On 5th Street, Ace Bar reopens, Tuome adds curbside seats

Ace Bar returned to service on Thursday here at 531 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. They're open for curbside seating from 3-11 p.m. daily with a food menu that includes hot dogs.

Ace Bar, which opened here in 1992, is owned by the same folks who ran Bleecker Bar for 30 years. That bar closed on Aug. 30. "All of our efforts to negotiate a reasonable lease extension with our landlord have failed," the owners stated. They did leave open the possibility of a return elsewhere.

Meanwhile on Fifth Street... Tuome at No. 536 has debuted outdoor seating...



The Michelin-starred restaurant reopened on Aug. 27 for takeout and delivery. Their hours: Tuesday-Saturday 5-9 p.m.

Ace Bar and Tuome join Lavagna and Minca Ramen Factory in dining offerings on this stretch of Fifth near B.

Now if Sophie's could reopen one of these days at the other end of the block...

Tuome reopens on 5th Street for takeout and delivery

Tuome, 536 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, returned to service yesterday for the first time since the PAUSE in March.

For now, the Michelin-starred restaurant is open for takeout and delivery Tuesday-Saturday 5-9 p.m.

Thomas Chen, an accountant turned cook/chef, opened Tuome — billed as serving "contemporary American cuisine with Asian influences" — in August 2014. He worked his way up through the kitchen ranks at Eleven Madison Park before Tuome.

Tuome joins Lavagna and Minca Ramen Factory in dining offerings on this stretch of Fifth near B. On Sept. 3, Ace Bar will reopen with curbside drinks and food.

New signage and a Michelin star for Tuome on 5th Street

Tuome just received some new signage on the previously unmarked storefront here at 536 E. Fifth St.between Avenue A and Avenue B.



This should make the low-key restaurant a little easier to find — especially after yesterday's announcement that it has received a Michelin star.

Tuome was one of 13 new entries to receive a star in NYC from the world's oldest restaurant guide. Here's what Michelin had to say:

Tuome presents a unique and highly personal cuisine. Inspectors found the recent menus to reflect the harmonious balance of sound cooking skills and enticing Asian flavors. Tuome is a charming neighborhood gem.

Meanwhile, several East Village restaurants were awarded again (same as last year):

Two stars:
• Momofuku Ko, 8 Extra Place

One Star:
• Jewel Bako, 239 E. Fifth St.

• Kanoyama, 175 Second Ave.

• Kyo Ya, 94 E. Seventh St.

You can find the full list of NYC recipients at Grub Street. Eater has analysis here.

Thomas Chen, an accountant turned cook/chef, opened Tuome in August 2014. He worked his way up through the kitchen ranks at Eleven Madison Park (three Michelin stars!) before Tuome.

The restaurant is open from 6-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Tuome reopens tonight on East 5th Street

A small kitchen fire on March 29 temporarily put Tuome out of commission at 536 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

And now after a closure these past few weeks for repairs, the well-regarded restaurant reopens for service tonight at 6 (with some new Spring menu items too).

In a statement sent to us, owner-chef Thomas Chen said, "We are so excited to welcome everyone back to Tuome tonight, and feel so thankful for all the support we've received over these past few weeks."

Tuome expected to be back open in another 2 weeks

[Photo of Tuome from August 2014]

As we've been reporting, a small kitchen fire on March 29 temporarily put Tuome out of commission at 536 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Aside from a sign on the door last Thursday…there hasn't been any official notification about the closure from the well-regarded restaurant that opened last August.

Yesterday, though, a Tuome rep sent us this statement:

On behalf of the entire Tuome team, we are relieved to announce that we plan to reopen the restaurant within approximately two weeks following renovations to repair the damages from the kitchen fire we experienced on March 29.

We are very sorry to have disappointed our new and existing guests during this unexpected closure, and we are remarkably grateful to all who have been so supportive since we opened in August 2014. We look forward to reopening as soon as our renovation and cleanup have been completed. Thank you all for your concern and support — we're excited to reopen and to welcome you back to Tuome.

Guayoyo and Tuome remain closed after fires

Guayoyo, the excellent Venezuelan restaurant, has been closed since a basement fire in its building at First Avenue and East Fourth Street on Jan. 13.

The temporarily closed sign remains up on the window for patrons. No word yet on a reopening date.



The dining room is still in a bit of disarray.



Meanwhile, at 536 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, Tuome remained closed this past weekend. A small kitchen fire on March 29 temporarily put them out of commission.

There was a sign up last week noting the restaurant would be closed on Thursday and Friday. The folks at Tuome haven't mentioned the fire or a possible reopening date on its website or social media properties. And no one is answering the phone. As of yesterday morning, what appears to be kitchen equipment sat stacked up in the dining area…

Tuome remains closed on East 5th Street

[Photo from Tuesday evening]

Back on Sunday morning, a small fire broke out in the kitchen of Tuome, the well-regarded new restaurant at 536 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B… a resident who lives in the building said Tuome would be closed at least a week… we walked by on Tuesday night, and found the place closed up… no sign about a temporary closure, and no message on Tuome's social media properties…

There is a sign up now, though… perhaps this means they plan on being back in action tomorrow…

Reader report: Small fire temporarily KOs Tuome on East 5th Street

Yesterday morning, the FDNY reported to a fire at 540 E. Fifth St. (The address was actually 536.)

MAN ALL HANDS 540 E 5 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 1ST FLR,

— FDNY (@FDNY) March 29, 2015

[Photo via @salim]

The FDNY gave the all clear after 30 minutes … however, according to a resident in the building, there was some damage to the kitchen at Tuome, the well-regarded restaurant that opened last August.

Per the resident: "Tuome is gone for at least a week, maybe more. It was an oil fire from their kitchen that had started as early as 7am when I smelled it from upstairs."

The restaurant was closed last night during normal business hours. We weren't able to track down anyone to verify the length of the closure. There isn't any mention of the fire on the Tuome website or social media properties.

The only noticeable remainder from the fire on the outside is…

@evgrieve building and street calm now. A little damage to the vault at tuome: pic.twitter.com/WoCEIUU3Iw

— Salim (@salim) March 29, 2015

Minca Ramen Factory, which shares the address, was open per usual yesterday.

Tuome opens tomorrow on East 5th Street

Thomas Chen, an accountant turned cook/chef, is opening his first restaurant tomorrow at 536 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

New York magazine has a sneak preview of the 45-seat restaurant "where he’ll meld his classic training and Chinese-American ancestry in a menu filled with seasonal ingredients and Asian accents."

You can find photos of the various dishes here.

Kuboya moved from this space to Cornelia Street back in May. Prior to Kuboya, 536 E. Fifth St. was home to (briefly!) Village East Bistro and Le Gamin.