Calexico team trying Asian-Latin fusion with Big Cat on 2nd Avenue; a move for Keybar

Calexico is changing up concepts at 99 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. 

The Cal-Mex chainlet will its East Village outpost for Big Cat, "serving Asian-Latin fusion cuisine and a mix of classic cocktails, regional draft beers and a modest wine list." 

Reps for the company (founded as a food truck in 2006 by brothers Dave, Jesse and Brian Vendley) will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for this change in operation. 

The questionnaire on file on CB3's website has more info about the new concept, including this sample menu...

Calexico arrived in the EV in July 2019. The restaurant has been closed since late 2020. 

In other items on tonight's agenda...

The owners of Keybar on 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue are looking to relocate to the more high-profile SE corner of Avenue A and 13th Street (the former Caffè Bene). You can read the Keybar questionnaire here. 

And what about the soon-to-be-former Keybar space at 432 E. 13th St.? 

The team behind the Spotted Owl on Avenue A and Iggy's Keltic Lounge on Ludlow Street have designs on a yet-to-be-named bar. Questionnaire here. 

The committee meeting starts tonight at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here.

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: applicants for the former Sidewalk and Rue-B spaces

Here's a look at two of the items on tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting... (we wrote about Bar Veloce's application for a new spot on the Bowery here). 

• Offside (OT AT LLC), 94 Ave A (op) 

An applicant is looking to open Offside, a bar-restaurant serving "American comfort food" in the former Sidewalk (and August Laura) space on the NE corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street.

According to the questionnaire on the CB3 website, Offside has proposed hours of 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays, with an 11 a.m. start on weekends. The applicants also plan on having sidewalk and streetside seating. 

The applicant previously ran the Offside at 137 W. 14th St. The tavern, which opened in 2017, closed during the pandemic in 2020. Offside was known as a gathering spot for fans watching Islanders games. 

August Laura closed last December after a fall 2019 debut. Sidewalk, the restaurant, bar and live music venue (home of the Antifolk Festival), shuttered in February 2019 after 34 years.

• Next Best LLC, 188 Ave B (op) 

Hi-Note is a proposed coffee shop-karaoke bar combo for 188 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street in space that was previously the jazz club Rue-B. 

According to the CB3 questionnaire, daily coffee service will take place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. ...  with the bar component open from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. During the day, Hi-Note plans to serve cafe fare, including pastries, salads and sandwiches. 

Hi-Note's management team previously ran Baby Grand, the now-closed karaoke bar on Lafayette. 

Rue-B shut down last fall after 23 years in business. 

Tonight's virtual meeting starts at 6:30. You can find the Zoom link here.

 Thank you to Jake Bowling for the photo at 188 Avenue B.

Bar Veloce looking to open an outpost on the Bowery

Bar Veloce is looking to open an outpost at 245 Bowery, a few storefronts to the north of the New Museum. 

Reps for Bar Veloce will appear before CB3's SLA committee on April 11. Several EVG readers pointed out that public notices are posted on the Stanton Street entrance...

The questionnaire is not yet online. 

Bar Veloce got its start on Second Avenue in the East Village in 2000 before expanding to locations in Chelsea, Soho and Columbus Circle (with other outposts in the works). 

As Bowery Boogie previously noted, four applicants have kicked the tires on the space since Cata closed in 2019. 

The address is also still home to several residents of the Sunshine Hotel upstairs...

CB3's full board meeting in March will be virtual

In case you had plans to attend CB3's full board meeting this coming Tuesday (March 22) evening at 6:30 ... 

Gov. Hochul has extended the state of emergency and suspended the Open Meeting Law until April 15.

So! Tuesday's meeting will be held via Zoom, and the link is here. And if you want to speak, you need to sign in by noon on Tuesday via this link.

A look at a few of tonight's applicants to appear before CB3's SLA committee

Here are a few of the applicants who are scheduled to appear virtually tonight during CB3's SLA Committee meeting... (we already covered the return of the Brindle Room here).

• Milk Burger, 321 E. Houston St. (Questionnaire here)

The quick-serve burger joint with an outpost in the Bronx is slated for this block of East Houston between Attorney and Ridge (storefront photo above from a few weeks back). 

