After 20-plus years, Minca on 5th Street will close its doors for good after service tonight

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Minca, which has been serving Tokyo-style ramen since 2004 at 536 E. Fifth St., between Avenue A and Avenue B, is closing after tonight's service.

I stopped by the small ramen parlor last night, and the staff confirmed the pending closure. (H/T Max for letting us know!)

According to one staff member, Minca's owner is in his 70s and wants to retire. There's speculation that someone will open a Minca-style space in Long Island City, although no further details are available at this time. 

We were told the workers here have secured new jobs elsewhere.

Through the years, diners have appreciated Minca for its authenticity. It has also appeared on multiple top ramen lists in NYC, including those by Eater. 

Minca, to me, was the place I craved whenever I had a sore throat or was recovering from some bronchial misery. It's where I'd quickly slurp down an endless bowl of healing sesame-and-mushroom broth tofu ramen on freezing NYC days. I'd perch in one of the snug window seats, hunch over my bowl, carefully stirring in tiny bits of extra spicy red paste ordered "on the side," and watch condensation drip down the glass, turning the world soft and foggy.

It's where I hoped no one noticed my awkward attempts to juggle a spoon and chopsticks. It's also where I brought friends visiting from out of town — a dependable, affordable, no-frills meal that was always excellent.

11 Avenue A poised to become yet another generic-looking residential building

The conversion of 11 Avenue A into a residential afterlife continues here on the west side between Houston and Second Street. 

This past week, a fairly generic-looking rendering arrived for the larger new look building...

For years, residential conversion plans have been pending here. Public records now show new permits (as of late February) to convert this existing three-story commercial structure into a six-story residential building with retail space on the first floor. 

The Department of Buildings permits list five dwelling units for the 5,000-plus square feet of residential space, suggesting that these are likely condos. 

Ben Ari Arts, which had been at this location since 1960 (it opened on Allen Street in 1945), closed at the end of 2013. It was said to be the last Judaica shop on the Lower East Side. 

Ben Ari Arts owner Yakov Melmed, who started helping his father sell menorahs, ceremonial wine cups, and prayer shawls at the store in 1973, decided to leave the neighborhood. According to public records, he sold the building for $3.4 million. 

Ariel Soudry of Better Living Properties is listed as he owner of No. 11

Mini thrift empire Other People's Clothes is opening in the former Salvation Army space on 4th Avenue

Photos by William Klayer 

Signage arrived last week for Other People's Clothes (OPC) at 112 Fourth Ave. just south of 12th Street...

OPC started in 2020 with an outpost in Ridgewood before expanding to Williamsburg and Bushwick. 

Per the OPC website, the shops are a "creative platform for lovers of thrifted fashion. We welcome all to buy, sell, and trade their pre-loved clothing, shoes, and accessories every day of the week."

The Fourth Avenue retail space had been vacant since 2019, when the longtime home of the Salvation Army Family Store reportedly had the lease terminated. 

The listing offered the bi-level storefront for restaurant usage, and it seemed destined for a fast-casual concept. So, OPC is a pleasant surprise.

Signage alert: Salumeria Rosi on Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy

The EVG inbox lit up at the end of last week with signage alerts for Salumeria Rosi, located at 224 Avenue B, between 13th Street and 14th Street. (H/T to Maegan Hayward and Russell!)

Salumeria Rosi is an Italian restaurant, salumi and delicatessen shop, which debuted on the Upper West Side in 2008. 

The EV location includes a bar and cafe.

A restaurant rep told us that the owners are very excited to be in the East Village. We'll have more info about an opening date soon. 

Previously on EVG.

Sunday's parting shots

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A book giveaway today on Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

The resident started with 400 books this morning and had about 40 left when we saw her late in the afternoon...

Thanks for the free books!

Get your free EV Grieve newsletter

Get all the EVG links from the past week emailed to your inbox. Sign up (for free!) here.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg).

Receive this week in review every Sunday in your inbox. Details here.

