Wednesday's parting shot

Outside St Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on 10th Street at Second Avenue...

The secret life of Key Food’s holiday decorations

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

As you've likely noticed, Key Food on Avenue A is officially in full holiday mode, including 24/7 Christmas music  … and this year, we somehow got a peek at how the magic actually happens. Or at least where it's stored.

Key is always one of the more festive stores around, with a surprising number of inflatable characters who look like they've been caffeinated since October. 

Enter manager Richie, who led us into the area where Key keeps its decorations year-round — in repurposed Dole Banana boxes, naturally.

Stacked neatly and labeled with a Sharpie, these humble crates house everything from St. Patrick's Day to Thanksgiving decorations — a full calendar year of festivities packed into fruit boxes.

We also caught an employee in mid-artistry, hand-lettering one of the store's signs. Watching those block letters take shape: part calligraphy, part performance art, all Key Food.

So enjoy the holiday cheer...there's plenty to go around...

P.S. 

We did have permission from the office to take the photos!

Mark Bittman’s Community Kitchen wraps up Lower East Side pilot

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Community Kitchen, the sliding-scale restaurant project from food writer and activist Mark Bittman, closed this past Saturday. 

The restaurant, located inside the Lower Eastside Girls Club at 281 E. Seventh St. and Avenue D, announced the closure via Instagram, thanking neighborhood residents for their support during their three-month run. 

"To our neighbors in the Lower East Side, thank you for welcoming us, dining with us, and sharing your feedback with us," the post reads. "You have made this pilot an incredible experience. While our pilot restaurant will be closing on December 13, we hope to stay in touch with you, continue to hear your thoughts, and build with you for the future of Community Kitchen." 

We stopped by for dinner on the restaurant's final night.

When asked about the decision, Bittman (below) told us that the concept may return. 

"We may come back," he said, adding that the project ultimately needs more space.

Community Kitchen opened to much press in September as a limited pilot designed to explore what a nonprofit, values-driven restaurant could look like — one focused on sustainability, fair wages and accessibility, while removing profit from the equation. 

The restaurant operated on Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Menus were created by James Beard Award–winning culinary director Mavis-Jay Sanders and emphasized seasonal, local, plant-forward dishes.

Pricing followed a sliding-scale model, with diners selecting a fee — $15, $45 or $125 — based on their income.

From the outset, the pilot was intended to inform a future permanent location, with plans previously pointing to an opening in early 2027. 

Did anyone from the neighborhood eat here? If so, what was your experience?

UZ Grill House, in grand-opening mode, has not been opening lately

Photo on Dec. 3 by William Klayer 

After a mid-November grand opening, UZ Grill House has sat closed all this month at 180 First Ave. on the SE corner of 11th Street. 

While there are still some sodas and food in the fridges, we haven't seen any employees inside the past two weeks, giving it that abandoned vibe. 

UZ Grill House, serving Uzbekistan cuisine, took over for another short-lived concept, Hubani, which lasted a few months... and gained a few fans with its budget-friendly shawarma plates.

A coffee shop percolating for 22 St. Mark's Place

On Dec. 8, we noted that the Chocolate DIP outpost at 22 St. Mark's Place had apparently closed. 

By the end of the week, workers had removed the DIP signage from the business specializing in Belgian chocolate.

A little digging (H/T Stacie J!) turned up an item we missed from the @TradedNY account on Dec. 3: A new tenant, Molly's Coffee House, has signed a lease for the space between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

We don't know anything else about the new venture...but we'll update as we learn more.

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by William R 

A snowy scene on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... featuring a neighborhood familiar (1950s Dodge Coronet?)...

Updated: Timeline for reopening northern section of East River Park pushed to end of 2027

View of East River Park from just below Houston Street

The post has been updated with comments from the DDC 

The timeline for completing the northern section of East River Park has been pushed back by a year.

Officials from the city's Department of Design and Construction (DDC) told Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee this past Thursday that work is now expected to wrap up at the end of 2027, instead of the previously projected end of 2026, as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency project.

The latest in the Phase 2 construction, which began in September, required the closure of the northern section of East River Park — basically everything above Houston Street to 15th Street, including the three East Village access points over the FDR, track and field area, and the esplanade. (The 10th Street pedestrian bridge closed on May 27 and was later demolished overnight in July.) 

According to DDC officials, the delay is due to unforeseen underground conditions, including large amounts of historic construction and demolition debris, as well as extensive utility conflicts that have required mitigation and alternate engineering approaches. 

The ESCR team said its top priority remains implementing functional flood protection as soon as possible, rather than waiting for the whole project to be completed. 

Ian Michaels, the DDC's executive director of public information, told us via email that they remain hopeful of finishing before the end of 2027 and that the flood protection might be completed before the end of the project. 

He said that "interference with existing underground utilities that are sometimes unknown or poorly mapped is the largest driver of DDC infrastructure project delays."

"East Side Coastal Resiliency is the largest urban climate adaptation project in the country and is unlike anything that's ever been attempted before in a setting like New York. The city made a commitment to implement this project with transparency and respect for the community, and we have conducted the work in phases to maximize access to the Park," Michaels said via email. "Due to the discovery of unforeseen obstacles underground and interference from poorly mapped utility lines, the completion of ESCR will take a year longer than expected. We will aim to complete the project's flood protection elements before that, and we will continue to keep the public updated on progress."