Erik Mayor, an East Harlem native, opened his first Milk Burger in that neighborhood (since closed, and there was some early drama there). He's seeking a full liquor license for this spot, 

El Maguey y La Tuna closed here in 2018 after the landlord reportedly doubled the rent.

• Salang Group LLC, 225 Avenue B (Questionnaire here)

A bar-restaurant serving an omakase menu is applying for a liquor license for the second-level space between 13th Street and 14th Street that currently houses the closing-soon Pouring Ribbons. 

The still-unnamed establishment is proposing daily hours of 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. with the occasional jazz musician or two for entertainment, per the questionnaire online for the public.

As for Pouring Ribbons, their last week of service is March 23-26, per Instagram.

• E. Village Bar, 153 First Ave. (Questionnaire here) 

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop founder Stratis Morfogen is opening a rock club here at the former Coyote Ugly between Ninth Street and 10th Street. (The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website lists the establishment's name as E. Village Bar while the New York Post called it E.VIL Rock Club in an article last fall.)

This concept dates back to 2017 (another flashback here) when E.VIL had designs on 64 Third Ave. (later going to the Ainsworth). 

In any event, E.VIL 2022 has proposed daily hours of 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. in a room with a maximum occupancy of 110. 

--

The public meeting meeting starts tonight at 6:30 via Zoom. Or by Phone:  +1 646 518 9805, +1 929 205 6099 (Meeting ID:  921 9931 7942)  

A speakeasy and restaurant concept slated for 221 2nd Ave.

A group of hospitality veterans is looking to open a two-concept establishment at 221 Second Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thanks to Steven for the photo last week.)

Reps for Best Speakeasy NYC will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee tonight to discuss their speakeasy, Sincerely, Ophelia, and restaurant, Chicken & the Egg, for the space. 

According to the questionnaire posted on the CB3 website (PDF here), the space will feature 11 tables for 44 guests and a 10-seat bar. Proposed hours for the restaurant are noon to 4 a.m., with the bar serving from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.

The questionnaire includes this sample menu (click on the image for more details)...

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. You can join via Zoom here.

The previous tenant at 221 Second Ave., the 11-year-old Bay-Area sports bar Finnerty's, never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020.

Belse Restaurant makes it sign official on the Bowery

Belse Restaurant, self-described as "high-end plant cuisine at its finest," is opening an outpost on the Bowery just south of Houston... the coming-soon signage is now up here at the former home of Paulaner Bräuhaus...

Reps for Belse will appear before CB3's SLA committee on Monday night for a liquor license for the space. You can find their questionnaire online here. 

The restaurant comes via the owners of the plant-based Little Pine in Los Angeles, which Moby launched in 2015. (The restaurant reopened last year without Moby's involvement. As Eater reported, the Grammy-nominated musician "was accused by multiple former employees of not doing enough to protect staff during the shutdown." He later apologized to the staff.)

There's a Belse outpost in Dallas. You can find a Belse menu here.

On the Bowery, they look to be open for lunch during the week and brunch on weekends.

The storefront has sat empty since Paulaner shuttered in early 2018 after four years in service. 

Superiority Burger vying for liquor license for new Avenue A space

Community Board 3 just released its schedule of meetings for October ... including the SLA & DCA Licensing Committee, taking place on Oct. 18. 

Among the items on that agenda — a new liquor license for 119 Avenue A... where Superiority Burger is taking over the Odessa space (which also had a full liquor license here) ... the public notices went on the storefront over the weekend... 

Looks as if they'll be vying for some sidewalk seating as well (sidewalk cafe is circled on the above document). We'll explore this and other applications as they are posted online. 

As you may know, Superiority Burger signed a lease for the address here between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, first reported by Grub Street in August.

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: Ixta for the former DBGB space on the Bowery

Tonight is the second of the two CB3 SLA committee meetings for August.

Here's a look at a few of the applications on the agenda: 

• Ixta (LLC to be formed by Mike Himani), 299 Bowery (op) 

This looks to be tonight's big-ticket item. Restaurateur Akbarali Himani is seeking a full liquor license for Ixta, a Mexican restaurant proposed for the former DBGB space at 299 Bowery between First Street and East Houston (top pic).

