2nd and 2nd coming up Rosie's

The transformation of the former Boukiés space on Second Avenue and East Second Street continues... with the signage for the former Greek restaurant coming down late last week... most of it anyway...



As previously noted, the folks who own Cookshop, Hundred Acres and Five Points are converting the corner space into Rosie's, a Mexican restaurant. Here's a quick preview from New York magazine:

Rosie's "plans to showcase traditional dishes, from tacos to Veracruz-style whole roasted fish. At a 12-seat comal bar, cooks will fashion masa-based snacks, or antojitos, from corn dough made in-house."

Not sure on an opening date... this is how the place is shaping up on the inside...



The well-liked Boukiés closed in March 2014 after a two-year run.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Boukiés has 'permanently closed' on Second Avenue

For sale: Everything must go at the former Boukiés space on 2nd Avenue

For sale: Everything must go at the former Boukiés space on 2nd Avenue

The Greek-themed Boukiés closed in March after a two-year run at Second Avenue and East Second Street. And today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there's a sale on lights, tables, chairs, etc., as the sign on the front window reads …



As for meeting those new neighbors … the Times reported in April that Vicki Freeman, Marc Meyer and Chris Paraskevaides, who own Cookshop, Hundred Acres and Five Points, will convert the corner space into a Mexican restaurant.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Boukiés has 'permanently closed' on Second Avenue

Boukiés has 'permanently closed' on Second Avenue

Boukiés, the Greek restaurant run by Pylos owner Christos Valtzoglos and chef Diane Kochilas, has apparently gone out of business.

The outgoing message for the nearly two-year-old restaurant on Second Avenue at East Second Street says that they have "permanently closed." There isn't a mention of the closure on the restaurant's website or social media. Signs on the restaurant say they are closed for renovations.



A shame, it was a good spot with delicious food.

Previously Valtzoglos tried German-Swiss food with Heartbreak Cafe at this location.

Last April, Valtzoglou sued the State Liquor Authority over an "illegal agreement" with Community Board 3, DNAinfo first reported.

Thank you to @SlickSean for the tip.

[Updated] Coming soon

More canopies and signs and stuff at 5 Napkin Burger on 14th Street and Third Avenue... Opening "really, really soon" per their Twitter account ...

[AC]

Grub Street is reporting that 5 Napkin is opening on Monday.

...and a new sign announcing the spring arrival of Boukies on Second Avenue at Second Street...

[Bobby Williams]

Brown out at Boukies

There's noticeable work taking place at the former Heartbreak Cafe on the southwest corner of Second Street and Second Avenue... Workers recently painted the exterior from that red ...

to this...

[Bobby Williams]

Owner Christos (Pylos) Valtzoglou is planning on opening a place called Boukies that will specialize in small plates of Greek food

Many years back, the address here was home to The Second Avenue Theatre, later the Molly Picon, a Yiddish-language playhouse built in 1911. This info is via the invaluable New York Songlines. As the site notes, Walter Matthau got his start playing bit parts here.

For more information, we turn to Cinema Treasures. "David Kessler’s 2nd Avenue Theatre opened on September 14, 1911 and was the first of the Yiddish theatres to open along the 'Rialto.'" In 1958, the theatre went dark and was demolished for a parking lot.

Here's a photo of the theatre in its heyday via a Cinema Treasures reader.

For more on Yiddish theatre along lower Second Avenue ... visit The Villager here ... and here.

Signs of life at former Heartbreak space

Heartbreak, the Swiss-German eatery, closed last October after short run on Second Avenue and Second Street ... As Scoopy first noted at The Villager, owner Christos (Pylos) Valtzoglou is planning on opening a place called Boukies that will specialize in small plates of Greek food — mostly meze...

There's some progress to report. The Heartbreak sign is gone.

And there's a menu for Boukies up now...

Diner's Journal reported that Boukies will open in March.