Dan & John's returns on Dec. 1

After a three-plus-month closure for gas issues, Dan & John's will reopen on Dec. 1, per the door signage (thanks to Steven for the photos) ...

As previously noted, we were told that there was a gas-line issue with the building at 83 St. Mark's Place/135 First Ave. The gas issue impacts the building's residents as well, sources said.

The subsequent repairs kept the wing shop closed since the second week of August. Stromboli next door was also shuttered during this time, though the pizzeria was able to reopen on Oct. 21.

Stromboli and Dan & John's remain closed

One month ago today, we posted about the temporary closures at neighboring businesses Stromboli and Dan & John's on First Avenue at St. Mark's Place. (Both quick-serve spots were closed a week before our post.)

In the past month, a lot of people have asked about or pointed out these closures. We don't have any updates, unfortunately. 

As previously noted, we were told that there's a gas-line issue with the building at 83 St. Mark's Place/135 First Ave. The gas issue impacts the building's residents as well, sources said.

Dan & John's left a hopeful message for its patrons... stating that this location "will be back open soon."

With the recent start of the college football and NFL seasons, it's High Wing Season. The Dan & John's outpost in Murray Hill is open...

Photos yesterday by Steven

Gas problem in building has temporarily closed Stromboli and Dan & John's

Stromboli Pizza and Dan & John's Wings have been forced to temporarily close for the past week... signs on the two quick-serve businesses note emergency repairs...

We're told that there's a gas-line issue with the building at 83 St. Mark's Place/135 First Ave. The retail tenants are waiting for an update from the landlord. We're told that the gas issue impacts the building's residents as well.

Meanwhile, one neighbor took the opportunity to leave a note on Stromboli's front door reading: "Stay closed. You're [sic] neighbors sleep better without you."

Neighbors have complained about the raucous early-morning scene at the longtime pizzeria.

Thanks to Steven for the photos and reporting.

Gas leak sidelines Hub Thai on Avenue A [Updated: Back open!]

Updated 5 p.m. Good news! Multiple readers report that Hub Thai is back in action!

Bad news for Hub Thai. The restaurant at 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street has been closed since last Wednesday. (Thanks to the reader who shared this tip!) 

There's a Con Ed notice on the storefront about a gas leak in the retail space. As such, the gas supply has been shut off for now.

As we've seen (here and here, for example), Con Ed-related gas issues can drag on. Hopefully, there can be a quick resolution here. 

Hub Thai just moved to the space from 105 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street in early March.

Report: These 12th Street residents are going on 5 months without gas for cooking

A handful of residents at 327 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue have not had any gas for cooking since February, the Daily News reported.

The article focused on longtime building resident Georgina Christ.

[She] hasn’t been able to use her stove since February. And for her, that means no home-cooked bone broth — and more trips to the grocery store for provisions at a time she’d rather stay in.

"It makes me have to go out more," said the 70-year-old, who's lived on the fifth floor of a sixth-story walk up since 1971. "I find I'm having to walk in the middle of the street to avoid people who are drinking and hanging out on the sidewalk without face masks."

Christ and at least four other tenants are without cooking gas.

Last week, local elected officials — Sen. Brad Hoylman, Congresswoman Carolyn Mahoney, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Assembly Member Deborah Glick and City Council Member Carlina Rivera — sent a letter to the building's management, Silverstone Property Group.



The letter reads in part:

The provision of reliable gas service is a crucial responsibility for property management companies and landlords regardless of the circumstances, but especially during the ongoing pandemic. Additionally, four of these tenants fall squarely within the demographics proven to be most vulnerable to COVID-19, and it is wrong to require them to continually risk exposure to the virus simply to secure meals.

We strongly urge Silverstone Property Group to restore gas service to these tenants as soon as possible and provide them with a 15% rent abatement, standard for diminution of services of this kind, for the period of time that they have been without gas service. These are stressful, difficult times for everyone, and these tenants shouldn’t have to worry about how they will be able to cook their meals on top of the other burdens that so many tenants are currently facing.

Silverstone did provide hot plates, though they reportedly aren't too functional.

A Silverstone spokesperson told the News that they are "ready, willing and able to repair the gas lines at the property as soon as possible."

However: "In order to do so, the property must be vacated according to engineering experts Silverstone has consulted."