Michaels also pointed out that other parts of East River Park were completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

Find the DDC's Dec. 11 presentation here (PDF).

The update follows a series of recent changes and reopenings in the park: 

• The rebuilt Delancey Street pedestrian bridge reopened in September 2024, along with Ballfields 1 and 2. 

• Additional amenities near the Williamsburg Bridge returned on Memorial Day. 

• And in early September, the new Corlears Hook Pedestrian Bridge was unveiled, bringing with it several features, including six new tennis courts, an amphitheater-style space, an esplanade with seating, the flagpole area at Corlears Hook Park, and direct access to Pier 42 and the Corlears Hook ferry. 

The southern half of East River Park closed in late 2021 and has been reopening in stages. 

The city says it is maintaining access to at least 42% of East River Park. 

The "phased work operations" in East River Park started in November 2021 as part of a billion-plus-dollar project to elevate large sections of the park by 8 to 10 feet above sea level, aiming to protect the neighborhood from future storm surges.

Signage alert: Justin's Salt Bread on 2nd Avenue

The owners of Okiboru House of Udon at 124 Second Ave., between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, have a new concept in the works a few blocks to the south. 

Signage is up for Justin's Salt Bread at 58 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street. According to a job-opening ad: "We are a minimalist salt-bread café serving high-quality coffee, matcha, and our signature salt bread. Our space is simple, calm, and welcoming — centered around one specialty item and a small curated drink menu." 

The cafe-bakery will specialize in Japanese-style salt bread (shio pan), known for its crisp golden crust and soft buttery interior, per the internet. No word on an opening date. 

No. 58 has been a few restaurants in recent years, including Dia, N'eat and Cellar 58.

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Here's Hannah Studnick with her pup Habibi. 

Studnick is the owner of Ruby/Dakota, the gallery at 155 E. Second St., just east of Avenue A. 

Tomorrow evening at 7, the gallery is hosting the last of the Mutt Readings of 2025. They will also be accepting winter clothing donations throughout the night, which West Village Mutual Aid will distribute...

 

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Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Ruby/Dakota opens on 2nd Street: Gallery is a tribute to family legacy and personal healing

Fallen tree blocks sidewalk along Avenue B in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

We received several reader reports of an uprooted tree yesterday in Tompkins Square Park (h/t Steven), along the Avenue B fence between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. 

There were no reports of injuries. 

As of this afternoon, the downed tree was still blocking the sidewalk along Avenue B.

SantaCon 2025 recap: A quieter crawl through the East Village?

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

If SantaCon 2025 felt a little less chaotic in the East Village, that wasn't your imagination. 

For the second year in a row, the annual pub crawl landed with a noticeably lower-key presence. Several official venues we stopped into on Saturday afternoon were either lightly attended or nearly empty, and there were fewer scenes of Santas passed out on sidewalks or stoops than in years past. 

We also heard from multiple EV Grieve regulars throughout the day, and while that doesn't mean nothing happened, we didn't receive reports of notable incidents as we have in past years.

That's not to say enforcement was absent. We witnessed multiple open-container summons being issued — $75 tickets — including along Avenue B near Eastpoint and on Second Avenue near Ninth Street. Still, we didn't personally observe any arrests. 

A spokesperson at the 9th Precinct said there were no fixed checkpoints in place. "We deploy based on conditions, crowds, jobs, etc.," the official said.

Bars we visited — including 7B, Doc Holliday's, Downtown Social, The Copper Still, Sly Fox, Brasserie Saint Marc and 10 Degrees — were generally accommodating and allowed us to take photos. One exception: Solas, which was less than welcoming about it. (We'll leave it at that.) 

Here are a few photos from the afternoon...

Interestingly, several SantaCon participants asked whether locals hate SantaCon — and whether they were "assholes" for coming down to drink and roam around the neighborhood. (Yes?)

While opinions certainly vary, this year's event felt less volatile than in the past, with fewer flashpoints and a generally calmer vibe on the streets.

Meanwhile, several East Village venues proudly displayed their anti-SantaCon signage — a tradition that continues — but overall, SantaCon 2025 came and went with comparatively minimal disruption.

Make of that what you will.

Marky Ramone visits ¡Adios Amigos! for Bowery Beat coffee launch

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Hey ho, let's espresso? Marky Ramone stopped by ¡Adios Amigos! on the Bowery at First Street Friday evening for the launch of Bowery Beat, a new coffee collaboration with Dark Matter Coffee. 

The roast is available here in bagged coffee and super-caffeinated cold brew cans ... you can also pick it up online. 

According to the organizers, a portion of proceeds from Bowery Beat will support the Bowery Beat Foundation, a recently developed nonprofit initiative focused on preserving and expanding access to music education in public schools, particularly in the face of proposed cuts to arts funding. 

Friday’s event included limited-edition Bowery Beat holiday tins and a Q&A between Ramone and New Noise Magazine (below with the Dark Matters team)...

Here's Melody Bleak with the new issue featuring Agnostic Front...

Ramone also graciously chatted with fans and posed for photos.

¡Adios Amigos! (the name from the 14th and final studio record by the Ramones) celebrated its first anniversary here earlier this month. 

Marky Ramone joined the Ramones in 1978. Over the course of his two stints with the band, he played some 1,700 shows and recorded 10 studio albums.