Boukiés opens tomorrow

The Post has a feature today on new Greek restaurants around the city... and they note that Boukiés opens tomorrow on Second Avenue and East Second Street. It's the latest place from restaurateur Christos Valtzoglou, who also owns Pylos on Seventh Street. Previously, this space was home to the short-lived Heartbreak Cafe.

Previously.

Brown out at Boukies

There's noticeable work taking place at the former Heartbreak Cafe on the southwest corner of Second Street and Second Avenue... Workers recently painted the exterior from that red ...

to this...

[Bobby Williams]

Owner Christos (Pylos) Valtzoglou is planning on opening a place called Boukies that will specialize in small plates of Greek food

Many years back, the address here was home to The Second Avenue Theatre, later the Molly Picon, a Yiddish-language playhouse built in 1911. This info is via the invaluable New York Songlines. As the site notes, Walter Matthau got his start playing bit parts here.

For more information, we turn to Cinema Treasures. "David Kessler’s 2nd Avenue Theatre opened on September 14, 1911 and was the first of the Yiddish theatres to open along the 'Rialto.'" In 1958, the theatre went dark and was demolished for a parking lot.

Here's a photo of the theatre in its heyday via a Cinema Treasures reader.

For more on Yiddish theatre along lower Second Avenue ... visit The Villager here ... and here.

Signs of life at former Heartbreak space

Heartbreak, the Swiss-German eatery, closed last October after short run on Second Avenue and Second Street ... As Scoopy first noted at The Villager, owner Christos (Pylos) Valtzoglou is planning on opening a place called Boukies that will specialize in small plates of Greek food — mostly meze...

There's some progress to report. The Heartbreak sign is gone.

And there's a menu for Boukies up now...

Diner's Journal reported that Boukies will open in March.

Coming soon to the former Heartbreak space: Boukies

In his Nov. 10 column at The Villager, Scoopy had news about Heartbreak, the Swiss-German eatery that closed here in October on Second Avenue and Second Street. Scoopy got the word that Heartbreak owner Christos Valtzoglou would open a small-plates Greek place.

Yesterday, Diner's Journal had more details on the new venture: Boukies is scheduled to open in March. "It will specialize in small plates of Greek food, mainly meze, and offer only two main courses: whole grilled branzino and lamb chops."

As you probably know, Valtzoglou also owns Pylos on Seventh Street.

New life for the Heartbreak space

In his column at The Villager this week, Scoopy has the following news about the eatery that closed here last month on Second Avenue and Second Street:

"[A]ccording to owner Christos Valtzoglou, the former German-Swiss eatery will soon be reborn as a Greek, small-plate-style eatery. “Why? Because I’m Greek, that’s one good reason. Also, I own Pylos,” Valtzoglou told us, referring to his Greek restaurant on Seventh St. between First Ave. and Avenue A."

Heartbreak closed for good

Last week we heard the news that Heartbreak Cafe on Second Avenue at Second Street had closed for renovations. Diner's Journal reported this morning that the German-Swiss restaurant has closed for good. [Via Grub Street]

Flashback to this corner on Oct. 12, 2009 ... during construction...

Heartbreak at Heartbreak

Eater noted the great news/awful news for Heartbreak, the Germanic-themed restaurant on Second Avenue and Second Street ... they were included in the recently unveiled Michelin New York restaurant guide this year ... Unfortunately, as Eater also reported yesterday, Heartbreak is currently "closed for renovations." So they won't be able to immediately take advantage of the Michelin windfall...