Monday, January 31, 2022
Monday's parting shot
6 posts from January
• Behold the 21-floor office building that's replacing the B Bar & Grill on the Bowery (Jan. 25)
• RIP Billy the Artist (Jan. 23)
• Officials: Police arrest teen accused of starting the fire that destroyed the Essex Card Shop (Jan. 20)
• A visit to Via Della Scrofa (Jan. 20)
• A look inside the new Empire Cannabis Clubs on the Lower East Side (Jan. 19)
• The March Hare is closing so the owners can focus on health and family (Jan. 14)
A benefit for the Essex Card Shop
Art of the old Essex Card Shop storefront by Leah Tinari
Goodnight Sonny is hosting a benefit tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 1) evening from 5-8 for the fire-damaged Essex Card Shop, 47 Avenue A.
Local artist Leah Tinari is organizing the event. All proceeds (plus tips) from the three hours will help rebuild the longtime Card Shop, which was destroyed in a fire on Jan. 10. (There is also a GoFundMe campaign to support the family-owned shop cover expenses and lost income.)
As previously reported, a 13-year-old boy had been charged with second-degree arson.
Goodnight Sonny is at 134 First Ave. on the NE corner at St. Mark's Place.
Thayer is opening a bookstore and cafe at 99 Avenue B
Thayer founder Matt Lally confirmed the arrival in an email, noting the space will serve as its HQ along with a storefront offering books, coffee and pastries as well as beer and wine in the evenings. (They are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for the beer-wine license, though, having received administrative approval, they will not appear before the committee.)
Thayer currently publishes a biennial magazine of short fiction, poetry and photography ... with plans for a debut novel this spring.
No. 99 was previously Manitoba's, Handsome Dick Manitoba's namesake bar, which closed in June 2019 after 20 years in service.
Lally, who described himself as a punk rock kid in his youth, said that he wanted "to do right by the legacy of the space."
You can keep tabs on Thayer via Instagram.
H/T Stacie Joy!
[Updated] Pizza Girls coming soon to Avenue B
Here's more via an interview with series director Carlo Fumo (this Q&A is from a year ago, and some of the info may be outdated now):
You told me the tv format is also destined for a foreign market: you mentioned the United States, where you regularly go for the movie festival you organize. What kind of interest are you expecting abroad?We’ll probably see a Pizza Girls USA already in 2021. And we will shoot it on location, in a pizzeria in the heart of Manhattan that will be named after the show. It is a topic of interest for other countries: pizza is a universal brand, earning large profits around the world. It's a wonderful thing, the same way, I always say, women are the wonder of our world: these two things together guarantee a powerful project. That's why we wanted to talk with the foreign market from the beginning. The format will be the same, of course, it will adapt to the country, based on the audience's taste in terms of TV and pizza.
This corner space was home to the Wafels & Dinges cafe (and corporate office) for nearly eight years. W&D, which still operates from kiosks and food trucks around the city, moved out last March.
Openings: A trio of quick-serve vegan options
A quick recap:
• PLNT Burger's first NYC outpost opened last Monday at 139 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Previously on EVG.)
The Virginia-based chain, started by celebrity chef-Food Network star Spike Mendelsohn, has multiple locations in the mid-Atlantic region.
You can find the PLNT menu here.
The space, with room for several diners, is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Raíz Modern Mexican is up and running at 120 First Ave. (not 120A and 120 1/2!) between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
As previously noted, Raíz is a plant-based, fast-casual restaurant featuring burritos, tacos, salads and bowls. You can find a menu here.
They are open Tuesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Vegan Grill, a quick-serve, plant-based restaurant, debuted Thursday at 58 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (First reported in October.)
The business got its start in late 2019 on Castle Hill Avenue in the Bronx; this will be its third outpost after a grand opening in Williamsburg earlier this month.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Top pic via Instagram
Sunday, January 30, 2022
Week in Grieview
Posts this past week included (with takeout for two via Derek Berg) ...