According the the public documents on the CB3 website, Ixta would be open Sunday to Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with hours of 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. The space in the Avalon Bowery complex is quite large, with a capacity of 194 patrons, who would be treated to "live Mariachi performers." 

Himani has been running a variety of restaurants in NYC and Long Island the past 30 years. His current credits include a Chickpea in Penn Station and NISI Mediterranean in Times Square. 

Daniel Boulud closed DBGB here in August 2017 after an eight-year run. 

• The York, 186 Ave B (op) 

Hospitality vets James Hurst and Hayden Tobin are looking to open The York here at 186 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street. 

The York would be open daily from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. and serve a menu featuring "American comfort food," per the questionnaire at the CB3 website. The sample menu items include several burgers, sandwiches and brunch entrees. 

This address was most recently Very Thai, which had a nearly three-year run until late 2019 ... after taking over from Barbone. 

• ACES (Fine Food and Spirits Inc), 197 2nd Ave. (op) 

This is a carry-over from the July meeting for the former Black Emperor space between 12th Street and 13th Street. You can read about it here. The Aces questionnaire is at this link. 

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30 in the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. There's also a Zoom option via this link.

Who's NOT on tonight's CB3-SLA docket: Roberta's Pizza, Spiegel

CB's SLA committee meets tonight... as of now, five applicants will be appearing before the group. 

Meanwhile, several applicants are no longer on tonight's docket... including two of particular interest. One is Spiegel ... multiple tipsters told us at the start of the summer that the cafe is returning to its former home at 26 First Ave. at Second Street ...

Expect to see them another month as they apply for a new liquor license for the corner space. (They previously had a full liquor license until they closed at some point during the pandemic.) 

Also no longer on tonight's agenda — Roberta's Pizza.

As previously reported, 15 Avenue A between Houston and Second Street is undergoing a vertical expansion.

The new retail tenant was expected to be a wine bar from Bushwick-based pizzeria Roberta's.

Chef-owner Carlo Mirarchi told Grub Street in September 2019 that they were going to open what he called Roberta's Wine Bar.

However, nothing more was ever mentioned about the project, and it was unknown if those plans were moving forward. Obviously so with the application for a new liquor license. (The retail space at 15 Avenue A was previously the Family Dental Center, which moved down to Essex Street in 2017.)

Roberta's got its start in Bushwick in 2008. As Eater noted, Roberta's had been on an expansion kick, with openings in several food halls, and adding two locations in Los Angeles and one in Williamsburg ... not to mention its frozen pizza business ... and burger joint.

Aces Fine Food and Spirits in the works for 197 2nd Ave.

Tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting includes an applicant vying for 197 Second Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

According to the public documents on the CB3 website, applicant Michael Dollaway is proposing an establishment called Aces Fine Food and Spirits. The configuration for the cocktail lounge-restaurant features 12 tables for 36 guests as well as a 22-seat bar. 

Dollaway's bio posted with the questionnaire shows a background in management/ownership at several now-closed upscale spots, including Provocateur in the Meatpacking District and Lily Pond in East Hampton. 

No. 197 was most recently Black Emperor, which closed last August. Shoolbred's closed here in June 2017 after nearly 10 years in business. This address was Jade Mountain, home of the great Chow Mein sign, until 2007.

CB3's SLA committee meets tonight at the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton. The festivities start at 6:30.

Reports from CB3's public review of the Open Restaurants program

Photos by Stacie Joy

On Tuesday night, officials from the Department of City Planning and Department of Transportation were on hand at a joint committee meeting of Community Board 3 as part of a public review process to make permanent the Open Restaurants program. (You can find a copy of the presentation at this link.)

More than an estimated 90 people packed into a room at the Boys Club of New York on 10th Street and Avenue A... while more waited outside... (the meeting was also streaming live)... 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was in attendance. She noted that the meeting started at 6:30 with an agenda item — something to do with the M14A/M14D — that didn't draw much interest from those gathered. 

And then came the main event, which lasted nearly two hours. (CB3 needed to be out of the room by 9 p.m.)

