The former Hot Kitchen space is for rent

[Photo by Steven]

The for rent sign arrived back on Monday for 104 Second Ave., the former Hot Kitchen space at Sixth Street.

This officially brings a close to the revolving door of restaurants in the space spanning several months, from Hot Kitchen, the occupant since 2011 to, briefly, Sushi & Sake, to, also briefly, Jiang Diner, which returned to its original Fifth Street outpost.

Now a new tenant can give the space a go. The asking rent is $17,500 for the 1,500 square-foot main space (with another 600 square feet in the basement), per the listing.

The Marshal seizes the former Hot Kitchen space

[Photo by Steven]

The Marshal came calling late last week, seizing the former Hot Kitchen at 104 Second Ave. at Sixth Street.

This marks the latest development in a whirlwind few months at this space. On Feb. 19, the 10-month-old Jiang Diner decamped from the address and returned to to its previous location at 309 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue after just six weeks.

Jiang moved to Second Avenue for a bigger dining room and kitchen to expand their offerings. In a comment on Instagram, Jiang Diner stated: "unfortunately there are some complications with the ... space."

Hot Kitchen opened in September 2011. In 2018, Hot Kitchen transformed its menu and added traditional Sichuan Skewer Hotpot and BBQ to their menu. (They also stopped deliveries.) They eventually closed this past October.

At the beginning of December, a venture called Sushi & Sake started offering Japanese cuisine. That venture lasted a short month before Jiang Diner announced it was moving here. According to the Times back in August, Tao An, the owner of Jiang Diner, was also behind Hot Kitchen.

On second thought, Jiang Diner is moving back to 5th Street

After six weeks at 104 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, Jiang Diner is returning to its previous location at 309 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue ...



There isn't any reason cited on the note to patrons, other than that Jiang Diner, which offers Northwestern Chinese cuisine, including the popular Xinjiang big plate chicken, will be back on Fifth Street starting today.

So to recap: Jiang Diner, which has been a hit since opening last spring on Fifth Street, moved to the former Hot Kitchen space on Second Avenue. (According to the Times back in August, Tao An, the owner of Jiang Diner, was also behind Hot Kitchen.)

The Fifth Street location was set to become a quick-serve establishment...


[Photo on 5th Street from Jan. 4]

So 104 Second Ave., long stuck under that sidewalk bridge, will be vacant again. As we've noted, Hot Kitchen, the Sichuan specialists, went from serving terrific food to a more pedestrian hotpot.

At the beginning of December, the restaurant started offering Japanese cuisine under the name Sushi & Sake. That venture lasted a short month.

Thank you to Steven for the photos and tip!

Previously

Jiang Diner opening a second East Village outpost

Jiang Diner, which has become a hit since opening last spring at 309 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, is opening a second outpost that debuts tomorrow (Jan. 7).

The Diner, which offers Northwestern Chinese cuisine, including the popular Xinjiang big plate chicken, is moving around the corner to 104 Second Ave. The current location will become a quick-serve establishment. A note for patrons on Fifth Street offers an explanation...

In order to serve a more extensive variety of Northwestern Chinese food to our valued customers, Jiang Diner is moving to a new location in the East Village at 104 2nd Ave. with a better equipped kitchen on Jan. 7, 2020.

We will serve new fast-service Chinese inspired dishes such as wonton, noodles, and congees at this location. We kindly welcome you to stop by both of our locations to explore the electric taste of Chinese cuisine!

So, 104 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street was Hot Kitchen. As we've noted, the Sichuan specialists went from serving terrific food to a more pedestrian hotpot.

At the beginning of December, the restaurant started 0ffering Japanese cuisine under the name Sushi & Sake ... and by this past weekend, the place was closed...


[Photo Saturday by Steven]

According to the Times back in August, Tao An, the owner of Jiang Diner, was also behind Hot Kitchen:

He also owns the nearby Hot Kitchen, a Sichuan restaurant, but the proliferation of Sichuan spots in downtown Manhattan has meant tougher competition and difficulty retaining chefs, Mr. An said. Jiang Diner began as a way for him to serve the Xinjiang-style food he loved as a young man growing up in Beijing, and to offer the neighborhood a different option.

It's not known at the moment who was running the Japanese restaurant in the Hot Kitchen space these past few weeks.

In any event, as of yesterday, Jiang Diner signage is now outside No. 104 ...


[Photo by Steven]

... as is a variation of the sign from Fifth Street...



H/T to Eden and Steven!

Hot Kitchen pivots to Sushi & Sake on 2nd Avenue

Hot Kitchen, the authentic Sichuan restaurant, closed at the end of October over at 104 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

Word here was that ownership planned to changed up concepts in the weeks ahead. And so they did.

As the top photo via Steven shows, Hot Kitchen will now be serving Japanese cuisine under the name of — presumably — Sushi & Sake. Expect a soft opening this week.

Hot Kitchen opened in 2011... and eventually moved away from the more traditional (and adventurous) Chinese-menu offerings in place of hotpot and BBQ. They also curtailed delivery last year. See the reader comments here for more.

Hot Kitchen closes on 2nd Avenue

That's all for Hot Kitchen at 104 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...



The no-frills, authentic Sichuan restaurant opened in 2011. Last year, Hot Kitchen transformed its menu and added traditional Sichuan Skewer Hotpot and BBQ to their menu.

