After a fire upstairs, a gutted TabeTomo hopes to reopen on Avenue A in August

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

TabeTomo remains closed after an early morning fire upstairs at 131 Avenue A on April 24. 

According to ABC 7, five residents sustained minor injuries while fleeing the six-floor building on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place. Firefighters recovered a lithium-ion battery from a unit, per ABC 7. 

At TabeTomo, a tskumen specialty shop, owner Tomo Kubo (below) told me yesterday that reconstruction of his restaurant is expected to start in the week ahead.

Once underway, Kubo hopes that renovations will be complete in two to three months — with an eye on reopening in August if all goes well. 

The business was insured, he said. 

"It costs a lot — very expensive," he said of the gut renovation ahead. "We want to renovate and reopen as soon as possible." 

Kubo ushered me inside the space, where the air was still thick with the smell of a fire. 

"There was no fire damage — all the damage was water," he said. "Between the ceiling and the second floor, there was much damage to the wood, which could warp. And we want to avoid mold. It's not a good environment for food. We cannot sell food in here now." 

The interior has been stripped to its studs.

Tubo is grateful for all the support from neighbors. He also praised the FDNY for their quick response. 

"I appreciate people who care about the store and encourage me, and I care about the employees who work here," he said. "Since it takes so long to renovate, I am worried, Will customers return? It's heartwarming that people in the East Village care. This gave me confidence and a reason to reopen." 

The TabeTomo staff onsite yesterday (from the left): Esan, Victorino, Tomo Kubo and Abe Naoto.

-------------------------

On May 8, some tenants of 131 Avenue A rallied outside the building in conjunction with the Cooper Square Committee. 

The concerned tenants demanded that landlord Citi-Urban adequately address problems, such as cleaning smoke- and water-damaged units and allowing residents who feel unsafe to move out without penalty. Tenants, some of whom had to navigate rusted fire escapes, said that this was the second fire in the building in the past six months, the other occurring on Nov. 8.

A late-day look at the fire-damaged 131 Avenue A

Photos by Steven

A fire broke out early this morning at 131 Avenue A on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place. 

According to ABC 7, five residents sustained minor injuries while vacating the six-floor building. 

Starbucks was open today for business in the retail spaces, while TabeTomo next door told us that they suffered “substantial damage.”

Next door, Bad Habit hope to be back open tomorrow...

As for the rest of the building, there is a Partial Vacate Order limited to two residences. 

Per the Department of Buildings: 

FIRE HAS CAUSED EXTENSIVE WATER, SMOKE AND FIRE DAMAGE IN APT#1, ALSO FIREFIGHTER OPERATIONS IN APT#7. WINDOWS AND WALLS HAVE BEEN REMOVED LEAVING STRUCTURES OPEN TO THE ELEMENTS. THESE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS HAVE THEREFORE RENDERED UNSAFE TO OCCUPY. VACATE APT #1 AND 7. EGRESS WAS NOT COMPROMISED. 

Firefighters recovered a lithium-ion battery from a unit, per ABC 7, though fire officials haven't stated that was officially the cause. Another resident mentioned talk of an "electric scooter explosion."

Caleta will offer small plates and Bad Habit ice cream on Avenue A

After 18 months of making ice cream from their Bushwick apartment, real-life couple Jesse Merchant Zuñiga and Javier Zuñiga are opening their own storefront in the East Village, they announced in an Instagram post last week. (H/T Vinny & O!)

Caleta — with a tagline of "not a wine bar" — has an anticipated late-fall opening at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

During the day, they will serve cartons of their Bad Habit ice cream (a business created during the pandemic). And by night, as Eater reported, Caleta "will offer a New American small plates menu to pair with wine, cartons of their ice cream, as well as desserts that use Bad Habit product like baked Alaska." 

The space was previously Thai Direct, which closed following a COVID-related rent dispute with the landlord, per the restaurant's ownership.

Churro Cone by ChikaLicious bringing another dessert option to Avenue A

Signage is up at 131 Avenue A for Churro Cone...



... which includes a look at their ice-cream offerings stuffed into churro cones (these were big a few years back at ChikaLicious Dessert Club on 10th Street. Updated: See below: Turns out this is via the folks at ChikaLicious) ...



Churro Cone also marks the third new business for the storefronts at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Thai Direct opened next door last week... and ramen restaurant TabeTomo is on the way.

Updated 3 p.m.

Per the comments... this is a relocation for the folks who ran Dessert Club ChikaLicious on 10th Street (Chikalicious Dessert Bar will remain where it is)... And Churro Cone debuts on Wednesday...

Opens Wednesday 8/29! Hours: Wed - Sun, 4pm - 11pm. 131 Ave A. bt 8th st (st. marks) & 9th st. Introducing: the Crazy Rich Asian. ( tiramisu pecan-mascarpone espresso ICE CREAM! with “out-of-the-oven” cocoa powder-dusted lady finger atop warm churro cone! ). Holla!

A post shared by ChurroConeNYC chikalicious (@churroconenyc_chikalicious) on Aug 26, 2018 at 8:54am PDT

Veteran of hit L.A. ramen shop behind new noodle venture at 131 Avenue A

A Japanese restaurant is coming to 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

Applicants representing an LLC called Ays Noodle Company have applied for a beer-wine license for the former Baci e Vendetta space.

The restaurant is TabeTomo.

The applicants are on tonight's CB3-SLA agenda, though this item won't be heard in front of the committee.



There are also renderings of the interior on the front doors...



According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website (PDF here), Tabetomo will be open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight. The questionnaire lists eight tables to accommodate 24 diners. There's also a 15-seat bar.

