there is going to be a witness and it's going to be solved quickly, and 17 years later, here we are," said Piccione. "That morning Abe pulls up to that parking spot right there but before he gets out, he's accosted by one or more persons. He's taken to the back of the van and he's shot. Someone drives the van to First Avenue."

Abe, dying, manages to crawl out of the van onto the sidewalk.

"A passerby says, are you okay, and he says, "They got me."

The gun was found 2 days later in Central Park. It was later linked to 3 different shootings, but never to Abe Lebewohl's murder.

"We've been to Las Vegas, New Orleans, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina. We went wherever a lead would take us," said Piccione.

Piccione retired from the NYPD in 2011. In 2015, he joined his ex-NYPD partner, Jeff Salta, who had just retired and joined the Manhattan DA's office as an investigator.

As the Daily News reported this past March 4, the two remain determined to make an arrest in this case.

The Second Avenue Deli (Second Avenue at 10th Street) closed in 2006 thanks to a rent hike. There are two other locations now in the city, run by Abe's brother Jack Lebewohl with his sons.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

Report: MTA commits to a shorter work day for the 14th Street L-train rehab

[EVG file photo]

Residents along 14th Street between Avenue B and First Avenue may now have less evening L-train construction noise to endure.

As Town & Village reports, the MTA has agreed to reduce the hours of operation as it continues to prep for the L-train slowdown next month.

Per their report:

Neighbors have said work often ends at 11 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, although the MTA has said it tries to stop any noisy work by 10 p.m. But on Tuesday night, the MTA’s chief development officer overseeing the project, Janno Lieber, committed to stopping work by 7 p.m. at a meeting held by Community Board 3’s Transportation Committee.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to minimalize the impact of our work on neighbors, and they understandably have been asking for shorter hours,” Shams Tarek, a spokesperson for the MTA, told Town & Village.

Tarek added that the MTA wanted to first consult the contractor to make sure doing this wouldn’t lengthen the duration of the project, which includes the creation of an Avenue A entrance to the First Avenue L station. The new schedule of 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday to Friday, with possibly shorter hours on Saturday is effective immediately.

Other L-train details are still being decided, such as the possibility of exit-only stations at First and Third Avenues once the L-train slowdown officially starts later next month.

Meanwhile, on the topic of the L-train work along this corridor... a resident who lives adjacent to the construction zone, recently shared these videos from 8 p.m., showing that not everyone on the site may be all that busy after hours ...

In the first one, the operator of this diesel hydraulic excavator attempts to right a tipped rubber trash can...



...and here's the excavator trying to be a broom...



... and not sure what's happening here...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

From bad to pretty bad: MTA releases more details on the new L-train rehab plan

Van Đa brings modern Vietnamese cuisine to 4th Street starting tonight

Van Đa makes it debut this evening over at 234 E. Fourth St. just west of Avenue B.

The project, from restaurateur Yen Ngo and Gramercy Tavern alum chef Hannah Wong, focuses on the food of Ho Chi Minh City, Hue and Hanoi.

Eater had a preview:

The duo is resisting traditional versions of pho or banh mi on the menu, with Ngo instead harking back to the food of her youth in Vietnam that she doesn’t often find here.

The menu is split into three sections of food from those three cities, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in south Vietnam; Hue, in the middle and which was once the royal capital of the country; and Hanoi up north. Ngo says that the food of central Vietnamese city Hue is very time-intensive and complex, though with gentle flavors, and she’s not seen many versions of it here. One example is shrimp and pork tapioca dumplings, which are made from tapioca flour and steamed in banana leaves. Dishes from other categories include stir-fried pho noodles and lemongrass beef tartare.

You can find their menu at this link.

View this post on Instagram

Bánh Bèo. Bánh means cake. Bèo means duckweed (a fresh water floating plant) and is the shape of this pearl-base-colored-gem. This Hue specialty will be featured on our menu, and it’s one we hold close to the heart in our stomachs. 📸 by @chazcruz

A post shared by Van Đa (@vandanyc) on Mar 6, 2019 at 7:57pm PST

The two-level space has been several restaurants in recent years, most notably The Cardinal, the Southern-style restaurant from chef-owner Curtis Brown.

