Friday, February 28, 2014

Breaking: Japadog is closing for good after tonight on St. Mark's Place

[January 2012 photo by Bobby Williams]

The Japanese-inspired hot dog restaurant by way of Vancouver opened the first U.S. outlet at 30 St. Mark's Place to great fanfare in January 2012.

And now, word is circulating that Japadog will be closing after business tonight. No reason given at the moment for the closure.

A quick reaction via Twitter…


We spotted the listing for the Japadog space yesterday on Craigslist, though we didn't realize the place was closing this quickly:

***Exclusive Listing by Exit Realty Landmark***
Newly renovated restaurant with full basement. Vented both on the grand floor and basement. 9 ft ceiling.
No Key Money.
W & B in place
New 10 Yr Lease available.
1500 sqft, same basement
Wide Front approx 20 ft
3 seasons of outdoor seating

St. Marks Place, located at heart of East Village. Amazing foot traffic.

We'll have more on this later… but if you want one one last umami dog with those bonito flakes, better hurry…

[H/T EVG Facebook friend Leslie Feffer]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cue the long lines: Japadog opening first New York City location on St. Mark's Place

Blast from the 'Past'



Glasgow natives The Wake with "Talk About The Past" from 1984.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition


[The Stage, Second Avenue]

A tour of the East Village's 'Borscht belt restaurants and lunch counters' (Serious Eats)

Go 'soak up the atmosphere' of the Subway Inn (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

New La MaMa musical taking inspiration from this month's revolution in Ukraine (DNAinfo)

Check out the 1980s NYC photography of Amy Arbus (The New York Times)

Robert Plant stands outside Physical GraffiTea on St. Mark's Place (Gothamist)

EVG contributor James Maher guests on the "ReW & WhO?" show at Otto's (YouTube)

Wrapping up the Streit’s Matzo documentary (BoweryBoogie)

Do you remember this Dinosaur at the Continental? (Flaming Pablum)

Revisiting NYC's Newspaper Row' (Ephemeral Row)

It will never stop snowing in NYC this season (Gothamist)

40 years of Ray



Ray's Candy Store is entering its 40th year now on Avenue A ... on the occasion, NY1 stopped by this morning for a quick segment.

Per Ray:

"I'm here, and paying top price but I love it. I want to be here forever."

Watch the segment here. [Updated: Ugh, sorry — didn't realize that Time Warner made you sign in to view. We'll see if we can get a copy another way...]

OK, here's the segment via YouTube (thanks Shawn Chittle)



[H/T @RTSNYC]

[Updated] Stray voltage warning on Second Avenue



Con Ed is investigating here on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street, via a report by EVG reader Stephen Popkin...





Hey, you're right by B&H Dairy too. Get some soup.

And on the topic of Con Ed... As a reminder:

Con Ed officials will be present to answer any questions or hear any concerns at the CB3 Public Safety/Transportation meeting on March 11 at 6:30 p.m. Location: University Settlement at Houston Street Center, 273 Bowery

Updated noon

Stephen sends along another photo... Con Ed crews are working on the scene now...



And via Stephen, the mushroom barley soup and blintzes were quite good at B&H...

First Avenue home of Brickman & Sons and 22 apartments is for sale



OK, first of all, Brickman & Sons, the longtime hardware store here between East Third Street and East Fourth Street, isn't going anywhere.

However, the building at 53-55 First Ave. that houses the store is now for sale.

Here are the details via Massey Knakal:

The two 5 story buildings are situated on the west side of First Avenue between East 3rd and East 4th Streets. Combined, the buildings total approximately 18,240 gross square feet and contain 22 residential apartments and 1 commercial unit. Of the residential units, 9 are currently fair market, 12 are rent stabilized, and 1 is rent controlled, ranging in size between studios through 2 bedrooms.

Overall, both the rent regulated and fair market units are operating approximately 33% below market. By achieving market levels through renovations, vacancy turnovers, and deregulation of units, future ownership has the opportunity to substantially increase their top line and realize the building’s full potential.

Additionally, the single commercial space is owner occupied by H. Brickman & Sons and encompasses the ground floor of both buildings totaling approximately 3,840 rentable square feet. Current ownership is requiring a lease-back of the commercial space with an initial term of 20 years at $20,000 per month with 2% annual increases.

