There won't be an official SantaCon this year

SantaCon, set to terrorize NYC again on Dec. 12, is officially off, organizers announced on their website this week.

In the usual tone-deaf humor that has been a hallmark of SantaCon through the years, the announcement (screengrab above) reads in part: "All of the reindeer got the 'rona, so the elves have advised Santa to hold off on the in-person merriment."

The announcement also reads "there is no official SantaCon in 2020," leaving open the potential for unofficial Santa pub crawls this holiday season.

In any event, SantaCon organizers offer alternatives to "spread merriment (not infection) this year." Suggestions include donating to Helping Hearts NYC and, more on brand, playing a drinking game to "light up your holiday spirit like Rudolph's suspiciously red nose."

Live from the Fiore Escape tonight

Tonight, Lower East Side-based singer-songwriter Jill Fiore will host another live-music session from her fire escape.

Like her first show on Oct. 24, tonight's mini-concert will feature fellow musicians Jason Taylor and the Baron as well as a special guest.

She got the idea for the shows back in the spring as she was recovering from COVID-19 and went out on her fire escape for some fresh air, as she told Roger Clark at NY1 this week.

You can catch the Fiore Escape at 6 p.m. on Essex Street between Grand and Hester (above Delancey Car Service!) Per the invite: Attendees must wear a mask or face covering and remain at a social distance on the sidewalk below. 

The show will also be streaming on Instagram Live via @soundandfiore.

Photo by Bob Krasner

Gov. Cuomo sets new curfew for NYC bars and restaurants as COVID-19 cases rise

ICYMI: With the rising number of cases in the state, Gov. Cuomo yesterday announced new COVID-19 restrictions on bars, restaurants, gyms and residential gatherings in New York.

What does this mean?

Effective Friday at 10 p.m., bars, restaurants and gyms or fitness centers, as well as any State Liquor Authority-licensed establishment, will be required to close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. 

Restaurants will still be allowed to provide curbside, food-only pick-up or delivery after 10 p.m., but will not be permitted to serve alcohol to go. 

NYC bars and restaurants were previously mandated to close outdoor dining at 11 p.m. and indoor dining at midnight.

And what else came from yesterday's announcement?

The Governor also announced that indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences will be limited to no more than 10 people. The limit will be implemented due to the recent prevalence of COVID spread resulting from small indoor gatherings including Halloween parties. 

These gatherings have become a major cause of cluster activity across the state. 

"If you look at where the cases are coming from, if you do the contact tracing, you'll see they're coming from three main areas: establishments where alcohol is served, gyms, and indoor gatherings at private homes," Cuomo said in a statement announcing the new restrictions.

The city’s overall infection rate is roughly 2.5 percent in a seven-day average. According to data from the city, the 10009 zip code has an infection rate of 1.16 percent in that timeframe; 0.52 percent in the 10003 zip code.

Concerns over COVID-19 prompt cancellation of the annual Cookie Walk

Likely not a surprise, but disappointing nonetheless: Organizers have cancelled what would have been the 12th Annual Cookie Walk at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A and 10th Street.

According to an Instagram post from Saturday:

It is with heavy hearts that we have officially cancelled this year’s St. Nicholas Cookie Walk. The safety of our guests, bakers and workers is our top priority. We hope to see you all in December 2021.

The always-festive event, held in early December, offers about 75 varieties of homemade cookies and pastries each year. As the name implies, you take a walk around cookie-filled tables and pick your favorites to eat on the way home instead of gifting.  

Naming the Lost at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery

Given the pandemic, the Annual Day of Dead festival is not happening over at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on 10th Street and Second Avenue this year.

Instead, Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders and Naming The Lost created a memorial to remember local residents who died of COVID-19...

The memorial is now on the church fence... and will be here through Monday...

The church's website has more information about the project at this link.

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the information...

Post-PAUSE status check

Seven months have passed since Gov. Cuomo's PAUSE order went into effect on March 22.

By late June, bars and restaurants were allowed to launch sidewalk and curbside dining. (And bars had to start serving a "substantive" meal.) By late September, these establishments could start serving indoors — at 25-percent capacity.

Many bars and restaurants have had to close permanently, with dwindling revenues, scant clarity and leadership from elected officials and city agencies and, in some cases, unforgiving landlords. We've documented many of these closings.

