Khiladi debuts on Avenue B

Khiladi opened last night at 175 Avenue B and 11th Street.

The Times had a mini preview in Off the Menu:

Southern Indian fare like idli lentil nuggets, fried kingfish, chickpea puffs, and dosas with various fillings share the menu in this 60-seat spot with a few cross-cultural creations like an Indian chile dog and idli poutine. The chef and an owner, Sruthi Chowdary, has entered into a partnership with Godavari, a national chain of more than two dozen Southern Indian restaurants.

Eater noted that "the menu is inspired by Chowdary’s childhood meals as well as the street markets of Andhra Pradesh on India’s southeastern coast."


[Image via Instagram]

The space was previously home to Old Monk, which closed here at the beginning of the year after 18 months in service.

A new Indian restaurant for 11th and B

[Photo from Friday]

A new Indian restaurant is prepping to open on the northeast corner of Avenue B and 11th Street.

Khiladi will serve "South Indian tapas," according to their application on the CB3 website. (CB3 recently OK'd a beer-wine license for Khiladi.) Their hours of operation are listed as 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

Meanwhile, work continues inside and outside the space (175 Avenue B). Over the weekend, workers painted a red strip around the restaurant ...



... and EVG regular Gojira shared this photo of the in-progress mural inside the dining room...



Old Monk, from prolific restaurateur Sushil Malhotra, closed here at the beginning of the year after 18 months in service. Previous restaurants at this address have included Babu Ji, Spina, Uovo and Panificio.

Former Old Monk space for rent on Avenue B

[Photos yesterday by Steven]

It didn't take long for a for-rent sign to arrive at 175 Avenue B, the now-former home of Old Monk at 11th Street.

Back on Monday, we noted that Old Monk hadn't been open for the past week-plus during announced business hours. A rep for the Indian restaurant confirmed the closure in an email on Tuesday, noting "It just didn’t work out."

No word on possible asking rent at the moment... the for-rent signs are homemade for now...



Old Monk, from prolific restaurateur Sushil Malhotra, opened in July 2017. Previous restaurants at this address have included Babu Ji, Spina, Uovo and Panificio.

Old Monk has not been open lately on Avenue B

Updated Jan. 15: Ownership confirmed the closure

Reader reports are coming in about the status of Old Monk, the Indian restaurant on Avenue B at 11th Street.

EVG regulars Salim and Vinny & O point out that Old Monk has not been open lately...



... with a handwritten closed sign taped to the front door this past week...



The interior appears to have been mostly cleaned out...





There isn't any message about a closure, permanent or temporary, on the Old Monk website or social media properties. The phone is currently disconnected. (We sent them an email asking about their status, and will update if they respond.)

Old Monk, from prolific restaurateur Sushil Malhotra, whose ventures include Cafe Spice, opened here in July 2017. (People seemed to like the food ... and they were good neighbors, offering a free buffet on Thanksgiving Day 2017 and 2018.)

The address here, 175 Avenue B, has seen a variety of cuisine in recent years, including Babu Ji (2015-17) and Spina (2009-2015). Previous restaurants here were Uovo and Panificio.

Photo credits: Salim, top three, and Vinny & O, the last two

[Updated] Old Monk looking ready to open

Old Monk, a new Indian restaurant, is shaping up on the northeast corner of Avenue B and 11th Street... the paper is off the windows, as these photos by EVG reader Cheyenne show...



The sign on the window notes that Old Monk is opening soon ...



And it looks ready to serve diners...



There's a teaser site for Old Monk, though it doesn't have the menu posted just yet. The restaurant's Instagram account describes the Old Monk as serving "contemporary Indian soul food."

Prolific restaurateur Sushil Malhotra, whose ventures include Cafe Spice, is behind the Old Monk along with chef Navjot Arora of Chutney Masala in Westchester.

The address here, 175 Avenue B, has seen a variety of cuisine in recent years, including Babu Ji (2015-17) and Spina (2009-2015).

Updated 7/15

The restaurant is now open...

Police relocating vehicles to "no parking" zones; exploding bicycles next?

In preparation for President Obama's NYC visit today, police this morning are relocating vehicles from the motorcade route...



...and depositing them in "no parking" zones such as here on Avenue B ... as seen in the photo... When someone pointed out that the cab was being placed in a "no parking" zone and now in line for a ticket, the police tow-truck driver said that he didn't care.