Here's a quick take from Stacie:

It was HIGHLY CONTENTIOUS. It was supposed to be an 85-person cap but the place was packed and there was still a line outside. The DOT presentation drew a lot of negative attention from the crowd, who were frustrated with their inability to speak. 

The DOT speech was interrupted constantly with claims of a filibuster and frustration that the community wasn't given time to speak. When they finally were given time, each person was given one-minute. Everyone was yelling and it was a mess.

Several media outlets covered the event. Here's a selection (update — added the Curbed entry at 1 p.m.): 

• Gothamist

"This Isn't Paris!" East Village Community Board Gets Heated Over Outdoor Dining

"This whole program is going to turn our area into an open-air alcohol zone," echoed David Crane, a longtime CB3 member. One resident said he'd been forced to listen to "'Happy Birthday' sung outside my window 20 times a day," as others shouted that "this isn't Paris!" 

While local business owners were largely absent from the meeting, they too expressed anger with the DOT's handling of the program. Moshe Schulman, a managing partner of Kindred on 6th Street, said the agency had conducted a "sweep" just prior to the meeting, handing out citations for offenses such as being too close to a tree and blocking a "no parking" sign. 

He was given just 24 hours to address the violations, which he described as "ridiculous and inaccurate." "People think we’re done with COVID and everything is all great," Shulman told Gothamist. “We’re just starting to get on our feet and try to normalize service.”

• Streetsblog

 First Salvos Fired as de Blasio’s ‘Permanent’ Dining Sheds Begin the Community Board Process

There was plenty of talk of compromise and coexistence from the crowd of 90, but many attendees went nuclear, demanding no outdoor dining at all, denouncing struggling restaurants and bars as greedy land-grabbers, and, in one case, waving signs inspired by George Orwell's classic Dystopian novel: "1984: War is Peace. 2021: Residential is commercial." 

One opponent was overheard outside the meeting comparing their struggle to that of Martin Luther King Jr. One speaker declared — to a room where more than half the people were still wearing masks — that the pandemic was over, and therefore outdoor dining should be, too.

• The Village Sun

East Siders are 'mad as hell' at meeting on Open Restaurants

Residents bemoaned the transformation of their community into what might be dubbed "Bourbon Street with yurts." 

"I love my neighborhood!" one man started yelling emotionally over and over, also mentioning his "mental health," as others applauded supportively. 

One woman, in an apparent reference to the Black Death of the 14th century, a bubonic plague spread by fleas piggybacking on rats, warned that the outdoor huts could breed a repeat. "These sheds are rat traps!" she declared. "We are feeding rats. We just went through a pandemic — we are inviting the next pandemic with these sheds."

• Curbed

'Outdoor Dining Is Home Invasion' and Other Exaggerations From Manhattan Community Board 3

A young guy in his 30s named Sam Zimmerman stands up and speaks in support of the program — just the second person to do so thus far. He says the meeting's attendees are not representative of what the neighborhood actually thinks about streeteries, and that most people support the program. "People who are against it are people who come out to these things," he says, and is promptly booed. "There's 165,000 people in this district," he continues. "How many of them are here? People don't want to get screamed at by their neighbors." Everyone mumbles loudly, and someone yells "Where are you from?" and he responds: "From here!"

You can watch the meeting for yourself right here... it begins at the 16-minute mark...

 

The Open Restaurants text amendment entered a public review on June 21. This proposal is the first of a series of changes to create the permanent Open Restaurants program launched in June 2020 to help the pandemic-stricken restaurant industry. Per the city:

In addition to the zoning amendment, the City will move administration of the sidewalk café program from the Department of Consumer Affairs and Workforce Protection to DOT, streamline the application process and create rules for a permanent roadway dining program. Altogether, restaurants will have a single agency to go to apply for outdoor dining, with a clear set of design guidelines on what is allowed.

And:

The proposed zoning text amendment would affect every community district within the City. The proposed action would remove the definitions of sidewalk cafes from the Zoning Resolution and any mentions of them in special districts, as well as other clean-up text to fully remove any zoning prohibitions related to the operation of sidewalk cafes.

As part of the public review process, the CB3 Committees will produce a resolution, which the full board will vote on in September. Comments from residents may also be emailed to mn03@cb.nyc.gov. to be considered for the September vote.

