Fab Cafe now open, serving Mud coffee

CuppaCuppa recently closed on East Fourth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... As promised, the Fourth Arts Block would take over the cafe...

And well: The FAB Cafe is now open... They're also serving Mud coffee....

Queen Vic opens today (and without an awning!)

After the quick succession of 2x4, Ambiance, Evolution...it looks as if the awning streak comes to end here at Second Avenue and Fourth Street... oh, and the Brit-style pub/eatery opens today....



And here's the menu ... or at least the parts of it that I photographed... There's an English menu with Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips, Toad-in-a-Hole... and "an American Grille Menu" featuring deep-fried hot dogs and Buffalo wings... There's also an Afternoon High Tea...





Pints seem pricy... $8.50 for a Bass or Guinness?

Keeping the awning record alive

Work on the Queen Vic, an English-style pub/eatery, continues here at Second Avenue and Fourth Street ...



Looks like we're in for another awning after 2x4, Ambiance, Evolution...

Start the Evolution again!: Surprisingly, flair bar fails to ignite on Second Avenue

Oh boy. Faithful readers of this space many may know that we've been following the saga of this space on Second Avenue and Fourth Street through various incarnations/awnings...2x4, Ambiance, Evolution..

And now! Not really a surprise, but... Evolution has given way to a new UK-style pub....




Thanks to EV grieve reader Tad for these above photos....

Meanwhile, please bow your heads for a last look at Evolution.... from a video that we shot in January...



"Yes, that's very nice Young Flanagan... but I just wanted a fucking bottle of Bud."


Previously on EV Grieve:
At Evolution Lounge: Vodka martini, flipped, not stirred...

And...

Previously.

Something for Novogratz-designed-penthouse-home-with-a-driveway watchers

Since making its East Fourth Street debut last month, Novogratz-designed-penthouse-home-with-a-driveway watchers have been curious about the garage here... Just what kind of vehicle will fit in here? Is it even big enough for a garage band? (Eh, sorry.)



So, to my good fortune, as well as for other Novogratz-designed-penthouse-home-with-a-driveway watchers, I got a look inside the garage the other day!



My professional conclusion: Yeah, it's pretty damn small.

Meanwhile! After some 77 days on the market, a "for sale" sign for the penthouse has appeared! After a 15 percent price drop earlier this year... the tab now remains at $3.195 million...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Home with Novogratz-designed penthouse now in full view

Bar (temporary) closure sign shows flair for the dramatic

Here we are outside 2x4/Ambiance/Evolution on Second Avenue at Fourth Street... and why is the bar closed for a few days...?



"Our flair bartenders have entered a flair educational contest."

OK! We'll just continue on our way then...

Previously on EV Grieve:
At Evolution Lounge: Vodka martini, flipped, not stirred...

Fourth Street, 9:12 a.m., April 24

Inside the front door of the Novogratz'd home on East Fourth Street

Yesterday, we posted photos of the scaffolding-free home with the Novogratz-designed penthouse on East Fourth Street... Now, courtesy of EV Grieve reader Mike, we have a shot of inside the front door!



And... looks as ho-hum as the exterior!

Home with Novogratz-designed penthouse now in full view

December!

And now... Hello 238 E. Fourth St.! Well, over here between Avenue A and Avenue B the former one-level construction company razed to become home a multi-million-dollar penthouse by the world-famous Bob and Cortney Novogratz is now in full view...





Is this a garage for a mini-Cooper? (There is a driveway left from the Construction Company that had this address before....)



The owner of 238 E. Fourth St., design writer Sue Hostetler, will live on the first four floors.

The upper-level, "magazine-ready" penthouse is going for $3.75 million... Dunno if that price includes periodic visits by the "9 By Design" troop...

A note for the irresponsible dog owners

On East Fourth Street near Avenue B.

East Fourth Street's Novogratz-designed penthouse now on the market

Prepare yourselves for 238 E. Fourth St. near Avenue B, where the superduperfaboo Bob and Cortney Novogratz designed the $4 million penthouse apartment...



The listing is now live. Let's see just how superduperfaboo it is! According to the Corcoran listing:

Step directly from your private, key-lock elevator onto your 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath Penthouse condominium. Offering the highest caliber of finishes, every detail is customized from the Boffi Kitchen outfitted with Macassar Ebony cabinetry and stainless steel countertops to California Closets in all 3 bedrooms. The Great Room soars with 10.5 foot loft ceilings, woodburning fireplace and sunflooded, oversized windows with North and South open city views. Then take your private stairs or elevator directly onto the largest ipe-and-concrete decked terrace you've ever seen in the EV with sweeping Empire and Chrysler building views. Enclosed with sleek glass railings, this terrace is equipped with a Summer kitchen and wiring for outdoor theatre. The first floor of this duplex lends a gracious air of privacy for the 3 bedrooms, all of which have gorgeous sunlight and charming treetop views. The Master bedroom has TWO walk-in custom Cali closets, a sumptuous 5-fixture Master bath suite with dual vanity, oversized glass-enclosed shower and freestanding soaking tub. A large window floods the Master bathroom with all-day natural night. Additional luxury add-ons include radiant heat in all rooms, Crestron security system, and custom baseboard moldings. This finish quality is seen only is magazine-ready, designer homes. Extremely low common charges. Walk to the chicest East Village restaurants, steps to trendy Lower East Side and hottest upscale Bowery venues and gallerie.

