Teriyaki in a hurry on Third Avenue

The space that housed the Village Crown Moroccan restaurant on Third Avenue near 12th Street has sat empty for years... until now...

Matt Damon pop art on Third Avenue

The southwest corner of Third Avenue and 11th Street above the Village Pourhouse is prime movie ad space...

And until the Cher-Christina Aguilera ad went up ...



you could still catch a little leftover Matt Damon...



It's from the ad for August 2009 release "The Informant."



The remnants look like some half-finished photorealist painting by Chuck Close...



Thankfully, we weren't treated to leftovers of this instead...



Anyway, I wonder how long this little bit of Matt Damon sticks around...

Meat coming to the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue

We've been wondering what might be coming here to the former Robin Raj space... And Patrick Hedlund at DNAinfo has the answer: An outpost of 5 Napkin Burger, or a variation of it.

Rebecca Marx at the Voice last week named the 5 Five Napkin veggie burger as the best in the city.

Meanwhile, this is NOT their veggie burger:



Previously on EV Grieve:
All your Robin Raj news here.

New tenant making move on southwest corner of 14th and Third

After sitting dormant for nearly 22 months, the prime patch of real estate on the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue apparently has an incoming tenant... workers just put up the freshly painted green plywood...





Robin Raj moved a few hundred feet away on Third Avenue in early 2009... At the time, Curbed heard from the RR guys that the new landlord wanted $60,000 a month in rent. (Heh, oh boy...)

I quickly looked at the DOB records... nothing too alarming afoot... nothing like, a mate for 123 Third Ave. ... Per the DOB:

Application is filed to combine two buildings. General construction, plumbing structural work, install new storefront, install temporary wood fence to be removed upon completion of work...

Even with three Duane Reades and one Walgreens within a block or two of here ... I have to go with a Duane Reade...

Previously on EV Grieve:
All your Robin Raj news here.

Pedestrian struck by Cadillac on Third Avenue

Vautrin, a photographer whose work we have published here before, sent along these photos. As Vautrin notes, last night at 9:09, a Cadillac sedan turning from 8th Street/Astor Place onto Third Avenue struck a pedestrian in the crosswalk. Police arrived in due course. Ambulance from Beth Israel arrived very promptly. From the photo, the pedestrian appears to have suffered a lower right leg/ankle/foot injury. And the smile on the face of the ambulance attendant in the last photo may be taken as a relatively favorable sign.

Street Fair!

On Third Avenue from 14th Street to Sixth Street...




..with plenty of the usual food options... something for the post World Cup crowd pouring out of Nevada Smith's...

"Watch moon rises, storms on the horizon" from this Third Avenue penthouse

Or, if $1.4 million is a little too much for you, consider this 520-square-foot penthouse studio across the street at 111 Third Ave.

And, as usual, we start with the listing:

Spacious Penthouse Studio with open eastern views over East Village all the way to the river and the bridges. Watch moon rises, storms on the horizon, everything. Magnificent view. Kitchen and bathroom are brand new, mint renovations with classic modern styling. Kitchen has stainless steel appliances including a dishwasher and slim profile refrigerator, and black and stainless gas range. Kitchen opens wide to alcove and view. This studio has a separate entry foyer where one can easily create a gallery, library or home office. The closet space is tremendous. The former dressing room is now incorporated into the sleek bathroom creating a sumptuous windowed bathroom. The building has a beautifully landscaped common roofdeck which one accesses right down the hall from this apartment. It would serve as your own patio! Perfect for entertaining. This is a condop building with most buying scenarios possible including parental assistance and pied-a-terres. DEBUT OPEN HOUSE: Sun Jun 13 2010 1:30-3P

So, let's check out the loo...



counter space and fridge...




...the laundry room...



...and views...




Aside from moons and storms, looks as if you get views of ConEd and NYU too.

Asking price: $519,000.

World Famous Pee Phone getting competition

We'll be keeping an eye on this upstart on Third Avenue near 12th Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New prices for the world famous Pee Phone wiped away

Something Sweet for Third Avenue and NYU

The former Atlantic News on Third Avenue and NYU is becoming....



...something called Just Sweet Dessert House....



According to their Web site:

With an Asian-theme menu choice, our inspiration comes from a balanced fusion of contemporary and traditional culture. Our menu selections are inspired from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, and Korea.

We strive to introduce unique selections of desserts into the local marketplace. Our featured desserts include Taiwanese Shaved Ice, Chinese Tong Sui, Crepes, frozen drinks, and seasonal specials.

Dumpster of the Day

Third Avenue at NYU. Full of dorm furniture!

Saint's Alp Teahouse reopens on June 26

Saint's Alp Teahouse on Third Avenue at NYU closed on April 5 for renovations... as the sign out front shows, the joint reopens on June 26... and will now serve things like fish cakes, spicy noodles and peppery squid... because you can't really find food like this for at least one block...

So far so good at The Penny Farthing, but how about the possible not-actually-secret secret downstairs lounge?

EV Grieve reader Margaret decided to stop by The Penny Farthing last evening ... it's new place on the southeast corner of 13th Street and Third Avenue....it was the former Cafe DeVille, who never returned from vacation last summer.

Here's what she had to say:

"[T]hey've definitely reimagined the space. In the old cafe, the bar seemed pretty secondary, but it seems pretty front and center now.

Right in the middle is a large table, and it looks like they've partitioned off some tables for diners over on the left. The old
bicycle wheels are definitely up, as is a decent draft/bottled beer list.

The hostess said the downstairs area is not open yet, as it's more for the Thursday through Saturday night crowd. My fingers are crossed that a "Thursday night crowd" does not mean frat-tactic. The people there tonight definitely seemed a little more mature, so maybe there is hope! And there are 4ish large TVs up in the space. Interesting mix of bar and restaurant, that's for sure.

And the menu....



And what about that "downstairs area?"

"There's now a sign on the door to it on 13th that says 'PF 13,' which makes me think it's going to try to be the new not-actually-secret secret place.'"

Cosmic Cantina is closing

NYU fave Cosmic Cantina on Third Avenue near 13th Street...



is moving on in June, as the sign says...

(Updated) A Penny Farthing for your thoughts

[Apologies for that headline!] Next door to Cosmic Cantina we have Penny Farthing (named for an old-timey bicycle) in the former Cafe DeVille space looking very ready for action...





As Grub Street reported, it will have a "very industrial but comfortable atmosphere" courtesy of the folks behind Phebe's. How many times did someone proofread those signs to make sure that no one wrote Penny Farting?

The signs went up on Friday... and I spotted a bread delivery out front on Sunday morning... perhaps Opening Day is imminent.



Eater reports that Penny Farting opens tonight... and they'll be serving Appletinis and stuff.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here's Penny-farthing on Third Avenue, not a sports bar

At the former Cafe DeVille, the black plastic goes up, the dead potted plants go out

Street fair!

Third Avenue north of 14th Street...

Breaking: Oh, God! No! No! NOOOOOOOO!

Going up a little bit ago on Third Avenue and 11th Street.