Extra Place may not be such a quiet place too much longer

Over the years, Momofuku Ko has been the only restaurant to have any success in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue. 

Momofuku Ko closed last November, though the company kept the space as a ghost kitchen (and one of two ghost kitchens back here). The other tenant is the Japanese housewares boutique Nalata Nalata in the corner space at First Street. 

So, ICYMI: Last week, the Times reported that Paul Carmichael, Momofuku's Australia-based chef, will open a new restaurant in the former Ko space focusing on Caribbean cuisine

Ko, which started on First Avenue in 2008, relocated to Extra Place in November 2014 (it increased its EP footprint in 2017).

Over the years, Extra Place, the former alley behind CBGB, has seen a handful of restaurants and businesses come and go, such as Red Hook Lobster Pound, Heidi and the cleverly named Extra Place. (Some music history: Danny Fields photographed the Ramones for their third album, Rocket to Russia, along here in 1977.) 

In January 2007, reps for Avalon Bowery Place unveiled plans to make Extra Place a unique destination, "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."

Lately, it has been a pretty quiet place, with just a few local residents using the walkway to exercise their dogs in the evenings.

A new surface for Extra Place

[Photos from Saturday]

Been about 2.5 years since we mentioned anything about Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue... workers recently replaced the concrete sidewalk...



And the space remains quiet. The main tenant back here, David Chang's Momofuku Ko, hasn't reopened yet from the COVID-19 PAUSE. The Japanese housewares boutique Nalata Nalata has the corner space and there's also a prep kitchen for Daniel Boulud at the end of the walkway.

Through the years, only Momofuku Ko has had any success in this former alley that ran behind CBGB. (Danny Fields photographed the Ramones for their third album, Rocket to Russia, here in 1977.)

As noted here through the years, a handful of restaurants and businesses have come and gone, such as Red Hook Lobster Pound.

In January 2007, reps for Avalon Bowery Place unveiled plans to make Extra Place "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


[Tony's Place?]

Previously on EV Grieve:
• With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

• Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Holiday music from Howl! Happening

Over in Extra Place off First Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery ...Howl! Happening is presenting some "Cool Bowery 'Sounds" for the holidays.

Press play to hear Christmas songs by the Fleshtones, Stiv Bators, the Ramones and the Dickies, among others...

Extra Place is all pretty much Momofuku Ko now

In January 2007, WWD ran a story titled "Extra Place: Paris on the Lower East Side." At that time, reps for Avalon Bowery Place unveiled plans to make Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue, "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


As noted here in these subsequent years, a handful of restaurants and businesses have come and gone. The most recent casualty was Red Hook Lobster Pound, which went dark last April.


[Photo from April 2017]

Only David Chang's Momofuku Ko has had any success in this former alley that ran behind CBGB. Momofuku Ko, which relocated to 8 Extra Place from First Avenue in November 2014, expanded into some adjacent storefronts late last summer.



Now it appears that Momofuku Ko has nearly three-quarters of the Place. The Japanese housewares boutique Nalata Nalata has the corner space at No. 2. No. 18 is a prep kitchen for Daniel Boulud. The space that housed the Lobster Pound is now storage.



There's still a sign up in Extra Place optimistically noting "open to the public & public seating." Maybe Momofuku Ko will one day offer to serve its $195 tasting menu outdoors.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

A few more details on Momofuku Ko (aka, TBD) coming to Extra Place

David Chang's Momofuku Ko is expanding in Extra Place

Momofuku Ko remains closed as expansion-related work continues in Extra Place

As first noted back in May, David Chang's Momofuku Ko was expanding in the extra quiet Extra Place off of First Street here between the Bowery and Second Avenue.

The restaurant remains closed with the renovations in progress...



The plans submitted to CB3 show a bigger waiting area, six or seven more tables and an expanded bar/chef counter. There will also be a new entrance.

The sign on the door notes a closure until Sept. 6. According to the Ko website, "our re-opening date may change. We encourage you to revisit our website for the latest updates." In May, Chang told Eater that he did not anticipate the restaurant having to close during renovation.

Momofuku Ko relocated to 8 Extra Place from First Avenue in November 2014. To date, this is the only business to succeed in Extra Place since its debut 10 years ago.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

A few more details on Momofuku Ko (aka, TBD) coming to Extra Place

David Chang's Momofuku Ko is expanding in Extra Place

David Chang's Momofuku Ko is expanding in Extra Place

[The current front entrance of Momofuku Ko at 8 Extra Place]

Not too many businesses have had any success in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off of First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue.

Red Hook Lobster Pound was the most recent casualty in this former alley that ran behind CBGB. (Read about the history of Extra Place dating to 1800 here.)

That is with the exception of David Chang's Momofuku Ko, which relocated to 8 Extra Place from First Avenue in November 2014.