Chinese Graffiti now open at 171 Avenue A

[Photos by Steven]

In other new openings, Chinese Graffiti debuted last Friday at 171 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The restaurant, described as an Asian-American gastropub, is open for now from 5-11 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; until midnight Thursday-Saturday.

Here's a look at the menu on display...



You can find some food shots on the Chinese Graffiti Instagram account here. No word at this moment who's behind this venture.

Recent restaurants here include Chao Chao, which closed without any notice to patrons in May 2017 after six months in business. Chao Chao evolved from Soothsayer, which opened in January 2016. Soothsayer, from the same operators, also closed without any notice to patrons at the end of September 2016.

And because someone will bring it up... No. 171 was once the onetime home of Rat Cage Records and 171A, the illegal club-turned-rehearsal studio that produced records by Bad Brains and the "Polly Wog Stew" EP by the Beastie Boys.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A quick look inside the new restaurant coming to 171 Avenue A

Thursday's parting shot

Spring fever on 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue ... photo by Durk Snowden...

Tonight: A discussion on the East Village in the 1960s

Happening tonight from 7-9 at Howl! Happening — "Cary Abrams: The East Village in the 60s" ...

Panel Discussion with Penny Arcade, Agosto Machado, Ben Morea, and Robert Watlington

Many fondly look back on the 60s as the heyday of the East Village when throngs of youth descended on the neighborhood. Diggers arrived from San Francisco and opened a free store on East Tenth Street, Bill Graham turned a local theater into the Fillmore East, be-ins were held in Tompkins Square Park, and artists and craftsmen offered their wares in local shops.

The arts flourished during the period, as many influential theater, poetry, and dance groups formed which helped reshape American culture — and continue today. St. Mark’s Church became a focal point for poets, political activists, radical community organizing, and dance and theater groups. Ellen Stewart started Café La MaMa, presenting theatrical works in a basement on East Ninth Street. Rock music from the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane to The Group Image bellowed from the Tompkins Square bandshell at free concerts.

While the era has become mythologized over time, this evening Howl! Happening invites a panel of intrepid souls who lived in the East Village during the 1960s to reflect on their experiences.

Check the Howl! Happening website for more details and info on the panelists. The Howl! space is at 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

East Village students taking part in tomorrow's National Youth Climate Strike

The National Youth Climate Strike takes place tomorrow (background at this link) ... and we've heard from a parent and school administrator that students from the East Village — Little Missionary's Day Nursery, Sara Curry Day School and the Earth School (and maybe others) — will be in Tompkins Square Park tomorrow morning from 8:45-9:30 to voice their support in the national conversation around climate change.

As Gothamist recently reported, more and more NYC students are coming together to press lawmakers to put an end to climate change.

Noted

As we posted yesterday, crews prepped 10th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue for a circa-2015 Christmas scene for a "Mr Robot" shoot tomorrow.

There has been some grumbling in general about the number of film and TV shoots in the area... and an EVG reader wonders if this is one way for someone to make his or her feelings known — removing one of the posted film-production signs to use for the dog, and then leaving it behind ... spotted along 10th Street where "Mr. Robot" will be filming...

Report: New York Attorney General intervenes to stop eviction of tenants in Raphael Toledano-owned building on 13th Street

[Photo at No. 444 from May 2015 by Stacie Joy]

Updated to include the Gothamist post.

Landlord Raphael Toledano is still causing grief for East Village residents.

The controversial landlord, who bought up dozens of East Village properties only to foreclose on many of them later, is still reportedly the owner — via an LLC — of 444 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

According to published reports, Toledano filed for bankruptcy on the building, and is attempting to reject the rent-stabilized leases for a number of residents in the building, as NBC 4 first reported.