Apparently another transformation is afoot. A worker yesterday told EVG correspondent Steven that they'd reopen in a few weeks with a new name.

Hot Kitchen will no longer offer deliveries

If you've walked by Hot Kitchen on Second Avenue near Sixth Street in the past few days, then you likely noticed the above sign on the restaurant's front door...

HOT KITCHEN NOTIFICATION

We have been providing authentic Sichuan food to our dearest patrons for over 7 years and pride ourselves in Sichuan culture. We are now excited to introduce you to 2 great symbols of Sichuan cuisine:

ChuanChuanXiang

Sichuan Street Kebabs

These dishes give you the option of selecting from a various range of barebecue skewers of seasoned meats and vegetables or you can order seasoned meats and vegetables that you can cook in a spciy broth. This will be available for order all day, but due to the interactive mode of preparing this meal it will not be available for pick up or delivery.

While we revamped our menu we decided to keep the most popular options from our best value daily lunch specials for dine in and pick up between 12-4:30 pm. We regret to inform you that HOT KITCHEN will no longer be offering delivery serivces.

We look forward to being the first to serve you traditional Sichuan, ChuanChuanXiang and Sichuan Street Kebabs and introducing you to a new flavor of China.

Interesting (and bold?) move ... unless deliveries didn't make up much of their overall revenue and/or they didn't want to keep using third-party restaurant delivery services that take fees and commissions.

Thanks to Perri Silver for the photo!

Hot Kitchen is back open

[Photo by Steven]

Hot Kitchen is back in action today at 104 Second Ave.

The Sichuan restaurant here at East Sixth Street had been closed for three weeks after the building's landlord had work done on the main gas pipe.

On Thursday, the restaurant posted a sign with emojis to show their frustration at having to wait for Con Ed to turn the gas back on...

And obviously this is good news as well for the building's residents and the other storefront, Lions BeerStore.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Gas work in building temporarily shuts down Hot Kitchen on 2nd Avenue

The wait for the gas to return at Hot Kitchen explained with emojis

[Updated] The wait for the gas to return at Hot Kitchen explained with emojis

[Photo last month by Steven]

On Nov. 21, Hot Kitchen, the Sichuan restaurant at 104 Second Ave. near East Sixth Street, closed after the building's landlord had work done on the main gas pipe, per a sign on the door.

Three weeks later, and Hot Kitchen remains closed. And the restaurant has new signs on the door communicating their frustration in a way that we can all understand — via emojis...




[New photos via Steven]

So, per the sign, the building's plumber completed the pressure test and filed a request for turn on with Con Ed on Dec. 3.

And they are still waiting...



Updated 12/12

Hot Kitchen is back open.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Gas work in building temporarily shuts down Hot Kitchen on 2nd Avenue

Gas work in building temporarily shuts down Hot Kitchen on 2nd Avenue

Hot Kitchen, the Sichuan restaurant at 104 Second Ave. near East Sixth Street, has been closed this past week.

EVG correspondent Steven passes along a photo of the signage on Hot Kitchen's front door...



The note explains that ConEd has shut off the restaurant's meter "due to the work [the] landlord is doing to the building main gas piping."

The note also says they hope it will take a week or less to compete the repairs. That seems awfully optimistic given how long it has taken gas service to return to other East Village restaurants, such as Second Avenue neighbor B&H Dairy. On Avenue A and St. Mark's Place, Nino's and Yoshi Sushi have been closed for five weeks now due to a gas issue in its building.

And of course, Hot Kitchen sits nearly directly across the Avenue from the site of the deadly gas explosion this past March 26.

DOH temporarily closes Hot Kitchen

~evilsugar25 pointed out in the comments yesterday that new EV Grieve favorite Hot Kitchen on Second Avenue and Sixth Street got DOH'd ... the notice is dated Friday. Apparently the paperwork hasn't been filed online — didn't see a report at the DOH website just yet... Regardless, we'll be back when they reopen...

2 reasons to try Hot Kitchen, probably

Dave on 7th passes along this sign that he spotted on Seventh Street and Second Avenue... We're unsure if this is supposed to be for or against Hot Kitchen, the Sichuan restaurant that opened last September on Second Avenue near Sixth Street.

In the end, we think this is supposed to be for the place, because their chef doesn't cook and smoke at the same time... and the delivery people don't nibble on your food...

Regardless, Hot Kitchen is a good spot that we like ... and they also like it at New York magazine and the Voice... the NYC Food Guy ...

Hot Kitchen now open on Second Avenue

Hot Kitchen opened Thursday at 104 Second Ave. near Sixth Street. (The owners received the OK from the CB3/SLA in August to serve beer and wine with their Chinese cuisine...)

It seems like a nice, normal restaurant...

Nothing artisanal featuring tea seed oil from a grove of Camellia oleifera trees brought in daily from the southern Zhejiang province, the seeds of which are hand-pressed in the back room ... Uh, anyway, the food is pretty tasty — we got a few vegetable and rice dishes ... and there are more adventurous dishes on the menu, like "dry sauteed pig intestine with red chili" ($14) or "steamed fish head with minced pickle pepper" ($21).

Here is a quick look at part of the menu...

...delivery service starts next week ... so until then...