• Home cook heads to PBS to share her family's recipes — and her love of the East Village (Wednesday, July 9) ... East Village home cook Anika Chowdhury serves up Episode 1's best dish on PBS's 'The Great American Recipe' (Saturday, July 12)

• Cleanup proposed for contaminated Avenue D site, future home of affordable housing (Tuesday, July 8) 

• DOT proposes Avenue B makeover, looks to residents for guidance (Monday, July 7) 

• FDNY firefighter brings artistic touch to Engine 28, Ladder 11 on 2nd Street (Thursday, July 10) 

• Suburban Speed at Baker Falls (Tuesday, July 8) 

• Andy Boay's new record inspired by and crafted in the East Village (Thursday, July 10) 

• At the big cumgirl8 sale on 2nd Street (Sunday, July 13)

• Farewell to the old East 10th Street pedestrian bridge (Friday, July 11) 

• The Lower East Side Lidl opens on Aug. 1 (Tuesday, July 8) 

• The Art of Unease: ABC No Rio’s 'PEST' continues on at The Clemente (Wednesday, July 9) 

• Signage alert: Kebabishq on 2nd Avenue (Monday, June 8) 

• The killjoy of 2nd Street (Friday, July 11) 

• 'Caught Stealing' catches eyes with new poster (Wednesday, July 9) 

• Openings: Ops on 2nd Avenue (Thursday, July 10) ... Andrea's Pizza on 2nd Avenue (Monday, July 8) 

• 76 Avenue B is for rent (Monday, July 8) 

• Cabin on 9th under new ownership (Wednesday, July 9)

... and now on duty (when not napping) at the smoke shop at 42 Avenue A and Third Street: Rhaenyra, the Dragon Queen Kitty (photo by Stacie Joy)...

At the big cumgirl8 sale on 2nd Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

One of our favorite bands, the neon punk cumgirl8, is hosting a sale this weekend (and Monday) at 51 E. Second St., just east of Second Avenue.

We stopped by yesterday for day one of the sale in the band's design studio, located in the basement space, where they create merchandise, clothing and other designs. (They’re moving out at the end of the month to a new spot on the Bowery.)

The band is offering records, test pressings, cumgirl8 collectibles, shoes, clothing, accessories, one-of-a-kind merch, and musical equipment.

Here's a look around ...

Band members Veronika Vilim (left) and Lida Fox were on hand (as well as Veronika's boyfriend Jon)...

The sale continues today and tomorrow from noon to 7 p.m. They will be back for the same hours on July 25-27.

Here's a flyer for this weekend...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cumgirl8 (@cumgirl8)

The pounce

EVG reader Vincent Doogan shared these photos (taken with his iPhone 15) from Thursday afternoon... when two of the juvenile red-tailed hawks were hanging out by the Ninth Street and Avenue B entrance.

One of the young hawks intently watched a pigeon on the ground below. 

"Suddenly, it leaped and pounced upon the pigeon. RIP pigeon."

The young hawks are growing quickly, and now seem able to hunt and capture their own meals without help from their parents, Amelia and M2 (also known as Charlie, in honor of Charlie Parker, who lived at 151 Avenue B). 

I shared one of the photos with Goggla, who has been documenting the local urban wildlife for years.

"They really are growing up. I saw one catch a pigeon right in front of me, and I was so stunned," Goggla said in an email. "I thought the hawk was too young for that. In past years, they have gone for rats, maybe because Christo preferred rats. Both Amelia and Dad are experts at catching pigeons, so it's interesting to see how their offspring learn." 

Check out Goggla's site for more hawk updates.

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Saturday night with Stella and Ray at Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A at Seventh Street...

East Village home cook Anika Chowdhury serves up Episode 1's best dish on PBS's 'The Great American Recipe'

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Last night marked the season 4 premiere of "The Great American Recipe" on PBS.

As we reported on Wednesday, East Village resident Anika Chowdhury is a contestant in the cooking competition that celebrates home cooks from across the country. 

Chowdhury and her friends and family gathered at The Onion Tree Pizza Co. on the SE corner of First Avenue and 13th Street to watch the episode...

She is on the program representing both her heritage — Bangladesh — and her East Village home. 

Chowdhury's phukhka with an NYC-style egg cream won the top dish of the round. (Screengrab via PBS.)

You can watch the episode here. 