H.Brickman & Sons will also be responsible for 25% of the increase in real estate taxes. The company’s origin dates back to the 1930’s when it first opened at 53-55 First Avenue. Since then, Brickman & Sons has expanded with two additional locations in Manhattan illustrating it’s long-lasting success and providing prospective investors with long-term commitment to their space.

Asking price: $14 million.

[Image via Massey Knakal]

CB3/SLA committee March highlights: A new applicant for El Sombrero on Stanton Street?


[EVG file photo]

CB3 released the SLA licensing committee docket on Wednesday… the agenda includes a new proposal for El Sombrero on Stanton and Ludlow, which was previously going to become another outpost of Artichoke Pizza. That deal fell through, as BoweryBoogie first reported last month.

Now, an entity named Two Almontes Corp. is aiming to take over the inexpensive Mexican restaurant that opened here in 1984. We asked Regina Bartkoff, who has worked here since 1988, about all this. She has been out of work the last few weeks with a wrist injury. However! "I heard this rumor and called the restaurant and they told me no! Nothing is happening."

So perhaps chalk this up to some pre-mature paperwork. Anyway, The Hat remains open, of course — go while you still can!

Meanwhile, the rest of the docket is pretty quiet in the way of Big Ticket items…

Applications within Saturated Areas
• Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery (Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery Inc), 215 Ave A (b)

Not sure what is going on here… CB3 had previously OK'd a license for beer at Zaragoza back in May 2012.

• Sigmund Pretzel Shop Inc, 29 Ave B (upgrade to op)

• Paprika (Albatross Restaurant Corp), 110 St Marks Pl (op)

• Nublu (Tatu LLC), 151 Ave C (op)

• Bikinis (Eat Bikinis Inc), 56 Ave C (extend license to patio and gallery space)

New Liquor License Applications
• To be Determined, 117 2nd Ave (wb)

This was a scratch from the February agenda … A taker for the very short-lived Picnic on Second Avenue and East Seventh Street.

• To be Determined, 536 E 5th St (wb)

This is the address for the Minca Ramen Factory and Kuboya next door… not sure what space this application is for at the moment…

• Numero 28 (La Meridiana I Ltd), 176 2nd Ave (wb)

• Menkuitei (Shin Restaurant Inc), 63-69 Cooper Sq (op)

Or Menkui Tei.

• Mesa Seaview (Mesa Seaview), 41-43 E 7th St (upgrade to op)

????

• Eric Thant Corporation, 57 1st Ave (wb) (Pudgie's)

Hmm, Sushi Zayy already opened here at the former Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's action-packed combo.

• To be Determined, 269 E Houston St (op)

Hahahahaha. This is like the 78th time this has shown up on the agenda. The Local 269 closed here in September 2012. There have been a few potential suitors, though nothing ever came of the various proposals for the bar space. We spotted nine different for rent/sale signs on the business last summer ... The whole building remains on the market for $12 million.

• Gaia Lounge (Sams 1 Lounge Inc), 103 E 2nd St (wb)

The meeting is March 10 at 6:30 p.m. Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. 4th St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

-----

b=beer only | wb=wine & beer only | op=liquor, wine, & beer | alt=alterations

Prime and Beyond New York space for rent on East 10th Street

[EVG file photo]

Back on Jan. 28, 2013, Jennifer Gould Keil at the Post reported that Prime & Beyond, the steakhouse at 90 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, is leaving the East Village to be closer to the Lincoln Tunnel and its New Jersey location.

We're not sure of the status of those plans… however, a new listing for the space turned up this week at Streeteasy… Miron, who has an office upstairs, has the listing:

Amazing and well established high-end steakhouse for rent or for sale near Union Square. Greenwich Village. Wine and beer license in place. Fully vented. Great lease terms! Private garden area for outdoor seating ready for the summer season. Over 1 million invested in renovations and brand new equipment. Key money upon request. One of the best locations in Manhattan.

Not sure if the sub-level space below Miron's office is "One of the best locations in Manhattan." But that's subjective!

There are actually two listings for the space at Miron… one for $15,500 a month… the other for $16,300 (which is the one that arrived on Streeteasy this week)…

Regardless, the space itself looks pretty nice… at least from the photos … never been down here ourselves…



Prime opened in July 2011.