Community Board 3 committees to discuss the longterm future of outdoor dining

--- 

 Updated 12:27 p.m. 

Per CB3: Depending on the attendance, seating may be limited due to social distancing. The meeting will also be live-streamed here. Comments may also be submitted to mn03@cb.nyc.gov. to be considered for the September vote.

--- 

City officials from the Department of City Planning and Department of Transportation are exploring an overhaul of zoning and permitting regulations to allow the Open Restaurants program to become permanent. 

As Crain's reported, the city had to suspend roughly 20 zoning rules when Mayor de Blasio announced the program in June 2020.

The Open Restaurants text amendment entered public review on June 21. This proposal is the first of a series of changes to create the permanent Open Restaurants program. Per the city:

In addition to the zoning amendment, the City will move administration of the sidewalk café program from the Department of Consumer Affairs and Workforce Protection to DOT, streamline the application process and create rules for a permanent roadway dining program. Altogether, restaurants will have a single agency to go to apply for outdoor dining, with a clear set of design guidelines on what is allowed.

And:

The proposed zoning text amendment would affect every community district within the City. The proposed action would remove the definitions of sidewalk cafes from the Zoning Resolution and any mentions of them in special districts, as well as other clean-up text to fully remove any zoning prohibitions related to the operation of sidewalk cafes.

Tonight, there's an in-person presentation, discussion and public testimony at a joint Community Board 3 Committee meeting. (See below for the meeting details.) As part of the public review process, the CB3 Committees will produce a resolution, which the full board will vote on in September.

Several community groups are encouraging participation. According to an email yesterday from the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC):

"This meeting is your opportunity to share your concerns about whether/how this program should continue, and how it might be improved, while the details are still being hashed out. If this privatization of public space is to become permanent, residents and business owners should have input."

The EVCC also calls attention to other issues that they see with the program.

This emergency program, while critical for struggling restaurants, has created untenable noise and sanitation issues for neighborhoods with high concentrations of eating and drinking establishments: 

• amplified music, smoking and crowds below residents' windows 

• bags of trash and discarded containers exacerbating rat problems 

• choked paths for pedestrians and emergency vehicles 

• fire safety concerns about the use and storage of propane heaters 

None of these issues are readily resolved through the usual channels, leaving very little recourse for residents or business owners. This has not changed, even as problems worsen with increasing traffic as the City reopens.

In addition, several neighbor groups — LES Dwellers, Orchard Street Block Association, the Chinatown Core and the East Fifth Street Block Association — are urging residents to voice any concerns about the Open Restaurants program...

In an email, the group members state:

In many areas, the eating and drinking sheds have become severely problematic. As such, we are adamantly opposed to Outdoor Dining Sheds becoming a permanent fixture in NYC. We appreciate that these sheds were a lifeline for the hospitality industry during the pandemic and allowed residents a safe place to social distance. 

Since COVID restrictions have been lifted, we think it is time for the emergency dining sheds to be retired, and the sidewalk cafe process is reinstated regarding alfresco dining. 

However, you feel about the Open Restaurants program, no public input or proper environmental impact study was commissioned. Instead, the city rammed the sheds through behind closed doors with little to no oversight, calling it an unbridled success with few issues to resolve.

Last week, Gov. Cuomo signed legislation extending the usage of municipal spaces for restaurants through the middle of next year. 

Tonight's in-person Committee meeting starts at 6:30 at the Boys Club of New York, 287 E. 10th St. at Avenue A. You can find a copy of the presentation at this link.

Community Board 3 returns to in-person meetings starting in July

After nearly 15 months of virtual gatherings, Community Board 3 announced the return of in-person meetings starting in July.

Here's part of CB3's email from late last week:

The Executive Order allowing remote meetings has expired and the Governor is not renewing the order. The state Open Government law does not allow us to continue remote meetings after [June 25]. Meetings must be fully in-person; teleconferencing is not allowed. There cannot be "hybrid" meetings.

There has been and will continue to be lobbying to have the state legislature pass legislation to allow hybrid meetings, but this will not happen soon. We are working on finding locations for in-person meetings starting with the first July meeting.