• More details about the fire that destroyed the Essex Card Shop (Wednesday)
• Behold the 21-floor office building that's replacing the B Bar & Grill on the Bowery (Tuesday)
• RIP David Simon (Wednesday)
• Report: Madison Realty Capital can proceed with takeover of long-empty P.S. 64 (Wednesday)
• Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge debuts on Avenue B (Thursday)
• Last weekend in business for Dress Shoppe II (Friday)
• Oddly configured Walgreens is closing on Union Square (Monday)
• Nai Tapas Bar set to open in new 2nd Avenue home (Monday)
• The latest at East River Park: night work at Delancey; passive lawn set to debut (Monday) ... Reader report: The new passive lawn in East River Park is a 'sodden mess' (Tuesday)
• [plant-baked] returns today with limited hours (Friday)
• A new broker for 20 St. Mark's Place (Wednesday)
• The Bronx Brewery announces itself on 2nd Avenue (Thursday)
• Openings: TLK on 3rd Avenue (Friday)
• TD Bank is shrinking on 3rd Avenue (Thursday)
• Another taker for 179 Essex St. (Monday)
Sunday's opening shot
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Snow day
EVG Etc.: Nor'easter updates; red-tailed hawk archives
Photo yesterday by Derek Berg
• Nor'easter updates (Gothamist)
• NY mask mandate extended to Feb. 10 (NBC 4)
• NYCHA's shift to private management may drive evictions (City Limits)
• Chef Jae Lee of Nowon on Sixth Street talks about the decision to give up drinking (Eater)
• Goggla has an archive page dedicated to the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park dating to 2013 (Laura Goggin Photography)
• Check out some Essential Cinema at Anthology Film Archives on Second Avenue and Second Street (Official site)
• More about Empire Cannabis Clubs, which recently expanded to the LES (NY1 ... previously on EVG)
• More about the Kim's Video series at Metrograph (WNYC ... previously on EVG)
• Hannah Traore Gallery debuts on Orchard Street (Hypebeast)
• Reviews/thoughs on the "Meet Me in the Bathroom" documentary (Pitchfork ... Variety ... Brooklyn Vegan)
Mid-morning check-in: Still snowing
First look at East Village streets that are snowy, empty
The latest... a winter storm warning is in effect until 7 this evening, with totals of 5-8 inches expected (though some reports already have the city at more than 5)...
Here are a few random photos from this morning (7:30-8ish)....@NWSNewYorkNY has issued a Winter Storm Warning for NYC: Until 7:00 PM on 1/29. 5-8" of snow with wind gusts up to 45 mph expected. Avoid unnecessary travel. If you must travel, use mass transit. Info: https://t.co/ytwmuQS4K4. https://t.co/3AmmBFaUN5
— NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) January 29, 2022
Friday, January 28, 2022
Angels and demons
The latest video from Surfbort came out this week... the video, which marks the directorial debut of pro skater Lizzie Armanto, is for "Lot Lizard 93" via the Keep On Truckin' record.
'Snow alert' is on ahead of Winter Storm Kenan
Here's the latest from the EVG inbox:
The New York City Emergency Management Department today issued a hazardous travel advisory for Friday evening, January 28, through Saturday, January 29. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Storm Warning for New York City in effect from 7 p.m. Friday through 7 p.m. Saturday, January 29.
A Winter Storm Warning is issued when heavy snow of 6 inches or more is expected to significantly impact mass transit, utilities, and cause difficult travel conditions. New Yorkers should prepare for snow covered roads and limited visibility. New Yorkers are advised to avoid travel Friday night through Saturday evening, as roads will be dangerous.
According to the latest National Weather Service forecast, light snow will develop Friday evening, becoming steadier and heavier overnight into Saturday morning. Snow will continue through Saturday afternoon and begin to taper off in the late afternoon. A total of 8 to 12 inches of accumulation is expected with this event, with locally higher amounts possible. Temperatures will be in the low 20s to mid-teens with wind chills near or below zero from Saturday morning through mid-day Sunday. Wind gusts may also be as high as 50 mph with strong gusts continuing through Saturday night, producing low visibility due to drifting and blowing snow, even after snowfall has ended.
The City's Sanitation Department has issued a "snow alert" beginning on Friday, January 28, at 4 p.m. The Sanitation Department is pre-deploying over 700 salt spreaders to pretreat roadways ahead of the first snowflake and is prepared to dispatch plows in all sectors when more than 2 inches of snow accumulates.As of 3 p.m., Key Food was holding its own with items people feel compelled to buy before any storm (bread, milk, etc.).
No word on the supply of shrimp cocktail that's always on display for impulse buying at the checkout at Union Market on Avenue A and Houston Street...
A cleanup on Houston and B
There wasn't any sign of Max at the moment... or the dozens of suitcases marked with "FBI evidence."
[plant-baked] returns today with limited hours
Photos by Stacie Joy
The small bakery with a to-go window had been closed since Dec. 19 while the owners, East Village residents and real-life partners Yunsu and Parker, managed some unforeseen personal circumstances.