Don't gouge the trees



An EVG reader writes in …

I took this photo [Wednesday] morning on East 4th St. between Avenue C and D. There are two small trees that were planted last fall in front of P.S. 15 The Roberto Clemente School on this block. This morning I noticed someone gouged both of the trees on purpose. This was not done by an idiot chaining their bike to it, because they were fine yesterday. I wish people were more aware of taking care of the trees. These are in front of a school and it would be so nice to have them grow tall ...

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Godzilla and Rodan team up on East Seventh Street



Hey, something more creative than a snow penis!

EVG regular Grant Shaffer spotted this after the light snow yesterday on East Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C…

Perhaps it's some guerrilla marketing for the new "Godzilla" blockfuckingbuster coming in May… (heh) And Godzilla nerds are debating whether Rodan makes an appearance… And maybe you were one of the 10 million people who watched the trailer since its Tuesday debut…

Tonight's sunset



Via Bobby Williams

Workers removing trees from the Jacob Riis and Lillian Wald Houses



Workers are currently pruning or cutting down trees this morning at the Jacob Riis Houses and Lillian Wald Houses along Avenue D…



A worker told Dave that they are removing all the ones marked with an X. And they all seem to be marked with an X… especially here on East 10th Street between Avenue D and the FDR…



Said the worker: "Sandy messed 'em up."

3 Awful Avenue A bars: What are they now?

A few days ago we noticed that the sign went up for Ethos Meze, the new Greek restaurant opening this year at 167 Avenue A




While the previous tenant here, Diablo Royale Este, has been closed for more than 18 months… the new sign is symbolic of sorts… an end of an era where three bars on Avenue A drew the ire of neighbors for the beer ponging, party busing, sidewalk peeing ways of its patrons...

-----


[September 2011]

From May 2010 to August 2012, Diablo Royale Este, which claimed it catered "to a mature audience," was popular with the party bus crowd … and, most famously, once hosted (unwittingly or not) a Boats 'N Hoes party for NYU students.

Diablo Royale Este eventually closed after some ongoing issues with the State Liquor Department.

-----

Then, at 200 Avenue A, there was Superdive.

Oh, the legendary Superdive, which started its reign of woorrorism with table-service kegs in June 2009… and remained open intermittently until October 2010… (Superdive threatened to return too many times… it was like trying to kill Jason Voorhees… )


[The glory days of 2009 via Meri Micara]

There was a midget dressed as a pirate working Champagne Tuesdays… Bargoers were encouraged to mix their own drinks… oh, lordy. We're just going to stop.

Today, the space is home to the ABC Animal Hospital.



-----

… and at 34 Avenue A, there was Aces & Eights, which arrived in March 2009 … residents quickly branded the place a beer-ponging frathole …


But, to the bar's credit, the general manager did try to make some changes, reaching out to EVG readers for input … and even making good use of the upstairs space for a cool art show

The bar closed for good in October 2010.

The space is now home to Ruff Club, "a social club for dogs."

On St. Mark's Place, 'this parable of neglect'



The photo and text are courtesy of longtime East Village resident Anton van Dalen ...

This scene compresses several histories of our neighborhood, a history of slash and burn economics.

Many of us were in a state of disbelief when a 7-Eleven opened at 35 St Mark's Place, but then the chain store imploded in just 18 months. Removal of the 7-Eleven signage reveals that JAS Mart, the Japanese grocery store, had been at site before.

And asleep in front on a sliver of sidewalk the homeless person, completing this parable of neglect.

I have noticed that certain addresses seem doomed, repeatedly turning over tenants and each time ending up abandoned, suggesting that some landlords have no clue or curiosity about the needs and subtleties of our neighborhood. Each time the renovation will take about a year, causing turmoil with neighboring businesses and community.

Company Bar and Grill is for sale on East 10th Street



We spotted a listing on Craigslist this week noting that Company Bar and Grill is for sale at 242 E. 10th St. at First Avenue.

Given that these ads can be bogus (see Busy Bee Bike Shop), we contacted the bar. Proprietor Shawn Rogol confirmed that Company is for sale… He is moving, and he needs to sell the business. (Asking price: $225,000.)