You can find the list of July meetings here. The previous CB3 meetings, both full board and committee, are archived on YouTube here.  

Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe owner eyes new concept for 2 St. Mark's Place

The owner of Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe on Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place has plans to open an Italian restaurant-bar in the adjacent space at 2 St. Mark's Place...   

Efthymios Papadopoulos will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a new liquor license for the currently empty restaurant. The online application (link here) shows that the establishment would have 12 tables for 40 guests and a 12-seat bar. The proposed hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily.

The previous tenant at 2 St. Mark's Place, Eliza's Local, didn't make it out of the pandemic, closing late last summer after a little more than 18 months in business. 

Before Eliza's, No. 2, next to the entrance of the St. Marks Hotel, was previously Ayios Greek Rotisserie, which quietly closed at the end of 2017 after 16 months in business. St. Mark's Ale House had a 21-year run until July 2016. And once upon a time, it was the second location of the Five Spot Cafe.

Tonight's virtual CB3-SLA committee meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here.

Wine bar in the works for this former dry cleaners on 1st Avenue

Work continues at the former Exquisite Cleaners, where a wine bar is in the works here on the southwest corner of First Avenue and Third Street. 

Jorge Arias is on this month's CB3 SLA committee agenda Monday evening for the unnamed bar "specializing in small, handmade wines." (This item will not be heard in front of the committee.) 

The questionnaire (PDF here) on the CB3 website shows that the space will have five tables for 30 guests and a six-seat bar. The proposed hours are noon to midnight daily. 

Arias operates several like-minded businesses, including the Wine Hut on Sixth Avenue and, closer to home, Urban Wine & Spirits a few storefronts away. 

Exquisite Cleaners closed last summer ... one of 10 dry cleaners in the East Village to close during the pandemic.

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: applicants for the former Brazen Fox and Loverboy spaces

Tonight is the second of the two CB3 SLA committee meetings for April. 

Here's a look at a few of the items on the agenda:

• Entity to be Formed by Curt Heugel, 106 3rd Ave (op) 

Hospitality veteran Curt Heugel's Host Restaurants, whose portfolio includes concepts such as Bill's Townhouse, Campagnola and Printers Alley, is behind a new unnamed venture for 106 Third Ave. at 13th Street.

The questionnaire for the space shows proposed hours starting at 10 a.m. with a 4 a.m. close (the outdoor cafe portion would have an 11 p.m. curfew).

Heugel and his partners also operate Jackdaw on Second Avenue at 13th Street. 

This two-level corner space was home to the Brazen Fox, which closed during the pandemic. 

 • Entity to be Formed by Michael Perry, 127 Ave C (op)

A new venture called Two Perry's is in the works for 127 Avenue C at Eighth Street.

The space would be a cafe offering breakfast and lunch during the day with a bar-restaurant service in the evenings. According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, the proposed hours are 7 a.m. to midnight, with a 2 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday.

Loverboy, specializing in pizza and slushy drinks, closed here during the pandemic after nearly three-plus in business.  Before Loverboy, the corner space was home to multiple establishments, a list that includes Lumé, the "Epicurean drinkery," ... Life — Kitchen and Bar … which had taken over for Verso. Other restaurants here in the past nine years include Caffe Pepe Rosso and Caffe Cotto. 

Items not heard at Committee 

• Sushi by M (Sushibym2 LLC), 300 E 5th St (wb) 

Sushi By M, which currently offers an omakase experience from a compact space on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery, is moving to a more high-profile spot on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street (last occupied by Spiritea, and pictured above).

This larger space for Chef Tim would include six tables (seating 12 patrons) and a sushi counter for 16 guests. The daily hours are listed as noon to 11:30 p.m.

• Woman in Wine LLC, 413 E 12th St (wb)

Alessandro Trezza, whose establishments include Have & Meyer in Williamsburg, is opening a small plates/dessert and wine bar at 413 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The questionnaire shows daily hours of 4 p.m. to midnight. The document includes a sample menu.

This mid-block space was previously Zadie's Oyster Room.

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. You can find the Zoom info here. 

A campaign to help 'Clean Up' CB3

On Tuesday night, flyers arrived around the neighborhood announcing that it was time to "Clean Up" the local Community Board, CB3, and remove Susan Stetzer, the longtime district manager...