Starting today, Yunsu will be at the shop with limited hours and offerings for the time being. (Parker will be back at the bakery in a bit.) You can find the shop open Wednesday-Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The bakery opened here in January 2021. Read Stacie Joy's interview with Yunsu and Parker at the link below...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Last weekend in business for Dress Shoppe II
Sunday is the shop's last day.
Saroj Goyal has been doing her best to keep the business going since her husband of 50 years, Purushottam Goyal, died in September 2019. (In a previous post, you can read more about the closing and the financial arrangements with the landlord, the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association II.)
There are advertised specials on items up to 80-percent off. The shop is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily, with 1-6 p.m. hours on Sunday.
Photo by Steven
Openings: TLK on 3rd Avenue
During the pandemic, hospitality veteran Michelle Morgan, who grew up in Chinatown, opened Tiger Lily Kitchen as a delivery-only business in Gramercy Park. The food gained a following, so Morgan relocated to a space with room for in-person dining.
Here's more background via the restaurant's website:
Its concept and menu draws inspiration from Michelle's mother, who was born in Hong Kong, and her travels throughout Asia. The vegetarian lifestyle she encountered helped build the platform to be veggie-forward — serving a healthy, Hong Kong inspired, Asian menu that is mostly gluten free and vegan based, with meat options.TLK is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Hours: Wednesday-Thursday noon to midnight; Friday noon to 2 a.m.; Saturday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday 5 p.m. to midnight.
Find the restaurant's website here.
Photo courtesy of KK Chote/MST Creative
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Thursday's parting shot
A food and clothing drive Saturday afternoon in Tompkins Square Park
During those hours, he'll be collecting new or gently used warm-weather clothes for men and women... as well as non-perishable food items. (He plans to donate the food to the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B at Ninth Street; he was finalizing the outlet for the clothing.)
Previously on EV Grieve:
Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge debuts on Avenue B
Photos by Stacie Joy
Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge is now open at 167 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street.
As EVG contributor Stacie Joy reported a few weeks back, Lucky Bar owner Abby Ehmann (above) and Brooklyn Roasting Company founder Jim Munson are behind this venture.
A refresher:
"Hekate Café and Elixir Lounge will be a warm space infused with feminine energy, serving coffee and espresso drinks, specialty teas, and magical elixirs. There will also be interesting merchandise for sale with an emphasis on the mystical."
In a storefront that previously housed a dry cleaners, the new business is across the street from Lucky, the bar Ehmann opened in September 2016.
For now, Hekate is serving up coffee drinks daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
Then! After 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, there will be "resident witches" on hand for tarot card readings and to answer questions while the shop gets into its coffee groove and figures out the work-in-progress magical elixirs. (Ehmann invites customers to join them for tastings and creating.)
Hekate will also host an array of special evening events, including art and photo openings. Check out the events page at this link.
The Bronx Brewery announces itself on 2nd Avenue
We're told that this outpost is an approval away from being all systems go in the weeks ahead.
Once open, the multi-level space will "combine limited-release brewing, the brewery’s signature events, art & music," per a release about the Bronx Brewery East Village. The space will also feature the first U.S. location for Swedish brand Bastard Burgers.
This outpost of the Taproom, Brewery and Backyard in the South Bronx has been in the work for several years — the initial coming-soon announcement came on March 12, 2020, 10 days before NY State went on PAUSE.
No. 64's retail space has been vacant since NYC Velo moved next door to No. 66 in the spring of 2016.
TD Bank is shrinking on 3rd Avenue
According to the listing, the corner storefront will be available starting in September with an ask of $150 per square foot. (Bring back Bendiner & Schlesinger blood labs!)
TD's mini move continues the trend in which banks downsize their branch networks. Per CNBC on Friday: "U.S. banks shuttered 2,927 branches last year, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data."
Thanks to Steven for the photo...
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
RIP David Simon
The Rev. Anne Sawyer at the adjacent St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery told us that she had a fond memory of hosting a 70th birthday party for David on the church property last year. "He asked if we could have a BBQ, so we did," she said, noting that she didn't have any other details on this passing at the moment.
"I would be happy to host a celebration of life or memorial for anyone who would like to gather," she said.
Thanks to Steven for the photos!
More details about the fire that destroyed the Essex Card Shop
Photo by Stacie Joy
EVG contributor Stacie Joy first reported last Thursday that a 13-year-old boy had been charged with second-degree arson.
Julie Besonen filed a piece for the Times yesterday about the longtime business and its meaning to the community. (More on this in a moment.)
Besonen has details about the moments when the shop's management first smelled the smoke...