Rogol took the bar over in the fall of 2011 and installed a new kitchen and made the whole place less sketchy.

Dental work at Root and Bone



The renovations continue at 200 E. Third St. at Avenue B, the future home of the Southern-themed Root & Bone.

Yesterday, EVG reader Peter Mitchell pointed out a discovery that workers made here… an old door was found behind a wall of the restaurant … announcing the office of Dr. H. Blicker, Dentist…



We have no idea when this door dates to (Mama's Food Shop was the tenant for 15-plus years.) We couldn't find any mention of Dr. Blicker online.

In any event, that this space once served as a dental office gives the name Root & Bone a whole new meaning ...

The drummer of the Spin Doctors is selling his East 13th Street duplex, complete with a recording studio

Aaron Comess, the drummer for the Spin Doctors, is selling his duplex at 124 E. 13th St., Jennifer Gould Keil reports at the Post.

This space between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue is a 2,796-square-foot duplex with keyed elevator access and a 300-square-foot terrace with an outdoor shower, hot tub and gas line for a grill. The first floor houses the recording studio, which is zoned commercial and can be transformed however the potential buyer sees fit, per the Post. Comess, who has lived in the East Village for 25 years, is moving to South Williamsburg.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Magic and loss



Photo by @SeanCarlson tonight on East 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

Headline h/t

35 years later, East Village resident auctioning off the work of her former lover, Basquiat



You may have read the story about longtime East Village resident Alexis Adler, a one-time girlfriend of Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 1979, he "began transforming" her East Village apartment into "a living installation," including a wall mural featuring Olive Oyl. The two broke up the the following year, but Adler preserved his work.

With the help of several people, including Basquiat’s former assistant, Stephen Torton, Adler, a 57-year-old mother of two and an embryologist, is finally ready to put the work up for auction, the Post reports today.

"I couldn't hold onto everything, or leave it in a safe-deposit box," she said. "It’s not fair to Jean! It needs to get out into the world."

And about their relationship, from the article:

As Adler describes it, living together was less 'Barefoot in the Park' and more 'Desperately Seeking Susan'-meets-'The Odd Couple.'

They foraged for furniture off the streets and lived on eggs, grits and cereal. He gave her gifts of painted T-shirts; she brought home batteries to feed his cassette player.

All the while, he painted. Every flat surface was fair game.

"You'd get up in the morning and there was wet paint on the floor," she says. "From the brooms to the bathroom!" One day she came home with a gold lamé coat she bought in a thrift shop; by morning, he'd painted it pink, black and gray.

"I was a little upset," she concedes. But she got over it: That coat is one of the few things Basquiat made for her that she hasn’t put up for sale.

Basquiat's work will be on public display Saturday through March 28 at Christie's. Check it out here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A treasure trove of Basquiat in this East Village home

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: Dina Leor
Occupation: Owner, La Sirena Mexican Folk Art
Location: East 3rd Street, Between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery
Time: 12:30 pm on Wednesday, Feb. 12.

I’m from the island of Manhattan — born, raised and still living here. I grew up on the Upper West Side, on 89th and West End but I’ve been down here 30 years. I live on 10th and C.

I’m Argentine American with a Mexican heart. My mom is Argentine and I was born here but my mom didn’t speak English then, so I learned Spanish first. I remember she used to watch telenovelas, soap operas, because she couldn’t go to school since she was a stay at home mom. She would watch soap operas because it felt like real life.

We traveled a lot when I was young. I went to Mexico with my mom and my brother when I was a teenager. When I went I wanted to run away from home. I met a friend and my mom said I was going to stay with them for a month. I was planning to run away and stay, but I was a teenager with braces, and the family was seven people living in a one-room house. I realized they were not going to be able to take me to the orthodontist. I was worried about my teeth rotting. It was a teenage worry. Then I thought my mom might die if I ran away, so I didn’t. After that, though, I always felt this deep connection to Mexico. It felt like my home.

I’ve had many lifetimes in this life. I did many things. I went to college, I was a waitress, a babysitter. I worked as a receptionist at Maimonides Medical Center. I used to be a Union carpenter for six years. I started doing it because I loved making things. I built buildings in Battery Park City.