The arrival of the flyers coincides with a newly launched website, which among other claims, states: "The concentration of power at CB3 has effectively silenced citizens, stifled public participation, prevented a diversity of views, and stopped real progress and representation from happening." 

The group is going by the Clean Up CB3 Community Commission. Their solution?

The local community boards must be reformed and remade into activist governing boards who actively work to influence policy development not push blatantly partisan political agendas, pursue personal agendas, or give special interest "community" cover. 

When asked to comment on the group's flyers and website, Stetzer said in an email: "One can't engage productively when people are anonymous." 

This isn't the first time that Stetzer has been the subject of a flyer campaign. In September 2012, flyers appeared around the East Village and Lower East Side accusing Stetzer of being an "assassin of New York's creativity" who is "wanted for assault on our civil liberties." In the past, she has been accused of being anti-nightlife. 

As for CB3 drama ... most recently, in January, 16 community groups and block associations within CB3 signed an open letter to local and state officials requesting an inquiry into the recent removal of Alexandra Militano and Carolyn Ratcliffe as chairs of the SLA Committee and Arts & Culture Sub-Committee.

Photos by Stacie Joy

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: Tiger Lily, Lamia's Fish Market, Little Rebel

The first of two April CB3 SLA committee meetings happens tonight via Zoom.

Here's a look at three new liquor license applications in the East Village:

• The Tiger Lily Kitchen (Elvis' Cafe LLC), 58 Third Ave. 

Hospitality veteran Michelle Morgan is looking to bring the Tiger Lily Kitchen to the former Boilery space here between 10th Street and 11th Street.

Morgan opened Tiger Lily, which serves "healthy Asian-inspired cooking with gluten-free and vegan options," late last year as a takeout and delivery operation at 293 Third Ave. between 22nd Street and 23rd Street. This space would allow for her to offer indoor dining.

For a look at their lunch and dinner options, you can check out the Tiger Lily Instagram here. The application for the address is on the CB3 website.

• Lamia's Fish Market (East Coast Fish Market Inc), 45 Avenue B 

Lamia's Fish Market is seeking an upgrade from beer-wine to a full liquor license here between Second Street and Third Street. 

Lamia Funti, the applicant, appeared before CB3's SLA committee meeting in April 2016. The application was reportedly denied based in part on the history of the space. (The Lo-Down reported on this here. And DNAinfo here.)

Media outlets previously identified Funti as the co-owner of Le Souk on La Guardia Place along with her husband Marcus Jacobs. He was reportedly an owner of Le Souk, a years-long thorn in the side of Avenue B neighbors, as reported and here ... and here.

In October 2009, the State Liquor Authority canceled Le Souk's liquor license. (Read the SLA release here.)

Despite the 2016 committee denial, Lamia's received the beer-wine license via the State Liquor Authority later that fall.

You can read Lamia's questionnaire on the CB3 website at this link.

• Little Rebel (K&L Hospitality LLC), 219 Second Ave.

A bar-gastropub called Little Rebel is in the works for the former Professor Thom's space on Second Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street.

You can read more about the plans that owners Dermot Lynch and Jarek Krukow have for the space — as well as see a sample menu —via their questionnaire here.

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. You can find the Zoom info here. 

Owners of Tribeca's Khe-Yo plan to bring Laotian cuisine to 12th Street

The owners of Khe-Yo, which serves Laotian cuisine down on Duane Street in Tribeca, have designs on opening a bar-restaurant at 503-505 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

They'll be appearing before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a new liquor license for the space...

The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website shows that the restaurant will hold 74 people inside and another 19 in the backyard... with proposed (post-pandemic) hours of 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. (with a 2 a.m. close on Sunday and Monday).

The virtual committee meeting starts tonight at 6:30. The Zoom link is here.

Until late last summer, this space was home to Mace, the high-end cocktail bar... which moved on to West Eighth Street. Mace relocated from Ninth Street to this larger space in early 2019. 

Double Wide closed at No. 503-505 in March 2018 (much to the relief of some neighbors). Noise issues have been persistent here dating back to the Mundial and Totem days.

H/T to the reader who shared these photos!