At this point in the post, EV Grieve has passed out, overcome by the most wretched excessive East Village real-estate description this week! So please look at the photos and floor plan...







And the price: $3.75 million.

P.S. See more of the Novogratz clan on Bravo when their "9 by Design" reality show debuts April 13 on Bravo.

Trying to guess what the Novogratzers put up on East Fourth Street

We've been keeping tabs on 238 E. Fourth St. near Avenue B, where the superduperfaboo Bob and Cortney Novogratz (BoCoNo) designed the $4 penthouse apartment...



Full-steam ahead still on the construction! And, recently, I saw a new addition to the exterior.... I'll admit I don't know much in the way of fancy exterior lights and awnings and what not... But what, exactly, are these...? At first glance I thought they were showerheads... And was BoCoNo responsible?






Previously.

Is America's greatest family moving to the East Village?

We're still reeling from the feature in yesterday's Post on the superduperfaboo Novogratz family...

After reading this, you may want to move to, say, Greenland. Or someplace where aren't TVs. And we pretty much have to excerpt the entire article:

Two gorgeous, self-taught downtown designers with seven young urban kids are set to become Manhattan's next reality-TV stars. Think "Jon & Kate Plus 8" meets "Sex and the City."

Artsy downtown couple Bob and Cortney Novogratz, who gut-renovate dilapidated city buildings and transform them into multimillion-dollar homes, are set to star in "9 by Design," a Bravo reality show premiering April 5 that chronicles their chaotic Manhattan life where real estate is the constant family drama.

Their shenanigans could make Bob and Cortney the latest New Yorkers you love to hate -- with some viewers likely to be outraged by the manic couple's constant uprooting of their kids, and others embracing them as the coolest and most photogenic TV parents since Mrs. Partridge and Billy Ray Cyrus.

Cameras follow the nomadic Novogratz clan -- they've moved more than 15 times within a five-mile radius -- as Bob and Cortney scramble to find a temporary apartment in one day after renting out their mansion at 5 Centre Market Place in SoHo.

They check out a $14,000-a-month East Village rental and briefly consider renting out an old bar where they would bathe their newborn in the urinal. They eventually settle on a two-bedroom apartment where all the kids have to share a 12 x 14 bedroom.

During the eight-episode season, Cortney gives birth, the couple builds their first boutique hotel on the Jersey Shore, and designs a private gym in Hoboken, NJ, a beach house in Amagansett and a townhouse in the East Village.

"We wanted to show off New York City like 'Sex and the City' did," said Bob, 46, who is filmed scooting around SoHo on his Vespa with his pregnant wife on the back of the bike.

"Building in the city is stressful," said Cortney, 38. "People can relate to moving whether they've moved once or as many times as we have. We've lost track of how many times we've moved over the past 17 years." Twice, the family has moved three times in one year.

The chronic flippers live in their homes while renovating, then sell them and move on to their next project.

The family currently lives in a five-bedroom, 8,000-square-foot townhouse at 400 West St., where they've built an indoor basketball court for the kids. But Bob and Cortney are already getting bored; they've listed the property for just under $20 million and are eyeing a move to the East Village.

"The kids may end up in therapy," Bob jokes on the show. Indeed, the couple actually named their fifth child "Five."

The Novogratz kids, Wolfgang, 12; twins Bellamy and Tallulah, 11; Breaker, 9; twins Five and Holleder, 4, and Major, 1, attend three different schools.

Meanwhile, as you may know, work continues at 238 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B where the former one-level construction company was razed to become a BoCoNo-designed $4 million penthouse.



Previously on EV Grieve:
A Manhattan family that intrigues, intimidates and nauseates

[Photo via]

Evolution looking for attractive female bartenders "who are willing to learn how to serve flair"

Yesterday we noted the (re)opening of Evolution on Second Avenue and Fourth Street...The lounge has posted an ad on Craigslist for two female bartenders.