When you’re in the Union you have to go to college, so I also have a degree from the New York District Council of Carpenters. Then I injured my back and was told that if I went back to work I could be paralyzed, but I went back because I loved it. It was exhausting but wonderful. So I went back to work until I couldn’t move and then I stopped. Thank God I wasn’t paralyzed. Then I went back to school and got a BFA in art therapy. I worked as an art therapist with seniors and with little kids and I worked in a rehab. Then I started a daycare in my home called Creative Arts Daycare for pre-K kids. I had about 4 kids at a time and I loved it. We would do art together. I would take them to the Park. We did a lot of creative things.

I have gone to Mexico since I fell in love with the country and the people when I was young. When I was teaching it was the only thing that would revive me. I get goosebumps just saying it. There was just something about the earth, people, culture and art there. It’s so rich. I kept going and I’d bring stuff back and people would stop me and say,‘Oh where did you get that bag?’ I started taking people’s phone numbers and buying stuff in Mexico and bringing it back for them. I’d have little sales in my classroom. It built up and the next thing I knew I was selling at St. Mark's Place on the weekends because I had so much stuff. I had a Mexican booth. I’d sometimes be out there to 2 and 3 in the morning. I wasn’t a businesswoman, I was just doing it for my passion.

I decided to do my daycare again and was going to go post about starting it at a kids’ consignment shop on 7th and Avenue B. As I was leaving the women mentioned that her partner left and she was thinking of subletting the space next door. I had never thought of opening a store but a lightbulb went off. I said, ‘Well, I’ve always dreamed of having a store.’ This was 1998.

Then she totally screwed me up. I was doing really well. I had never had a business and didn’t know what I was doing but I was having fun selling stuff I loved. It was December before Christmas and we had a line of people out of the store. So I went back to Mexico and she told me not to worry and that I could stay there. Back then I didn’t have anything in writing. I spent all my money and had 11 wooden crates sent up and then she told me I had to move out the next month. She never told me she had sold the lease. So I had to put all that stuff in my house.

I looked for places for a few months until one of my customers found this space and I’ve been here ever since. I only buy things that I love. To me the beauty of everything, or at least 90 percent of it, is that it is handcrafted by families. It gets handed down from generation to generation. They’re always happy when I go there because they know I’m a shopaholic. I’m actually not a shopper believe it or not. The only thing I love shopping for is Mexican folk art when I go to Mexico. My passion is for Mexican culture and folk art.

I have a lot of longtime customers and I feel really blessed that way. I have things from $1 to $1,000. I remember one time this Mexican mom came in. Her kids were born here and she couldn’t take them home because she was undocumented. She wanted to get something for all of them but she only had $20. And she was able to get four little things that were all handmade from Mexico. It was a memory from home. Those kind of things touch me.

I’m now negotiating my lease for two years so I don’t know what’s going to happen. My dream is to have a cultural space, so maybe it’s my time to do that, but I haven’t found a space. It’s hard to find a space, but I have faith.

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

Reader mailbag: Should we receive a rent abatement for having sporadic heat and hot water?



From the EVG reader mailbag (which I had to pick up at the F.D.R. Station at East 54th Street and Third Avenue):

My roommate and I pay a small fortune for our East Village walk-up. Unfortunately, the boiler in our building breaks down with great frequency, leaving us with no heat or hot water for 24 hour periods of time, every two weeks. Our super is unavailable, and when I call my landlord he refuses to give us a rent abatement. Is there anything else we can do?

Anyone? (Preferred answers do not include "If you want heat and hot water, then move to...")

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We often get reader queries ... asking for help with, say, donating clothes or books ... or finding an East Village-based caterer... If you have a question for the masses, then try the EV Grieve email...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader mailbag: Places to eat that have that old East Village vibe (45 comments)

Reader mailbag: What do I do about my new neighbors who smoke pot all the time? (52 comments)

Reader mailbag: Where is a good place to get a cup of coffee in the East Village before 6 a.m.? (25 comments)

Reader mailbag: What has happened to the Cooper Station Post Office? (41 comments)

Reader mailbag: Can the landlord 'drill' the lock to gain access to my apartment for simple repairs? (15 comments)

Red-tailed hawks nest on the Christodora House


[Photo yesterday by Bobby Williams]

In the past 10 days or so, two adult red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park have been busy… carrying some sticks and various nesting supplies up to a window on the East Ninth Street side of the Christodora House.

