Ravi Derossi has Soda Club in the works for Avenue B

Ravi Derossi has plans for a new eating-drinking spot on Avenue B called Soda Club, a pasta and natural wine bar.

The East Village-based restaurateur is on tonight's CB3-SLA committee docket for a new beer-wine license (questionnaire here) for 155 Avenue B between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Via email, Derossi said, if approved, Soda Club will feature "five to seven fresh pastas made daily in house and over 100 natural and inexpensive wines."

Derossi's other East Village establishments include Night Music, Ladybird, Avant Garden, Honeybee, Mother of Pearl and Amor y Amargo.

The previous tenant at No. 155, Donostia, the wine-and-tapas bar, quietly closed in November 2018 after five years in business.

Tonight's CB3 committee meeting begins at 6:30 in the Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Donosita on Avenue B is for lease

Here's another address to add to the rundown of empty storefronts on Avenue B. As previously noted, Donostia, the wine-and-tapas bar at 155 Avenue B between Ninth Street and 10th Street, had been closed since late November.

There's now a for-lease sign in the front window (and both Google and Yelp list the cafe as permanently closed) ...





According to the online listing, the rent is $3,824 per month, though there is key money — $175,000 "or best offer."

Donostia opened in November 2013. In 2017, Food & Wine named them one of "The Best Wine Bars In the U.S." This past October, Michelin named Donostia as one of its Bib Gourmand-designated restaurants for the fourth consecutive year.

In 2017, co-owner Jorge de Yarza reportedly decided to lobby for developer Gregg Singer, who has been trying, for 20-plus years, to covert the former P.S. 64 building around the corner on 10th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C into student housing. DNAinfo reported that de Yarza helped gather nearly 900 signatures in support of the dorm plan, asking the city to allow it to move forward.

Per DNAinfo:

The massive building's prolonged vacancy has made the block dark and unsafe, and has encouraged loitering, de Yarza added.

"All the places in the immediate area, they suffer," he said. "It's one of those stretches of 10th Street you don't even want to walk by, and it's a shame."

According to a post at the Lo-Down from September 2017, de Yarza also helped Singer support candidates running against Carlina Rivera in the most recent District 2 City Council race. Rivera, who won the election, is an ally of previous Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who has long opposed the dorm plan.

In November 2017, de Yarza helped organize a pro-dorm rally at City Hall, an event where a lobbyist later admitted they hired extras to fill out the group, The Villager reported.

Whatever happened to ... Donostia?

Several readers have asked about Donostia, the cafe that serves traditional Basque small plates and drinks at 155 Avenue B between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

A reader who lives nearby said that the gates have been down during announced business hours since late November. (We also haven't seen it open in the past two months.)

There aren't any messages about a closure, temporary or permanent, on the Donostia website or social media properties. Their phone is still in service, though it points to the cafe's website to make a reservation. The website says to call the cafe or send an email to make a reservation. No one responded to our email query about Donostia's status.

However, one user at Yelp, which lists the cafe as closed, added an item on Jan. 17 noting: "I emailed them to make a reservation. They responded that they're moving locations and will post and update soon. Can't wait!"

Donostia opened in November 2013 to positive notices. The operators were able to keep that momentum. In 2017, Food & Wine named them one of "The Best Wine Bars In the U.S." This past October, Michelin named Donostia as one of its Bib Gourmand-designated restaurants for the fourth consecutive year.

Perhaps a new location will serve Donostia better. In 2017, co-owner Jorge de Yarza reportedly joined forces with developer Gregg Singer, who has been trying, for 20-plus years, to covert the former P.S. 64 building around the corner on 10th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C into student housing. DNAinfo reported that de Yarza helped gather nearly 900 signatures in support of the dorm plan, asking the city to allow it to move forward.

Per a DNAinfo story published in October 2017:

The massive building's prolonged vacancy has made the block dark and unsafe, and has encouraged loitering, de Yarza added.

"All the places in the immediate area, they suffer," he said. "It's one of those stretches of 10th Street you don't even want to walk by, and it's a shame."

According to a post at the Lo-Down from September 2017, de Yarza also helped Singer support candidates running against Carlina Rivera in the most recent District 2 City Council race. Rivera, who won the election, is an ally of the outgoing Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who has long opposed the dorm plan.

Donostia opens tomorrow on Avenue B

The tapas bar/cafe opens tomorrow morning at 155 Avenue B at East 10th Street, per the signs on the gate. We don't honestly know much about the place other than what was on their application for a beer-wine license back in May.

• Listed food: "Spanish tapas, sandwiches, salads, meats, cheeses, etc."

• "The principal has worked as an employee at several fine dining establishments including Craft, db Bistro Moderne, Estiatorio Milos."

There is also a small retail component here as well … selling "Spanish specialty goods," per CB3 documents. The space, previously home to Zee's Pet Shop (now on East 13th Street), has been meticulously renovated.

[Photos by Bobby Williams]