To the listing! (which they posted in all caps):

EVOLUTION
68 2ND AVENUE(CORNER OF 4TH STREET)
NEW YORK NY 10003

WE ARE SMALL CHIC LOUNGE LOOKING FOR ATTRACTIVE EXPERIENCED WOMAN WHO ARE PROFESSIONAL BARTENDERS WHO WILL TRAIN EASY.
JUST OPENED THREE WEEKS AGO AND ARE WORKING WITH PROMOTERS
NEED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT EXPECTING TO EARN $300 PER SHIFT. AND LEAVE IF THEY DO NOT LOOKING FOR PROFESSIONALS WHO CAN STICK IT OUT FOR A FEW MONTHS TILL WE TAKE OFF. WE HAVE ALREADY HAD SUCCESSFUL NIGHTS WITH CELEBRITY PARTYS AND WILL CONTINUE.

WE ALSO ARE LOOKING FOR WOMAN WHO ARE WILLING TO LEARN HOW TO SERVE FLAIR.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE FLAIR SKILLS WE WILL TRAIN.WE HAVE TALENTED STAFF WHO LOVE TO TEACH FLAIR

At Evolution Lounge: Vodka martini, flipped, not stirred...

While walking on Second Avenue the other night, I saw that that the Evolution Lounge had (re)opened at Fourth Street...As you may know, we've been following the saga of this space through various incarnations/awnings...2x4, Ambiance, Evolution...




Our old friend Hunter-Gatherer was told by a construction worker last summer that Evolution would feature "flipping bottles, fire tricks…you know, bringing a Las Vegas style bar to New York."

Flipping bottles, eh?





Didn't see any fire tricks, though.

Previously.

238 E. Fourth St. continues its steady progress

Back in August, I noted the rather impressive progress at 238 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B where the former one-level construction company was razed to become a $4 million penthouse by the world-famous Bob and Cortney Novogratz.

The construction netting is off...and the new tenants will be ready to move in by, say, Dec. 15. Well, maybe not. Anyway, onward and upward and stuff...



As a Curbed commenter said about site:

[A]t least they didn't kill the beautiful old tree that in the back of the property between the yards of 3rd and 4th streets. Our new rich neighbors will get to enjoy the loud bar's garden in the backyard of 3rd St bar, the loud bars on Ave. B between 2 & 4. I hope they enjoy paying millions of dollars for all the "color and charm" of the East Village. Welcome to the fuckin neighborhood.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former construction company becoming a two-family home with $4 million penthouse

Car accident on First Avenue and Fourth Street leaves one dead

Streetsblog has the story, with an update here from Gothamist, who's reporting that a 55-year-old woman was killed in the two-vehicle collision.

The Post has just filed a report too, saying the victim was a passenger in the minivan involved in the collision.

[Photo via an EV Grieve reader]

Evolution looking pretty classy (so far!) for a Vegas-style bottle-flipping, fire-trickery-type new bar

At Second Avenue and Fourth Street.

For further reading:
E4volution Mach II? (Hunter-Gatherer)

Previously.

Former construction company becoming a two-family home with $4 million penthouse

Last November, we noted that Bellet Construction at 238 E. 4th Street near Avenue B was coming down... At that time, the paperwork taped to the front said the space will become a two-family residence....



And in April, the building came down.



Now, according to the Post, Bob Novogratz (of the super-awesome family fame!) is "designing and developing a 3,000-square-foot Alphabet City penthouse that should hit the market at $4 million in the next week or so. The penthouse is part of a six-story, 25-foot-wide townhouse at 238 E. Fourth St., between avenues A and B. It was a former industrial space that has been rezoned."

What!

"The townhouse's owner is design writer Sue Hostetler, who plans to live with her family in the first four floors of the townhouse while selling the top two. The Novogratz family is developing the two-floor home through their firm Sixx Design, which is also the name of a Bravo reality TV show they are working on.

"The penthouse comes with a private elevator and a 1,200-square-foot roof garden. Because it is a custom home, Bob says it could be three bedrooms or more (or less) depending on the configuration. Wendy Maitland from Brown Harris Stevens will market the listing."

Here's a progress report. The foundation is coming along...

The Evolution continues to evolve (sort of)

At Second Avenue and Fourth Street. Can't wait to see what the next incarnation of this space is...

Previously.

Oh! Turns out that I don't have to wait long.... Hunter-Gatherer, still pursuing the Bennigan's dream, happened by and saw some serious renovations under way. As he reported:

It looked like a fairly serious change as the interior has been gutted and the exterior walls have come down. As I queried the construction worker regarding the future tenant he said, “evolution”.

“Really”, I said, “what’s the concept”?

“Flair”, he replied, “flipping bottles, fire tricks…you know, bringing a Las Vegas style bar to New York”.

“Wow, sounds great”, I replied……..thinking that the description sounded vaguely similar to the former ethos of the hallowed halls of E4volution/2X4/Ambiance…

And from the HG Photo Department:



I said this in a comment over at HG: Seems the problem before was the concept, not the bar. So the owners decided to gut the bar and keep the concept?