The season concludes on Aug. 15. It airs from 9 to 10 p.m. on PBS.

About tomorrow's free show in Tompkins Square Park

Tomorrow (Sunday!) afternoon, Show Brain is presenting another solid free show in Tompkins Square Park.

On the bill:

• Pinc Louds

• Dead Tooth

• Tilt

• Jasno

There may be an additional act as well... we'll update if so... SORRYNOTSORRY has been added to the lineup.

Saturday's opening shot

A morning view from along Houston at Forsyth... with a view to the north of First Street Green Art Park.

Those morning clouds will give way to some breaks of sunshine this afternoon with a high of 82, but humid with that dew point hitting an uncomfortable 70°F.

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Chef, cooking chicken and corn on the grill today on Avenue B at the Vamos Sembrar Garden near 12th Street ...

Some good 'Shit'

 

Dead Tooth is part of the free afternoon of music in Tompkins Square Park on Sunday via Show Brain.

The local band will release its debut record next Friday, July 18. 

Check out the above video for "You Never Do Shit" and see them live this weekend.

The killjoy of 2nd Street

As seen on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B (mid-block on the north side) ... 

This sunflower brought joy to the whole neighborhood. 

A selfish person decided they wanted to steal that joy.

Farewell to the old East 10th Street pedestrian bridge

This weekend, workers will begin the months-long demoliton of the 10th Street pedestrian bridge that leads from the East Village to East River Park.

According to community notices, the work begins at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. (Late Saturday night!) 

Per the notices: 

Activities related to the removal of the East 10th Street Bridge will necessitate overnight work. This operation can be disruptive and loud. Because this work includes full and partial FDR Drive closures, we are required to perform it at night to minimize traffic disruptions. Noise, vibration, and air quality monitors are in place. We apologize for the disturbance and thank you for your patience as we make these critical upgrades.  

The bridge, along with the adjacent playground, BBQ area, and basketball courts, closed on May 27 as the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project moved north. 

 

Here's a view of the now tree-less area, taken from the still-open section off of the Sixth Street pedestrian bridge.

The Sixth Street section, which includes the running track and a stretch of the walkway along the river, is expected to close at the end of the summer.

Several refurbished East River Park areas around the Williamsburg Bridge reopened on Memorial Day, including the south tennis courts. By the start of fall, East Village-based park-goers must head south to access any East River Park amenities. 

The city has stated that it will maintain public access to at least 42% of the park throughout construction, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

The "phased work operations" in East River Park commenced in November 2021, in Project Area 1, located between Montgomery Street and 15th Street. Workers have been burying the park under fill and cutting down hundreds of trees as part of the billion-dollar-plus ESCR. They are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges

Thursday's parting shot

Seattle's Sea Lemon this evening at a sold-out Night Club 101 on Avenue A...

FDNY firefighter brings artistic touch to Engine 28, Ladder 11 on 2nd Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

If you've seen Engine 28 or Ladder 11 rolling through the East Village lately, you might have noticed their sharp new mudflaps. 

That's thanks to Michael "Mikey" Borriello — an FDNY firefighter who is also the resident artist at Engine 28, Ladder 11 on Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Borriello has been with the company since 2015, and when two brand-new trucks arrived this past December, their blank mudflaps looked a little too plain. 

"There are companies you can pay to do it,” he says, "but I've always been artistically inclined, and I do it for fun, as a hobby." 

So he recently got to work, painting Ladder 11's flap with its "Lucky 11" nickname and Engine 28's with a bold "Alphabet City."

Why Alphabet City? "Our slogan, 'Los Bomberos Primero,' didn’t fit," he says. 

Borriello did it all freehand, layering on eight coats of marine-grade paint designed to flex and handle tough conditions — crucial since the mudflaps bend whenever the trucks pull in and out of the station. 

He stuck with a traditional Old English style, matching the original lettering for 28/11. 

He's also responsible for the striking Maltese Crosses inside the firehouse, which are repainted every four years to represent the current crop of firefighters.

Next up? Borriello plans to paint a quote across the beam at the firehouse entrance: "Let no man's ghost come back to say my training let me down."