Per Gothamist, Toledo/the LLC is asking for a bankruptcy court to terminate the tenants' leases, on the grounds that a proposed $8.2 million sale of the property can't go through while the rent-stabilized leases are in place. (The Gothamist piece has a lot of good details not reported elsewhere.)

Now, however, New York Attorney General Letitia James and a handful of housing officials from the city and state have intervened to help the tenants, eight of whom have been withholding rent due to inadequate heat, broken or defective plumbing, garbage in the hallway and rodents, as Patch noted. (The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development website lists 68 outstanding violations.)

James and the housing officials joined in an action in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of tenants at No. 444. Here's more via a media advisory from the AG's office:

Both the City and State are opposing the building owner's application to reject tenants' leases, an application that is a thinly-veiled attempt to flout rent regulation laws and displace tenants.

"Bankruptcy Court should not be used as a tool to unjustly oust rent-stabilized New Yorkers from their homes," James said. "In filing this motion, my office is working to ensure that the tenants are not displaced. Housing is a right, and we will continue to use every legal tool available to stand up for tenants and to enforce their rights."

Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera pointed out Toledano's ugly past as a landlord.

"The owner of 444 East 13th St. has spent years illegally harassing the tenants living in these rent-stabilized apartments, and this legal maneuver is just the latest shady tactic to remove these long-time New Yorkers from their homes," she said in a statement. "Bad actors across New York need to be put on notice — our government is in the business of protecting and expanding rent-regulated apartments, and I certainly will not sit idly by while harassment takes place in my District."

James and Rivera both took part in a rally outside 444 E. 13th St. yesterday, as PIX 11 reported.

For years, these residents have stood resilient in the face of attacks by their predatory landlords. Today we rallied to send a message that greed is not a case for displacement & won’t be tolerated. Thanks to @TishJames @MTorresSpringer @NYSHCR & @GOLESNYC for standing united. pic.twitter.com/SaCzvXCtz5

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) March 13, 2019

This is the address where many people first heard about the twentysomething Toledano. In the spring of 2015, tenants at No. 444 accused Toledano, and a management company he reportedly hired (then later fired), of harassment and intimidation.

There are tape recorded conversations where a rep for Goldmark Property Management reportedly said, among other things to a rent-stabilized tenant: "I'm here, really, to help you. Because if it were up to the owners, they would just drop dynamite on the whole building and everyone would figure it out."

(The Times published the audio recordings here... Gothamist posted them here.)

In May 2016, Toledano agreed to pay a little more than $1 million to settle claims that he harassed the tenants, according to The Real Deal. The Times reported that most of the the tenants are "low-wage workers of Mexican descent who pay modest rents for the neighborhood and have lived in their building for decades."

In previous years, Toledano purchased 28 buildings in two separate portfolios from the Tabak family for a total of $140 million. Experienced real-estate players raised red flags about Toledano's heavy reliance on debt, per The Real Deal.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Landlord of 444 E. 13th St. threatened 'to drop dynamite on the building'

Cleaning up 444 E. 13th St.

Report: State investigating East Village landlord Raphael Toledano

Health Department to inspect Raphael Toledano's East Village properties for toxic levels of lead dust

Tree Bistro is returning after October fire

Tree Bistro has not been open since the six-alarm fire this past Oct. 3 at neighboring 188 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

That fire wiped out Tree Bistro's backyard garden ... and caused other damage inside the restaurant.

Now EVG regular Lola Sáenz reports that the space is under renovation, and will reopen later this spring.

Uogashi, the Japanese restaurant in the retail space at 188 First Ave., didn't fare as well, and is not expected to return. The Uogashi website, now offline, had listed "permanently closed" under their hours of operation.

Officials said they believe the fire, which injured 17 people, including 14 firefighters, began inside Uogashi. An exact cause has not been made public.

Meanwhile, Fiaschetteria Pistoia returned to service on March 6 after a late December fire badly damaged its space on 11th Street near Avenue C ... while the storefront housing Yakiniku West at 218 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue is under renovation. The Japanese restaurant's Facebook page states that they plan to reopen some time this year after a fire in the building last April.