It was a typical Monday afternoon at the Essex Card Shop, an encyclopedic stationery store ... Business had been steady. Jayant Patel, the 80-year-old manager, had just noticed a teenager wandering around, before being hustled out by an older woman, perhaps his grandmother. Now the store was empty, the dutiful manager at his post, behind the counter.Within minutes, however, Mr. Patel smelled smoke and saw flames in the back. He seized a broom and tried to snuff the fire out. It happened so fast that there was no chance to grab the fire extinguisher, he said. Soon, Muhammad Aslam, the shop's owner, arrived to find his loyal friend struggling alone to put out the fire. They called 911.
Meanwhile, Stacie received a copy of the Fire Incident Report, which listed the cause of the fire as "Incendiary — Combustible Material." Here's more from the report:
Examination showed fire originated in the subject premises, on the first floor, in the northwest section of the store, approximately eight feet from the north wall, approximately eight feet from the west wall, approximately three feet above finished floor level, in combustible material (stationery supplies), due to the introduction of an open flame (lighter).
Fire extended throughout the northwest section of the store (floor, ceiling, walls and contents throughout). Fire further extended throughout the rest of the store (ceiling, walls and contents throughout). Fire further extended out the front store window to the exterior of the building and the store awning. Fire was thereto confined and extinguished.
The fire spared the neighboring businesses between Third Street and Fourth Street — Exit9 and Downtown Yarns.
As for Essex Card Shop, Aslam estimated the loss, including inventory, to be around $300,000, the Times reports, noting the "aisles and its basement were bulging with inventory."
To date, supporters of the business have helped it raise more than $70,000 in a GoFundMe campaign.
Besonen has more about what the place meant to residents in the piece titled "Essex Card Shop Was Destroyed by a Fire. Its Customers Might Save It." (Disclosure: The article in the Times includes a quote from Stacie.)
Report: Madison Realty Capital can proceed with takeover of long-empty P.S. 64
Photos last week by Stacie Joy
Last week, as The Real Deal first reported, Supreme Court Justice Melissa Crane ruled that Madison Realty Capital can move forward with a foreclosure against building landlord Gregg Singer after years of delay.
Madison Realty Capital reportedly provided Singer with a $44 million loan on the property in 2016. Court records show that he failed to repay the balance by its maturity date in April 2016, and by that September, the lender filed to foreclose, as reported by TRD.
Per a Madison statement
"Madison aims to work productively with borrowers. However, in this case, the borrower has refused to make good on his commitments for more than three years, leaving us with no choice but to enforce our rights and remedies."
In an email to TRD, Singer said that he still planned to move forward with developing the site "and will inform the court at the appropriate time."
He continued: "In the end, we believe even [Madison Realty Capital] will be happy. This will be a great asset for the community, which is highly desirable and in great need."
In her ruling, the judge stated "that Singer had failed to raise any material issues to dispute Madison Realty Capital's arguments, citing a 25-page response that lacked a table of contents and amounted to a 'rambling litany of defenses.'"
The building became the Charas/El Bohio Community Center after the school left in 1977. The group was eventually evicted in December 2001 when Singer took over as the landlord.
Singer, who bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998 for $3.15 million, has wanted to turn the building into a dorm. (The DOB maintains a Stop Work Order on the property.)
In years past, there has been a call to return the building for community use. Given this movement some hope: then-Mayor de Blasio's statement at a Town Hall on Oct. 12, 2017, that the city would take steps to reacquire the building. According to published reports, the Mayor said he'd work to "right the wrongs of the past."
Those plans have never materialized.
It has sat empty these past 20-plus years.
When news circulated late last week that the forclosure could move forward, several sources EVG spoke with said that the news was not unexpected. However, at this point, sources said, what happens next, or what this means for the future of the building, is anyone's guess.
A new broker for 20 St. Mark's Place
Workers recently removed the plywood after eight months from outside 20 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... and, late last week, yet another for lease sign (for a different broker) arrived on the long-empty retail spaces... hopefully, you can see the sign!
The dear, old Grassroots Tavern closed in the lower space after service on New Year's Eve 2017... ending a 42-year run on the block. The upstairs retail tenant, Sounds, shut down in October 2015, and the spaces have been vacant ever since.
As noted many times before, No. 20, the Daniel LeRoy House, was built in 1832. It received landmark status in 1971 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Past lives of this subterranean space — via Daytonian in Manhattan — include a theater-saloon called Paul Falk's Tivoli Garden in the 1870s... in the 1930s, the Hungarian Cafe and Restaurant resided here before becoming a temperance saloon called the Growler.
