Salter House bringing the sustainable housewares and clothing to 2nd Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Salter House, a shop offering sustainable housewares and clothing, is opening an outpost at 34 E. Second St. just west of Second Avenue.

Sandeep Salter and her husband, Carson, opened the first Salter House (which includes a tea shop) in 2018 in Brooklyn Heights.

No word on an opening date.

The previous tenant here, Anyway Cafe, closed this past February after 28 years of serving a lot of vodka.

H/T Garth

At the last night of Anyway Cafe

Photos by Stacie Joy 

On a snowy Monday night, Anyway Cafe ended its 28-year tenure at 34 E. Second St. near Second Avenue.

As we first reported on Monday, several now-former employees are hopeful to work out a new lease for the space with the building's landlords. If that doesn't happen, the employees aspire to open a like-minded business — live music! vodka! — elsewhere. However, the new establishment will not be going by Anyway Cafe — that name remains with the original owners.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for some of the closing-night festivities, which included live music from JOff WilsOn (left) and Joe Sztabnik ...

Anyway Cafe is closing tonight; staff hopes to open new establishment

Photos Friday by Stacie Joy 

Rumors have been circulating recently that Anyway Cafe, the wholly unique Russian restaurant-vodka-bar-live music venue at 34 E. Second St. near Second Avenue, is closing. 

This is true, though a new like-minded establishment from the Anyway staff is in the works.

Management at Anyway addressed the situation in a Facebook post last evening... noting that tonight will be the official last night... 

Most of you already know that we are in the midst of negotiations for a new lease. Wish us good luck!! This Monday, February 27, is our official last night as Anyway Cafe. 

Hey, as in life, when one door is closing, the other one is opening. It's just in our case we want it to be the same door! 

So, this Monday we are all gathering together — staff, musicians, neighbors, and if you'll be in our area, please stop by after 7 p.m. 

And guys, we don't have enough words to express how much we love and appreciate you!!!!!!! YOU are the ones who make our precious place fun, inclusive, family-like and simply one-of-a-kind. More to come; stay tuned!! We LOVE you!! The tightest hugs!! 

Truly and always yours, Anyway staff.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by last evening. The three (former employee) partners have formed a new corporation and hope to open another venture — either here or somewhere else. Regardless, the establishment will not be called Anyway Cafe. 

Anyway Cafe first opened here in 1995.

A visit to Anyway Cafe

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

The faint strains of music reach me as I cross over Second Avenue at Second Street to visit Anyway Cafe, 34 E. Second St., the subterranean Russian restaurant known for its infused house-made vodkas and cozy artist-friendly atmosphere that offers free live background music for diners.

The cafe, which opened in late July after the COVID-19 PAUSE, has been in this location for more than 25 years, a time that has seen music lovers gather here to eat Russian-French fusion small plates and sample the creative vodka-based cocktails.



At Anyway, I talk with its audio engineer, Charlie Martin, who previously worked as chief audio and booking agent at CBGB as well as producing and engineering content for Queen Latifah, the Clash and others, to view some of his archival Anyway Stories. He’s been recording and filming the various musical acts showcased at Anyway Cafe over the years and is eager to share samples, which we view on his phone.





We listen to tonight’s Latin music and classics by Yael & Gabriel (Yael Dray-Barel and Gabriel Hermida) as more patrons arrive on this Friday evening to the new (covered) curbside seating, painted by Charlie Hudson, and spacious by social distancing standards. Meanwhile, plates of pelmeni, caviar and crepes arrive for diners as well as their signature martinis. Manager Natasha Stolichnayana even brings out some of her famed horseradish vodka.






[Natasha with a bottle of horseradish-infused vodka]



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You can keep up with Anyway Cafe on Facebook. Anyway Cafe is at 34 E. Second St. at Second Avenue. (212) 533-3412.

Checking in on Anyway Cafe

Anyway Cafe, the wholly unique Russian restaurant-vodka-bar-live music venue at 34 E. Second St. near Second Avenue, is currently closed ... and management recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to help make it through the COVID-19 crisis.

I asked Natasha Stolichnaya, a bar manager who's also one of Anyway's performers, how things were going.

Well, I wish I could give you some uplifting quote ... but the reality is that just like most people nowadays we have a lot of anxiety going on. And of course, there are more questions than answers. Even though we have a lot of regulars, would they come back? And if some of them do, would it be enough for us to stay afloat until better times?

And what about our musicians, the soul of our place? Will it be OK for them to perform, maybe not the full bands but maybe duos or trios? We absolutely have to and will support them to the best of our ability!

It's certainly an emotional rollercoaster. One day it's all doom and gloom, and the next day we say — no worries, we'll be fine, just gotta get creative. After all, we are New Yorkers damn it — we've been through so much already.

A visit to Anyway Cafe

The New Yorker's Bar Tab feature heads to Anyway Cafe on Second Street near Second Avenue in this week's issue.

An excerpt:

In this cavernous subterranean space, the chairs are filled with East Village denizens out for an evening of Russian music and appropriate refreshments; chilled carafes of vodka and plates of pelmeni (Siberian dumplings) are scattered on the tables, consumed dreamily to the sound of an accordion.