The Black Emperor has arrived on 2nd Avenue

An EVG reader shared this shot... showing the exterior of the incoming Black Emperor at 197 Second Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

We wrote about this incoming bar-restaurant back in October when the applicants were to appear before CB3 for a new liquor license.

The Three Kings Restaurant Group, whose résumé includes bars and restaurants in the Bowery Hotel and Arlo NoMad Hotel, among other establishments, was behind this venture.

However, as Eater reported in early January, partners Dale Talde, David Massoni and John Bush dissolved Three Kings, with each of them going off on his own for new projects.

No word yet who is running Black Emperor ... or if they will be sticking with the "Asian fusion tapas" menu pitched to CB3.

Shoolbred's closed here in June 2017 after nearly 10 years in business. This address was Jade Mountain, home of the great Chow Mein sign, until 2007.

Todaro Bros. is closing April 2, ending 102 years of business

An EVG reader alert (H/T Val!) from outside the usual coverage zone... Todaro Bros., the Italian grocer at 555 Second Ave. between 30th Street and 31st Street, is closing on April 2.

The owners of the 102-year-old establishment shared the news on social media on Tuesday...



No mention if this impacts their Enoteca Wine Bar next door.

Todaro Bros. moved to No. 555 in 1961 (a few blocks from its original location), and long offered products that you couldn't find anywhere else ... the arrival in recent years of a Fairway directly across the street as well as a Trader Joe's on Third Avenue and 32nd Street couldn't have helped business.

Image via

Photos: 'Best Wishes' from Harley Flanagan at the Pyramid Club last night

Harley Flanagan is on tour now to mark the 30th anniversary of Best Wishes, the second record by hardcore legends the Cro-Mags.

Last night, in the first of the shows, Flanagan and his band performed at the Pyramid Club on Avenue A, playing a set from Best Wishes as well as an array of other tracks spanning the Cro-Mags catalog. (Flanagan has been in a long dispute with John Joseph over the band name. You can read more at this link.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on hand for the soundcheck ... and sold-out show. Here's a sampling of the scene last night...





The Pyramid is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year (which we'll have more on in an upcoming post...)


[DJ Mike Stalagmike]




[Nette Moreno, bartender and coat check]


[Pyramid manager Maria Narciso and Dominic Martinez, executive chef/partner at Desnuda NYC]


[Flanagan with his wife Laura Lee Flanagan]


[Opening act HUGE]

... and the main event...

Christmas is coming to 10th Street Friday thanks to 'Mr. Robot'

Crews are prepping 10th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue to create a circa-2015 (those were the days!) Christmas scene for a "Mr Robot" shoot on Friday and early Saturday morning ... EVG Christmas Scene correspondent Steven shared these photos from this morning...









Block Association reps posted these signs for neighbors... noting that the production crew is making a donation to the Block Association to help replace the downed trees from that flukey storm this past November...



The Block Association is also requesting a hiatus on film shoots along here.

A Repeat Performance, until July 31

[EVG photo; all other shots by Daniel Efram]

Photos and text by Daniel Efram

The wonderful East Village bric-a-brac store, A Repeat Performance on First Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street, will be closing on July 31 after 39 years in business.

In our ever-changing neighborhood, during an era of constant discussion surrounding the influx of short-lived businesses and the disappearance of some seminal mainstays, it is time for yet another of the latter to make its way into our memories and off of the streets.

A Repeat Performance has been a gem of a shop for quite some time. With its eclectic collections of old-school cigarette lighters, books, film slides, glassware, and recently even an old hand-cranked washing machine, it has provided me with never-ending escapism for my years in the vicinity.





The shop holds more significance than simply a reminder of what the neighborhood used to mean. A Repeat Performance has been perhaps the longest-running museum of the non-essential in my daily walk. Need an accordion, a slide viewer or some opera glasses? You may find them here.

It's a reminder of our family attics and basements, and the stuff we may have had to get rid of for lack of space, but still admire for the quality. This store is a reminder of days gone by, when artists could survive selling a uniquely artful selection of ephemera and maybe even meet a friend.