Goggla has followed the action starting on Feb. 15 … she documented more of the action here … and here … there hasn't been much activity … until yesterday. It's the first time that we've seen one of the hawks actually nesting. Or whatever it is that they do in a nest.

No word on the asking rent. But the views are quite nice.

And Goggla has a lot more hawk/nest photos here.

The 139th, or so, Chipotle to open near or around Union Square



Hey, what's this?

A Chipotle Mexican Grill is coming soon to 24 E. 12th St. just west of University Place. The space was last home to the Stand, a burger place that closed in May 2013, and at one time a Kinko's.

Our friend Alex at Flaming Pablum first noted this arrival on Monday night. As he wrote: "We need a Chipotle here like we need another bank branch."

According to the Chiptole website, there are seven other locations within a mile of here. (Twenty-nine within two miles.) A short few blocks from here there are locations at 19 St. Mark's Place, 117 E. 14th St., 55 E. Eighth Street, 510 Sixth Ave. … anyway, I'm rather indifferent toward Chipotle. Never tried their food.

But I have tried the food at Dorado, directly next door to the incoming Chiptole…



Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Zoltar awaits a service call; fortunes, wisdom on hold



Lousy news here outside Gem Spa



Photos by Bobby Williams

They don't make TV commercials like they used to: Lou Reed stumps for 'Sally Can’t Dance'



Via Dangerous Minds comes this video ... a 30-second TV spot from 1974 for "Sally Can’t Dance," Lou Reed's fourth solo album.

Per Richard Metzger, who wrote the post:

Wait, what? A Lou Reed TV commercial from 1974? At the height of his speed-shooting, bleached-blonde black nail-polish bi/gay persona? That’s right, apparently someone thought it was a good idea to push the Rock-n-Roll Animal’s career over the airwaves before it peaked. It’s not like a stone cold FREAK such as Lou Reed was going to get on American television otherwise was it?

Oh yeah.



Head on over to Dangerous Minds for more on the album...

Pooh cleans up his act



East Fourth Street via Derek Berg.

And a much more family friendly photo than this shot from Sunday morning on East 14th Street near Avenue C...



Rejected headlines:
A clean Pooh for you


Previously on EV Grieve:
A brief history of humiliating Teddy bears in the East Village

The fucking TD Bank signage arrives at the former home of the Mars Bar



At long LAST the much-anticipated TD Bank signage has arrived at the former Mars Bar space… On Jan. 2, 2013, Steve Cuozzo reported at the Post that a 4,300-square-foot TD Bank branch was going to anchor the retail space at Jupiter 21, the new luxury apartment building that rose from the ashes of the Mars Bar and other businesses on Second Avenue and East First Street.

The TDs arrived yesterday afternoon, per EVG reader EJ ...



(BoweryBoogie noted this as well this morning.)

This likely won't do much for those Mars-Bar-is-returning rumors. Maybe next door? This was the rumored space for some kind of Mars Bar redux...



There's also retail space available on the East First Street side... or else someplace simply hasn't removed the sign yet...



And on the doors to the TD job site...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The former Mars Bar is becoming a fucking bank branch

So where's that fucking bank branch that's taking the former Mars Bar space?

Meanwhile on First Avenue this morning…

There is this.



Spotted at East Seventh Street by ‏@JoeMSegal

One shade of grey at the incoming Schnitz



Just taking a quick look at Schnitz, which will be opening soon on the corner of First Avenue and East 11th Street… This past Thursday, workers painted the exterior grey (and the Russo's mural that had been tagged beyond recognition…)



And the freshly painted wall was quickly tagged …



Meanwhile, Yoni Erlich, who co-founded Schnitz with his sister Donna and friend Allon Yosha, shared a rendering for the exterior painting of the storefront …



The menus, business cards and customer loyalty cards are ready…


[Via Twitter]

No specific date for an opening just yet. This marks the first restaurant for Schnitz, which serves old-fashioned schnitzel sandwiches with unconventional toppings at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg and Dumbo. Schnitz will serve sandwiches, soups and salads from its East Village location. (You can find their menu here.)

[Top two photos by @longoM]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Smorgasburg favorites Schnitz planning restaurant at former Something Sweet on First Avenue