However, there are still many places that remain closed — perhaps continuing to wait it out ... or having closed without making the news public.

The following list features places that EVG readers have specifically asked about in recent weeks/months. It's not meant to be a comprehensive rundown of every bar-restaurant currently not open in the neighborhood. 

This list also doesn't mean a closure is permanent. (The Library, for instance, continues to be active on Instagram, looking forward to days ahead.)

• A & C Kitchen, Avenue C

• Bar Veloce, Second Avenue (above)

• The Belfry, 14th Street

• Blue & Gold, Seventh Street

• Brindle Room, 10th Street

• Champion Coffee, 14th Street

• City of Saints Coffee, 10th Street

• Crocodile Lounge, 14th Street

• d.b.a., First Avenue

• Doc Holliday's, Avenue A

• Double Down Saloon, Avenue A

• Drexler's, Avenue A

• Drop Off Service, Avenue A

• Drunken Dumpling, First Avenue (Google says permanently closed)

• Finnerty's, Second Avenue

• The Library, Avenue A

• Little Poland, Second Avenue

• Madame Vo BBQ, Second Avenue (Madame Vo is open on 10th Street)

• Milano's, East Houston

• Nostro, Second Avenue 

• Paper Daisy, St. Mark's Place

• Prune, First Street

• San Marzano, Seventh Street 

• Thirsty Scholar, Second Avenue

• Tile Bar, First Avenue

• 310 Bowery, the Bowery

• Tom & Jerry's, Elizabeth Street

• Williamsburg Pizza, 14th Street (other locations are open)

Fear factor

There's a new mural on the Bowery at East Houston... Pure Genius quoting a recent tweet by President Trump that undermined messages by public health officials and outraged relatives who lost loved ones to COVID-19...

Here's an updated interactive map with what's open in the East Village

The volunteer effort to update an interactive map of what's open in the East Village during the pandemic continues. 

The East Village Community Coalition and resident Paul Gale are maintaining the site that launched back in the spring. (And they could use some volunteers! Email director@evccnyc.org if you're interested.) 

They've been busy keeping tabs on openings and reopenings in recent weeks, adding in opticians, salons, tattoo parlors and cultural institutions, among other businesses. They're also updating the free meals section.

There's also now an indoor dining filter for places with confirmed inside seating to go with the outdoor dining listings.  

You can find the map at this link (and below, but the link is better).

ICYMI: State Comptroller's audit lays out grim future for many bars and restaurants

Several EVG readers have been sharing the link to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's audit released last week outlining how devastating the pandemic has been on the NYC bar and restaurant industry.

The bleak assessment, citing various estimates, states that as many as one-third of the city's bars and restaurants may close in the next six months — coupled with 100,000 jobs lost in that same timeframe.

What can be done? Per the audit:

 New York City and State must continue to provide clarity and support to ensure the industry remains healthy and is able to carry out its integral role in the City’s economy and within its many communities. For its part, the federal government should provide new stimulus targeting the sector to sustain operations and help local economies mitigate transmission risk.

Find the full report at this link.

Sunday's parting shot

As seen on the sidewalk outside Veselka on Second Avenue at Ninth Street.... "Beet Covid, Wear Your Mask."

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photo...

A new era for indoor dining in the East Village

[Hearth]

Photos by Stacie Joy

Wednesday marked the beginning of indoor dining at the state-mandated 25-percent capacity... about 175 days after the PAUSE order went into effect in March.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy visited 14 East Village restaurants early in the evening as the dinner hour was getting underway to see how places were creatively using their spaces to provide safe service for both patrons and their staffs.

Being such a nice fall night out on Wednesday, many diners stayed in the comforts of the curbside or sidewalk spaces. Other loyal and intrepid diners went right inside. Not everyone is ready for indoor dining. And not every restaurant is ready to resume service inside. 

Some observations from Stacie: Air purifiers were everywhere. Temp checks at the door. Contact tracing for every table (or every diner, depending on where you went). Some places had a handheld scanner for temps, others had ones mounted on the wall. 

Here's a look... (the names and info for each restaurant is at the end of the post...)

[Lavagna]

[Il Posto Accanto]

[Mary at Mary O's]

[Veselka]

[Pangea]

[John's of 12th Street]

[Mokyo]

[Jack at Takahachi]

[Nowon]

[Tuome]

[Lucien]

[Divya's Kitchen]

[Bin 141]

Here's the list of restaurants — in alphabetical order — that Stacie visited:

→ Bin 141, 43 Avenue A

→ Divya’s Kitchen, 25 First Ave. 