Beverly Bronson opened the store in 1980. Sharon Jane Smith arrived from the theater world in 1987 and hasn’t left.



“Since May 4 of 1987, I have worked with Beverly Bronson at A Repeat Performance. Now that Beverly has left this world I have to face the fact that I am not the businesswoman she was. It’s time for me to complete my stories of New Yorkers who stopped into the shop," Smith told me earlier this month.

Most recently Sharon showed me some beautifully shaped rocks that were being sold. These rocks were beautiful and looked like they were naturally carved, from a running stream in the Catskills, perhaps. She told me that the Knoephelmachers — Margaret and Joseph, a local couple — were stone collectors. These beauties came from the Sahara desert. Sharon has helped to find new homes for many. Sharon also mentioned her love for making tiling and mosaics, which is exemplified by the work she has done on the front door frame (see photo).



Go in and say hi to Sharon before July 31 and ask about the book she’s writing. You may walk out with a sweet stethoscope or typewriter.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Out and About in the East Village with Sharon Jane Smith

Station on 10th Street along Tompkins Square Park now one of the largest in the Citi Bike system

A work crew arrived yesterday afternoon to install more Citi Bike docks along Tompkins Square Park on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... EVG regular Daniel shared these photos...







Citi Bike announced in January that they are boosting service in the busiest parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn by adding 1,250 new bikes and 2,500 docks.

As noted last week, we've seen expansions at Sixth Street at Avenue B with 27 more bikes, Second Street at Avenue C (plus 25) and Second Street at Avenue B (plus 25).

With the extra 27 bikes added on 10th Street yesterday, this docking station is now one of the largest in the Citi Bike system...

Speaking of infill...

We just added 27 docks to our station at E 10 St & Avenue A increasing its capacity to 79 docks (one of the biggest in our system)!

Hello, beautiful. 😍 pic.twitter.com/VeXHS7rZTm

— Citi Bike (@CitiBikeNYC) March 12, 2019

An outpost of Original Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches arrives on Avenue A and 13th Street

An Original Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches has debuted on Avenue A at 13th Street... EVG reader dwg shared these photos from last night...





The Nicky's logo matches up to the one that's out on Lorimer Street in Williamsburg.

As you may recall, there once (circa 2009) was a Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches on Second Street just off Avenue A. The family that owned the Nicky's then sold the business, and it became Vicky's in 2011.

THEN. Vicky's closed in 2013. THEN! The Vicky's became a Nicky's, but it wasn't the original Nicky's that was here. Then the not-original Nicky's closed in 2015.

ANYWAY. In the process of trying to find out if this outpost is from the folks who ran the FIRST Nicky's on Second Street (as well as the now-closed location on Nassau Street).

The corner space on Avenue A and 13th Street was home to Inkstop Tattoo, which closed last summer after 21 years here. Owner Eric Rignall is now working out of Long Island City.

The building housing the now-closed Sidewalk remains for sale on Avenue A

The Sidewalk Bar and Restaurant closed after service on Feb. 23.

As previously reported, hospitality vets Laura Saniuk-Heinig and Alyssa Sartor are taking over the restaurant space. Work on that has yet to begin here on Avenue A and Sixth Street.

The Sidewalk still looks open — from a distance anyway. The lights are on inside, and I've seen several people try the front door then peer inside. (The gate is down on the bar side.) The sidewalk cafe tables and chairs are stacked on Sixth Street, seemingly ready for warmer weather...


[Photo from Monday]

In an email last night, Saniuk-Heinig said they're still ironing out details for the Sidewalk space.

Meanwhile, the building at 96-98 Avenue A remains on the sales market, per a tipster. The listing at Loopnet was first created in November 2017, and last updated on Monday.

Misrahi Realty has the exclusive listing. The current asking price is $11.9 million.

According to the listing, the floor area ratio (FAR) allows for one more floor to be added to the building. And per the listing: "The legendary location has seen many walks of life and now it can be yours. The building is a goldmine in the waiting."