Meanwhile!

Our tipster asked the NYPD if they would also be removing all the exploding bicycles off the route. He or she did not get a response.

Toy Den makes way for massage den

Meanwhile, the Collector's Toy Den at 206 Avenue B closed up shop a few weeks ago... (The store's Twitter feed says they are relocating...)



And guess what's coming to this space?



Nothing against massage and bodywork shops (I think), but I'd venture to say that we have enough massage and bodywork shops to keep everyone relaxed in the East Village for some time...

Given the closures of Love Saves the Day and Howdy Do, I suppose you could say these are also tough times for stores that sell kitsch and vintage toys and dolls too...

Is Le Souk still doing business on Avenue B?

Last fall, troubled hookah hotspot Le Souk closed after losing its liquor license in a long, contentious battle.

And this rather final sign greeted potential Le Soukers....



But, in recent weeks, that sign has disappeared. Meanwhile, all the usual Zagat/Time Out/accolades stuff remains in the front windows...along with a menu. (The photo below was taken on Sunday.) If you didn't know any better walking by, then you'd think the place might still be open. And maybe it is.



A trusted EV Grieve reader reported that Le Souk was open for business this past New Year's Eve. Said the reader:

"[I]t must have been hired out for a private party, because I understand they can't sell alcohol, but perhaps they can give it away? There were black-tie Secret-Service-looking bouncers out front too. It was just as loud as usual at 2 am ... but with fewer people, and all in much fancier dress. Not too surprising seeing as how it was NYE."

So far, we've been unsuccessful in tracking down anyone who may have been at this alleged soiree... Is this the first in a line of other private parties to use the Le Souk space?

Le Souk has really closed

On Friday, we heard that troubled hookah hotspot Le Souk had, indeed, closed after losing its liquor license.

I was curious if that was permanent. This sign now greets potential Le Soukers.



I asked Stacie, a resident who has lived nearby for a lot longer than the eight years that Le Souk has been around, for her take:

Yep -- it's closed. No dining, no drinking, no dancing, no parties. No bouncers, no crowds, no fights. No honking, no puking, no throbbing (music), no nothing.

With Le Souk's departure and the closure of Layaly, only one Hookah bar, the Horus Cafe, remains along the Avenue B corridor...

Posts that I never got around to posting: Mad hatters

Outside China 1 on Avenue B near Fourth Street.

Here comes the fear again: “THEY’RE BAAAACCCCKKKK”

Eater and Grub Street have the news on the rebirth of LeSouk on Avenue B ... And here Grub Street's take:

We just received an e-mail with the subject line “THEY’RE BAAAACCCCKKKK,” and the content is indeed enough to strike fear into the hearts of East Villagers. On Monday, Le Souk will reopen its doors after six months on hiatus following the loss of its liquor license and a successful lawsuit against the SLA. But residents of Avenue B, take solace: A spokesperson tells us that while the operation will be more or less the same at first, it may become more of a restaurant once its second, clubbier location in the Horus space at 510 Laguardia, Le Souk Harem (which will serve French-Moroccan cuisine but with more of an emphasis on the French), opens around Fashion Week. Details are still up in the air (we’ll keep you posted), but this much is certain: The beast has arisen.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: LeSouk to continue haunting the East Village

Wedding notes

There was a wedding celebration behind 206 Avenue B on Saturday evening. And the couple-to-be were kind enough to leave notes about it on surrounding apartment buildings. They explained why the celebration was at 206 Avenue B: "We met there exactly four years ago so we decided to have this special day there."

Plus...

"Please be understanding in case it gets a little late and loud (but please know that there will be a lot of older people and kids so it won’t be a crazy party)."

Feel free to contact us in person if you have any concerns…"

Spina opens

As I mentioned Monday, Spina, an Italian place on Avenue B and 11th Street, opened yesterday... This addition bring the empty Avenue B storefronts total down to, uh, 18. I think it's time for a recount. Lots of comings and goings in recent months...

Another Italian restaurant for Avenue B

I've been keeping an eye on 175 Avenue B at the corner of 11th Street. I've forgotten how many restaurants have been in here. (Uovo? Panificio?)



In any event, Spina opens at this spot tomorrow. It will be a nice Italian place with a sommelier. Paintings by Wayne Moseley will be on display there this month.

I think we will now officially have enough Italian restaurants in the neighborhood.