Christ said that she is skeptical, and thinks this is "a ploy to empty the building and jack up rents."

No. 327 was among the many East Village properties that disgraced landlord Raphael Toledano owned at one point during his local building grab. He had been accused of harassing rent-stabilized tenants in a bid to vacate and deregulate units in them.

In 2017, a subsidiary of lender Madison Realty Capital took over the portfolio. As of January, Toledano was still mired in bankruptcy proceedings with Madison Realty Capital, per reports.

The listing at Streeteasy describes the building this way:

Most units have been gut-renovated with innovative and luxury finishes. Our design team works to create a rustic/modern look to appeal to a vast array of tastes and lifestyles. 327 East 12th Street is a building combined with beautiful high ceilings that provide an abundance of natural light and fresh air into each residence. Amazing Features Include:

•Wall-mounted 40 inch flat screen TV and soundbar pre-installed in every residence
•Washer and Dryer in every residence
•Ambiance-setting light dimmers

A sister property at 325 E. 12th St. has also suffered cooking-gas blackouts.

Another day, another gas-service issue

Another day, another gas-service issue with a building managed by AJ Clarke, this one on Seventh Street, and "just in time for Christmas," per an anonymous reader who shared this notice dated yesterday...



Yesterday, we noted an AJ Clarke building on Ninth Street where tenants were left without gas for cooking. Here, the heat and hot water were also shut off, though management hopes to get it back on "within a day or two." However — "the process to restore the cooking gas service is long and arduous."

Residents in the Ninth Street building were told they would be given credit for the purchase of a hot plate.

And here? "No mention of any hot plate reimbursements, heater reimbursements, takeout stipends, or the like," said the reader.

According to Streeteasy, the average rent in this Seventh Street building is $3,300 a month.

An explanation about the disruption in gas service

You hear enough stories about gas service for cooking being shut off for months at a time around here (examples here and here and here).

The landlord (AJ Clarke RE) provided residents at this East Ninth Street building (Super Eddie's!) with an explanation of what was happening ... with a timeline when things might be back in service... and why it could take so long:

So, with the gas shut off and the risers not passing the pressure test (most buildings in NYC, unless fairly new, will not pass the test), it is going to be probably several months until the cooking gas is turned back on. This is due to the procedure that has to follow: Proposals have to be given for the re-piping, permits have to be applied for, the actual work has to be done, and the most time consuming part of the puzzle: DOB & Con Edison inspections.

The explanation is more than some residents in other buildings receive (silence) ... some residents I've talked to in the past feel as if landlords need to do more for tenants than provide (or pay for) a hot plate. Maybe a little $$$ for some take out.

H/T Steven

Previously on EV Grieve:
How much of a rent discount for not having gas for cooking?

Report: Lack of gas stations downtown a concern

As we first reported last week, the BP station on East Houston and Lafayette is closing on April 14 to make way for a 7-story boutique office building.

With this closure, there will be just one gas station in the city below 14th Street — a Mobil on Eighth Avenue near East 13th Street. (There is also a BP on East 23rd Street at the FDR.)

Now as DNAinfo's Allegra Hobbs reports, community groups are concerned about the lack of options in the case of another disaster such as Sandy.

“We learned from that gas shortage that occurred in Superstorm Sandy how important this resource is to a community, and now we find ourselves with no gas stations anywhere near,” said Damaris Reyes, executive director of Good Old Lower East Side and chair of emergency preparedness group LES Ready.

“This does not do well for thinking about a balanced community with all of the resources that are necessary to help it be functional and resilient in a time of need,” she said.

You may recall the vehicles lined up for gas in the days that followed Sandy in November 2012 before the last two stations in the East Village closed ... and there were also lines of pedestrians filling up gas cans for generators at the now-closed Mobil on East Houston and Avenue C...

[EVG photo from November 2012]

...when there was gas anyway...

[EVG photo of the 2nd Avenue BP from November 2012]

Heading to another borough or New Jersey would be a very real possibility, per DNAinfo.

“Having to cross a bridge or go through a tunnel to get gas is not the best way to prepare for an emergency,” said Trever Holland, president of the Two Bridges Tower Tenant Association. “If there are no gas stations to go to, it becomes extremely problematic as to how you’re going to get gas for generators.”