Things have been going so well here, apparently, at the critically acclaimed Ko, where the tasting menu is $195 per person, that they are expanding.

Chang and company are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for an alteration of an existing liquor license. According to the paperwork on file at the CB3 website, they are creating a new waiting/dining area with 6-7 tables and 14 seats for a kitchen counter/bar. (You can read their questionnaire/PDF here.)

Here's a diagram at the CB3 website with what the expanded Ko will look like...


[Click for a better look]

The paperwork appears on the doorway of 12 Extra Place, which will be the new entrance...





The sign for the now-closed boutique Inventory remains above the doorway.

The space looks to be in use as an office right now...





So a quick Extra Place business recap: The Japanese housewares boutique Nalata Nalata has the corner space at No. 2. Momofuku Ko will take up No. 4 through 12 (or 14). No. 16 was the Red Hook Lobster Pound. No. 18 is a prep kitchen for Daniel Boulud.

Moving forward Momofuku Place might be a better name for Extra Place.

The May SLA committee meeting is next Monday (the 15th!) at 6:30 p.m. Location: Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

A few more details on Momofuku Ko (aka, TBD) coming to Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound closed for now in Extra Place

Every restaurant with an outdoor cafe seemed to be doing brisk business yesterday ... then we looked in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue.

Red Hook Lobster Pound, which opened at 16 Extra Place in April 2014, didn't appear to be open. And they have outdoor seating.

Sure enough... a sign on the door says that are closed until further notice...



It appears to be a more permanent closure. The Extra Place address has been scrubbed from the Red Hook website.



It could be a seasonal closing... however, Red Hook's Montauk location has a "closed for the season" message next to its address.



As previously reported, nothing has really worked in the former alley that ran behind CBGB...



A handful of restaurants and businesses have come and gone in recent years. Only David Chang's Momofuku Ko remains.

Ten years have passed since we first heard about Avalon Bowery Place's plan to make Extra Place "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

Extra Place now graffiti free (for the moment)

On Friday, someone painted over all the tags in Extra Place…



…the seven-years-in the-making-and-failing-so-far pedestrian mall behind the former alley behind CBGB…



Not sure why the tags were painted over. Because someone deemed them unsightly? Too make way for some new art project? Patrons of the recently opened Momofuku Ko didn't like looking at them?

Dunno!

As for the Momofuku Ko here that took the place of the restaurants Heidi and Extra Place… Per Eater:

Momofuku Ko... has raised the price of dinner to $175, an increase of $50 over the old menu. With that higher cost come more indulgences: the two-Michelin-starred restaurant has lengthened the menu to 17-courses.

So what does this all mean for your wallet? A meal for two at Ko, after tax and tip, will cost $451, a 40 percent hike over the old cost of $322. Add on beverage pairings at $155, and a dinner date will run you $851.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A look inside the incoming Momofuko Ko on Extra Place

With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Momofuko Ko brings the lucky peach branding to Extra Place

EVG reader Russ happened to notice the discreet sign up at 4-8 Extra Place, where Momofuku Ko is opening a new, larger space…



We haven't been following this one too closely… Eater has some interior details here and here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A look inside the incoming Momofuko Ko on Extra Place

With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

A look inside the incoming Momofuko Ko on Extra Place

We took a walk on a very quiet Extra Place on Friday afternoon, where we spotted a crew working on the new Momofuko Ko space...



As you can see, there looks to be quite a bit of work left on the 25-seat restaurant...





The construction at 4-8 Extra Place hasn't made at least one neighbor too happy...



Meanwhile, across East First Street at the former Veselka Bowery, work continues on the incoming steakhouse-oyster bar Bowery Meat Company ...



... a name that conjures up two nearby former businesses — Bowery Wine Company and Bowery Beef...



Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound now open in Extra Place

[Image via Facebook]

Extra Place is no longer so lonely… Red Hook Lobster Pound officially opened its doors yesterday at 11:30 a.m….

Right now we are opening the doors at #RedHookLobster's newest pound in Manhattan! 16 Extra Place off of 1st st. bt Bowery & 2nd Ave.

— RedHookLobsterPound (@Redhooklobster) April 1, 2014

The well-regarded Red Hook Lobster Pound took over the vacated Oaxaca Taqueria space at 16 Extra Place. (Oaxaca Taqueria moved to East Seventh Street.)

Grub Street, who first reported on the opening yesterday, notes that the Pound has Narragansett Lager, Bronx Brewery's Pale Ale and Allagash White on tap. And they will have outdoor seating once spring is actually really here.

With this and whatever Momofuku is opening down the alley/Place, Extra Place may finally become the dining destination its developers touted some seven years ago, as we've cut-and-paste many times before.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

The La MaMa Galleria will be available to rent starting next summer

Over on East First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue… a sign is up noting that the La MaMa Galleria will be moving...