→ Hearth, 403 East 12th St. 

→ Il Posto Accanto, 190 E. Second St. 

→ John’s of 12^th Street, 302 East 12^th St.

→ Lavagna, 545 East Fifth St.

→ Lucien, 14 First Ave.

→ Mary O’s, 32 Avenue A 

→ Mokyo, 109 St. Mark’s Place 

→ Nowon, 507 East Sixth St. 

→ Pangea, 178 Second Ave. 

→ Takahachi, 85 Avenue A 

→ Tuome, 536 East Fifth St.

→ Veselka, 144 Second Ave. 

Said Stacie: "I was grateful to every owner who let me in and allowed me to take pics. Every place I went to was accommodating and unfailingly polite. The hospitality was nice."

Pado is closing on 2nd Avenue

After nearly two years at at 199 Second Ave., the Japanese restaurant Pado has closed here between 12th Street and 13th Street ... though the owners vow to find another location.

In announcing their closure in an Instagram post, the owners cite a familiar foe — the landlord.

The restaurant industry during this pandemic has experienced unprecedented challenges and all of us had to fight hard to save our business and jobs. Since March, Pado team has been working tirelessly to remain in business. As much as we wanted to remain open, we unfortunately could not find an agreement with our current landlord at 199 2nd Ave. ⁣

⁣Pado emerged between compassionate and like-minded foodies with big dreams to make it in NYC. Our passion still remains intact and we will not let this pandemic change that. It pains us to announce our closure for 10/1, but we will strive to find a new place and we will share this information as soon as it is available for you.⁣
⁣
We want to thank all of our customers for your love and support. The pandemic did really bring out the best in people, and your kind words and support have been the biggest driving factor for us.⁣
⁣
We will see you again, we promise.⁣

H/T Vinny & O

New hours for the city's free meal pick up

With the start of in-person elementary school classes today, the city has changed the hours for its community meals pick up. Those hours are now 3-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Local schools offering grab-and-go meals include:

• P.S. 19 Asher Levy, 185 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street

• P.S. 64/Tompkins Square Middle School 600 E. Sixth St. at Avenue B

Visit GetFoodNYC to find locations that offer free food (food pantries and Grab & Go meals at NYC schools).

The meal features an assortment of sandwiches or wraps, a vegetable, a piece of fruit and milk. (There's a daily menu here.) Multiple meals can be picked up at once. There is no need to prove residency or bring any other form of ID.

The city launched the community-meal program back in April while schools were closed.

Previously on EV Grieve:

Where residents can get a free meal during the week

Photo from April by Stacie Joy

'We're just hoping for some miracle'

[Nomad photo from June by Stacie Joy]

ICYMI: The Times had a sobering piece Wednesday titled "9 of Every 10 Restaurants and Bars in NYC Can't Pay Full Rent."

Mehenni Zebentout, the owner of Nomad at 78 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street is predominately featured. 

Nomad, a North African and Mediterranean restaurant in the East Village, shut down in March after the pandemic engulfed New York City, leaving its owner unable to pay the full $11,500 rent for months.

After opening for outdoor dining in June, the owner, Mehenni Zebentout, has struggled to pay 70 to 80 percent of the rent. But he had to cut his staff from nine full-time employees to four part-time workers. And his landlord still wants Mr. Zebentout to pay what he owes from the spring.

"We're just hoping for some miracle," he said. "I believe, according to my experience, two out of three restaurants will close by December, and I'll be one of them if there's no help from the city or the government." 

Eliza's Local has closed on St. Mark's Place

Eliza's Local has closed at 2 St. Mark's Place just east of Third Avenue.

An all-too-familiar set of circumstances are behind the bar-restaurant's closure: "Unfortunately, we had no choice with the current situation, our landlord and no inside dining," a rep told us.

Eliza's had been open in the early days of spring, selling beer to go (and giving away bread). They later had some expanded outdoor dining space with the closure of St. Mark's Place on weekends for Street Feast. Still, it wasn't nearly enough volume to overcome the drop-off in business.

The bar, which opened in December 2018, was named for Elizabeth Hamilton (aka "Eliza") co-founder and deputy director of the first private orphanage in New York City. She was the wife of Alexander Hamilton. She lived next door at 4 St. Mark's Place in what was later known as the Hamilton-Holly House.