Previously on EV Grieve:
How much longer will the East Village have gas stations?

Have you seen the glass tower in the works for Lafayette and East Houston?

Filling up: the status of 2 former East Village gas stations

Report: Boutique office building on East Houston and Lafayette at BP site a go

BP station on East Houston and Lafayette closes April 14

[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.

Gas problem temporarily closes Thai Terminal

We heard from a reader the other day that Thai Terminal on East 12th Street was mysteriously closed... don't know if this sign has been up the whole time... anyway, it notes that a gas problem has kept the restaurant between First Avenue and Second Avenue from opening.

Hopefully this problem won't linger as it did for East Village Thai on East Seventh Street.

Thanks to EVG reader Greg Masters for the photo!

Gas problems temporarily KO AlphaBet Cafe on 14th and B

Over on East 14th Street and Avenue B, AlphaBet Cafe, a fine little place for an inexpensive meal, has been closed of late... the sign out front points to a problem with the gas...



Photos by Bobby Williams.

Resident report: 1 month without gas for cooking at 22 St. Mark's Place

Back in late December, Mamoun's had to close for more than a week at 22 St. Mark's Place due to a problem with the building's gas line.

Per Mamoun's Facebook page: "Con Edison shut off our gas at the Saint Marks location because of a gas leak at the building. Our line was not affected but they shut it off anyway. We cannot get con edison to come back and turn it back on because of their huge bureaucracy!"

The gas returned Jan. 4. However, the rest of the tenants in the building haven't fared as well. A resident of 22 St. Marks Place, between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, said that tenants have been without cooking gas since the end of December (they do have hot water and heat).

Per the resident: "The building is doing very little to solve the problem ... and will not answer any real questions.

Yesterday, the landlord's reps apparently said that Con Ed would be by to "fix the problem." However, the residents were told that they needed to be at home during the day so Con Ed could access their apartments.

"People organized their schedules to work from home or took the day off."

No one from Con Ed ever arrived.

Meanwhile, according to the resident, the management company — NBKM Realty Management Corp. — is providing information contradictory to that of Con Ed. And the landlord is not offering any abatement for the lack of cooking gas for the past month.

On previous posts, readers offered advice on this all-too-common problem here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
How much of a rent discount for not having gas for cooking?

Residents of 97 E. Seventh St. haven't had gas for cooking since Feb. 19

East Village gas shortage over ...?

You've seen the long lines for gas the last 9 days or so... A quick look tonight found that one car was waiting at the BP on Second Avenue at East First Street...

...while the Mobil on East Houston and Avenue C was out of gas at the moment...

However, there weren't any cars waiting. And the NYPD still had a presence at both stations.

From the EVG Twitter account

Almost no wait now at BP on 2nd Ave & E 1st St twitter.com/evgrieve/statu…

— evgrieve (@evgrieve) November 11, 2012

A reader noted that there wasn't any line just a few minutes ago... As of 9:30 or so, Mobil on Houston and Avenue C was awaiting a delivery... and no one in line. Does everyone now finally have gas? (So to speak...)

Beer Gas rationing starts today

[Outside Spanky & Darla's on First Avenue last night.]

As you probably know by now...

Beginning at 6 a.m., those with license plates ending in an odd number will be able to buy gas on odd numbered days.

Those with license plates ending in an even number will be able to buy gas on even numbered days.

Any questions?

The pedestrian line for gas this morning at Mobil

Avenue C and East Houston. People with various canisters to refill their pumps, generators, etc. The vehicle line still goes to Avenue D. Soon, this gas station will close to yield to a luxury development...

Line for the BP station down to two blocks

Shortest that I've seen it here on Second Avenue and East First Street since the power returned...

Afternoon gas check

Waiting for a gas delivery at the Mobil station on East Houston and Avenue C...

...where cars are parked back to Avenue D and north several blocks up the Avenue. Mobil photos via EVG reader William Klayer...

And at the BP station on Second Avenue at East First Street, Shawn Chittle notes the line goes back to St. Mark's Place...

No gas at BP this morning

As of around 10 a.m., the BP station on Second Avenue at East First Street was out of gas... and waiting for a delivery...

The line of cars waiting for gas stretched back to East Sixth Street.

While the line has been fairly orderly, there were tense moments here Saturday afternoon.