… and that the space is available starting in July. According to the Great Jones Realty website, the asking rent is $15,000 a month for the 1,800 square feet of space…

No mention of any restrictions on the space… so perhaps it could remain for gallery use… or converted/vented for restaurant use to join the other name restauranteurs setting up nearby...

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

The highly regarded Red Hook Lobster Pound has plans to take over the recently vacated Oaxaca Taqueria space at 16 Extra Place. (Oaxaca Taqueria moved to East Seventh Street.)

According to documents on file ahead of next Monday's CB3/SLA committee meeting, Red Hook Lobster Pound, who is seeking a beer-wine license, will operate a quick-service restaurant here in the former alley behind CBGB ... with proposed hours of 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday-Thursday; until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

You can currently find the traditional Maine lobster rolls and chowders from the husband-and-wife team of Ralph Gorham and Susan Povich out on Van Brunt in Red Hook ... or in their food truck, Big Red, among other various Brooklyn flea markets.

With this and whatever Momofuku is opening down the alley/Place, Extra Place may finally become the dining destination its developers touted some six years ago.

[Image via Facebook]

With move to East 7th Street, Oaxaca Taqueria closes Extra Place location

With the new location at 125 E. Seventh St., Oaxaca Taqueria has closed its Extra Place location, as this photo via EVG reader xomars shows.

So until Momofuko Ko opens in its new home, Extra Place is currently restaurant free…

And the East Seventh Street space between Avenue A and First Avenue was previously home to the Butter Lane cupcakes classroom.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Oaxaca Taqueria opening a new location on East Seventh Street

A few more details on Momofuku Ko (aka, TBD) coming to Extra Place

Extra Place seems extra quiet these days... though likely not for too much longer. As The New York Times first reported, Momofuku Ko is planning to move its "counter-only tasting-menu restaurant" from First Avenue to Extra Place.

Of course, there's a big vacancy here since sister restaurants Extra Place and Heidi closed earlier in the fall at 6-8 Extra Place, the alleyway that runs behind the former CBGB space on the Bowery off of First Street.

Paperwork filed ahead of this month's CB3/SLA committee meeting for 4-8 Extra Place seems to have an air of Kremlin-like secrecy.



There's no mention of Momofuku or chef-founder David Chang on the documents on file at the CB3 website. Just TBD.

As for other details. There will be four tables seating four people each as well as a counter for 25 diners. The proposed hours are from noon to midnight Sunday through Wednesday; until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. There will be 20 employees... and, uh, a sound system featuring an iPod with two small speakers, per the documents.

The Times reported that Momofuku Ko will possibly move by the end of the year.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Now will Extra Place become Extra special?

Now will Extra Place become Extra special?

[ Image via Forgotten New York]

Extra Place has been a fairly popular topic here through the years... about six to be exact.

We first heard of the plans the developers of Avalon Bowery Place had for the former alley that ran behind CBGB six-plus years ago ... Extra Place would become "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


Sure!

To date, nothing has really worked. The latest casualties appear to be sister restaurants Extra Place and Heidi. And across East First Street Veselka Bowery was never a good fit. Other businesses have come and gone. It didn't help that it took four years to finally replace the roadway with a sidewalk and to add lights to Extra Place.

It was still Extra Place though.

Now some big names will give it a whirl. The Times reported that Momofuku Ko will move from First Avenue to Extra Place. And Eater heard that restaurateur John McDonald has signed a lease for a steakhouse/oyster place in the former Veselka Bowery. (Grub Street confirmed it.)

Add this two places to the seemingly popular Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken and L'Apicio nearby in Avalon Bowery Place... an instant upscale dining destination?

As we've asked before about new places coming to Extra Place: Is this all enough to ward off the ghosts of the Bowery's past?

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Extra Place and Heidi looking closed on Extra Place

Several week ago, we noted that Extra Place and Heidi, the sister restaurants along Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off East First Street, were closed for renovation, per a sign at the door.

That sign is gone, and an EVG tipster noted workers removing tables and equipment from the restaurants yesterday... The Extra Place website is no longer active.



In July, CB3 dropped the hammer on the restaurants, denying renewal of its beer and wine license. (Per CB3: "The applicant has usurped a public pedestrian plaza for its private use in violation of New York City Department of Transportation restrictions by setting up an illegal sidewalk café in said public plaza.")

Extra Place was originally on the October CB3/SLA agenda for a new liquor license. However, they were a scratch before Oct. 7's meeting.



The restaurants opened in July 2012,and received fairly positive notices for their food.

At this point, it doesn't appear the restaurants will return... or that Extra Place will ever work as a shopping-dining destination...

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place