This space adjacent to the entry 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.

H/T @unitof

Comedy Club owners get serious about plans to allow them to reopen

In case you were wondering about all the media activity outside the New York Comedy Club on Fourth Street yesterday (thanks Derek Berg for the photo!).

Comedy club owners as well as comedians and assorted elected officials gathered here between Second Avenue and the Bowery to ask the state to let them safely reopen.

Organizer Kambri Crews, the owner of venue Q.E.D. Astoria, had this to say, as reported by Gothamist: "We are holding this rally to ask New York state to give live entertainment the same consideration they've given other industries... For over six months, there's been no rent relief and no plan for us to reopen. New Yorkers can go indoors to the gym, bowling, go gambling in casinos, [but not] a comedy club — it makes no sense."

Their request of Gov. Cuomo: Allow for venues to be able to allow ticketed outdoor live performances (with fewer than 50 people), and either allow clubs to resume indoor shows at 25 percent capacity (similar to restaurants) or at 50 percent but without food and beverage services (similar to bowling alleys).

A Cuomo spokesperson told Gothamist that they hope "to put together guidance where these performances can resume in a way that also keeps New Yorkers safe."

Vulture has more coverage here.

You can read the New York Comedy Coalition's reopening proposal at this link (Google doc!).

Thursday's parting shots

Students, parents and teachers from District 1 gathered on Seventh Street and Avenue B this afternoon to rally for a safer return to school this fall ... EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared a few photos from the start of the March for Our Schools and Our Lives ... which eventually ended at City Hall...

Wednesday's parting shot

As seen at the Neighborhood School/PS 63 on Third Street — "This Is Not Ventilation" on a window that only opens a few inches ... as teachers continue to protest in the days leading up to the start of in-person classes on Monday...  

Earlier today, a reporter asked the mayor about ventilation concerns here. Per NY1: "We will absolutely send the team back to PS 63 ... to see exactly what happened. And if any classroom is not up to snuff, it'll be taken out of circulation immediately. And it will not be used until it is fixed."

Photo via @robinmenikoff

ICYMI: Cuomo says indoor dining can resume in NYC on Sept. 30 — at 25-percent capacity

[B&H Dairy as seen in 2018]

In case you didn't catch this news yesterday afternoon... Gov. Cuomo announced that indoor dining in New York City can resume on Sept. 30 with a 25-percent occupancy limit.

And the bullet points on guidance for indoor dining in NYC:

• 25 percent occupancy limit
• Temperature checks will be required at the door for all customers
• One member of each party will be required to provide contact information for tracing if needed
• No bar service — bars will only be used as service bars, a source of making drinks and serving them tableside
• Masks must be worn at all times when not seated at a table
• Tables must be six feet apart
• Restaurants close at midnight
• Strict adherence to all State-issued guidance
• Restaurants should operate with enhanced air filtration, ventilation and purification standards
• Limit air recirculation and allow for outside air ventilation
• Outdoor dining will continue in the interim

Indoor dining has been banned since the COVID-19 PAUSE went into effect on March 22. More than NYC 1,000 bars and restaurants have shuttered since then, per Eater.

East Village closures include Jewel Bako, Porsena, Oda House and Mermaid Inn... and maybe Odessa.

[Postponed] A march for a safe schools reopening

Updated 9/10: Given today's rain, the march has been postponed until next Thursday — Sept. 17.

Students, parents and teachers from District 1 will be gathering on Seventh Street and Avenue B tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon to rally for a safer return to school this fall

Here are details about the March for Our Schools and Our Lives via the EVG inbox...

Please join schools and community allies from across District 1 for a March for Our Schools and Our Lives, Thursday, Sept. 10, 3-5 p.m.

At a time when we should be investing new resources into our under-funded schools to get kids back to learning, parents back to work, and the economy up and running, school budgets across NY State have been decimated making educating our kids challenging for a normal year. The State’s funding cuts have made it all but impossible to open schools safely during the pandemic.

For that reason schools across District 1 have joined forces to demand better for our children, our teachers, our families and our entire community because our lives literally depend on it.

The march will end at City Hall.

Students are set to arrive for in-person classes on Sept. 21. Many public school teachers reported back to their schools yesterday in the first phase of the system reopening.