The applicant, Tomotsugu Kubo per the CB3 questionnaire, has management experience at the popular Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle, which apparently serves "life-changingly good" tonkotsu ramen and tsukemen, and the Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles ANNEX ... both in Los Angeles.

No word on menu items for Avenue A just yet.

This is the second L.A. ramen transplant to venture into the East Village this summer. Tatsu Ramen, with two locations in Los Angeles, opened its first NYC outpost last month at 167 First Ave.

Baci e Vendetta closed at 131 Avenue A in March after nearly 16 months in service. Nic Ratner, a partner in Baci e Vendetta, told me that business for the Italian cafe wasn't sustainable with only a beer-and-wine license.

This space was the 10 Degrees Bistro until the fall of 2015 ... and the Flea Market Cafe before that.

Thai Direct setting up shop on Avenue A

Thai Direct, which sells ready-to-cook meal kits, is opening an outpost at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

There's a sign on the under-renovation storefront for Thai Direct...


[Photo by Salim]

The company's website also notes that its new address is on Avenue A.

Thai Direct debuted in early 2017, serving Bedford-Stuyvesant, Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick, according to this article via DNAinfo.

Here's more about them via the Thai Direct website:

Our Thai bowls are healthy versions of famous street Thai dishes using our own Thai sauces made with authentic, natural, and non GMO ingredients with no MSG and no or minimal amount of sugar added. Our Thai sauces are gluten and dairy free.
​
We offer two ways for you to enjoy our Thai bowls. You can either choose one of our beloved bowls or create your own signature bowl to enjoy it the way you most prefer. Kin Hai Aroy! (Bon Appétit in Thai)

The bowls are available for pick up or delivery. (Most of the 32-ounce bowls are priced at $12.)

A post shared by Thai Direct (@thaidirect) on Jun 1, 2018 at 10:09am PDT

Not sure at the moment if Thai Direct is just moving into the smaller space at this address (the long-empty storefront that was Yoshi Sushi until late 2015).



Paper also covers the windows of the storefront next door, which was Baci e Vendetta until March. Before the gut renovations here, this space was the 10 Degrees Bistro until the fall of 2015 ... and the Flea Market Cafe before that.

A look at the incoming Starbucks on St. Mark's and Avenue A, site of a rally on July 13

The plywood has been up for two-plus weeks now on the northwest corner of Avenue A and St. Mark's Place, where workers are carving out a Starbucks from the remains of Hop Devil Grill and Nino's.

The door was open the other day...



There looks to be a ways to go before you'll be able to buy coffee drinks or use the restrooms here.

Meanwhile, various community groups and local shop owners from the East Village Independent Merchants Association are planning a protest here on Thursday, July 13 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.


[Image via @evimanyc]

Per the invite...

Another Starbucks is planned for the huge storefront at 125 St Mark's Place at Ave A. We don't need more chains in the East Village! We need retail diversity and independently owned local businesses!

Join community groups and local shop owners from EVIMA and more to stand up for the unique character of the East Village. Support policies that can promote retail diversity, prevent chain stores and preserve small businesses!

Plywood arrives for the incoming Starbucks on St. Mark's Place and Avenue A

Workers started putting up the plywood on the corner of St. Mark's Place and Avenue A yesterday.

As we first reported on Monday, the paperwork is on file at the Department of Buildings for a Starbucks in this now-combined corner space that previously housed Nino's and Hop Devil Grill.

No word on a tentative opening date just yet for the Starbucks. There are other questions too, as posed by @EdenBrower, who took the above photo...

@evgrieve how big is the @Starbucks going to be?? pic.twitter.com/eiURc9Bf8B

— EdenBrower (@edenbrower) June 15, 2017

Previously on EV Grieve:
Starbucks confirmed for Avenue A
Updated 6/17

The final plywood product...

Starbucks confirmed for Avenue A

It looks like those Starbucks-to-Avenue A rumors are true.

Recently issued work permits for 129-131 Avenue A show ...


[Click to go big]

Per the ALL-CAP DOB paperwork on another work permit for the address: "FILING FOR GENERAL CONSTRUCTION RELATED TO STARBUCKS BUILD-OUT."

It's not exactly clear where the Starbucks will go... there are multiple addresses — 125-131 St Mark's Place and 125-131 Avenue A — associated with the building on the northwest corner, and there are several empty storefronts within these addresses... including the former Nino's and Hop Devil Grill...



The original rumors had the Starbucks going into this prime corner space. (That makes sense.) Paper also just went up in the window of the former Yoshi Sushi...



None of the work permits posted on these storefronts list the Starbucks info. That's only online as of now.

It's also not clear what kind of Starbucks this will be. Last fall, the company announced plans to open up to 1,000 Starbucks stores "with a Reserve coffee bar experience" by the end of 2017. There are four newish locations in NYC of a Starbucks Reserve Roastery, including at 10 Waverly Place.

The architect of record for the Avenue A work was also behind the new Starbucks on Waverly Place as well as several others in the city.

In any event, this will be the first Starbucks to open in the East Village east of First Avenue, where there are locations at Third Street and at 13th Street.

As for the previous tenants here, to the usual recap: Nino's closed in October 2015. As previously reported, owner Nino Camaj accepted a low six-figure amount to walk away from his remaining 10-year lease and surrender the pizza shop that he opened in 1989. He had been in a dispute with the landlord over back rent and a closure due to a gas leak in the building. Hop Devil Grill and its sister bar next door, The Belgian Room, were seized by the state in April 2015 for nonpayment of taxes.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A look at the retail listing for the northwest corner of A and St. Mark's Place

The former spaces for Nino's and Hop Devil Grill have been combined

Those Starbucks rumors continue to percolate on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place