After the Grassroots closed, Bob Precious tried to open a bar-pub here, but those plans never materialized after 18 months.
Applicants for Ichibantei had been on the CB3-SLA agenda multiple times dating to November 2018 for a liquor license for a new restaurant in the former Sounds storefront. There was speculation that they were also taking the GR space.
Past lives of this subterranean space — via Daytonian in Manhattan — include a theater-saloon called Paul Falk's Tivoli Garden in the 1870s... in the 1930s, the Hungarian Cafe and Restaurant resided here before becoming a temperance saloon called the Growler.
After the Grassroots closed, Bob Precious tried to open a bar-pub here, but those plans never materialized after 18 months.
Applicants for Ichibantei had been on the CB3-SLA agenda multiple times dating to November 2018 for a liquor license for a new restaurant in the former Sounds storefront. There was speculation that they were also taking the GR space.
And in recent years, we've seen some extensive gut renovations occurring inside the former Grassroots, where some pretty cool murals were uncovered from a previous business life.
Meanwhile, the new retail listing for No. 20 is at this link.
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Noted
This is NOT 120 1/2 or 120A. This is 120 ONLY.Thanks to Steven for the photo...
Downtown Yarns reopens today
Photos by Stacie Joy
While the fire mostly spared owner Leti Ruiz's small shop, she spent these past two weeks airing out Downtown Yarns... thanks in part to industrial air scrubbers that the building's landlord provided... 
Downtown Yarns is open from noon to 7 p.m. All yarn is 10-percent off through Feb. 1. You can follow the shop's Instagram account for updates.
As EVG contributor Stacie Joy first reported, a 13-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree arson. Officials and other sources said that the teen was seen leaving Essex Card Shop minutes before management smelled smoke. Investigators were able to pull photos/videos from the store surveillance camera.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: The new passive lawn in East River Park is a 'sodden mess'
For starters, the field was said to actually debut last week for public use — a dedicated space for nearby residents to use for recreation for the years the rest of the adjacent East River Park is gutted.
On Saturday, we were outside the passive lawn, accessible through a narrow passage marked by chainlink fences that leads from the Corlears Hook Pedestrian Bridge to the ferry. There wasn't any signage pointing potential passive-lawn users to this space. (You need to go down to the ferry stop to find the entrance.)
One EVG reader said that the Parks Enforcement Patrol hadn't received the opening memo ... and the reader was told to leave the space.
Eve Josephson shared the top photo from dusk the other day... showing the little lakes on the lawn. She has walked on the property several times.
"It is a sodden mess," she said. "The more you walk toward the center of the field, the more you sink into the muck."
Workers, who started on this in late October, apparently didn't account for drainage (an issue with the previous Compost Yard here too).
"In essence," she said, "the passive field is unusable."
The city has said they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park throughout construction, expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
Behold the 21-floor office building that's replacing the B Bar & Grill on the Bowery
We just got the first look at the building coming soon... BRACE!
Here's more about the project via the website of architect Morris Adjmi:
Here's more about the project via the website of architect Morris Adjmi:360 Bowery is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional glass office tower. Standing taller than most nearby structures, the new commercial building's tiered volume subtly twists, drawing reference to the different scales within its historic urban-industrial context while also responding to the neighborhood’s newer additions.
And!
Designed to maximize views, 360 Bowery's façade is essentially a field of openings. The custom-built, high-performance unitized curtain wall system features dark gray painted aluminum frames and blush-colored GFRC spandrel panels in a fluted pattern that gets tighter as it moves up the building. Single-pane windows, measuring roughly 5’x10’, are inset within 10” metal fins. These deep, dark frames add a layer of shadows, further articulating the façade. As a lighter counterpoint, the building's corners are open and airy with a structural joint hidden behind the glass.
Terraces are also a defining feature of the tower. While the building's massing was largely influenced by zoning restrictions, the tiered volumes create opportunities for ample outdoor amenity space with views north and east, looking out over the Bowery and onto one of New York City’s most dynamic neighborhoods.
Leasing is underway, and there's an ambitious availability starting in the spring of 2023.
As previously reported, CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358-360 Bowery, a gas station before its conversion into the bar-restaurant. B Bar owner Eric Goode, who owns a handful of hotels, including the Bowery Hotel across the way, assembled air rights to build the more extensive development on this corner space.
As for the B Bar, the one-time hot spot (circa the mid-1990s) was expected to close for good in August 2020. However, the place never reopened after the PAUSE in March 2020.
We first reported on this project in January 2021.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development
• B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance
• CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development
• B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance