Ummburger makes it official on 1st Avenue

The coming soon signage arrived over the weekend for Ummburger, a self-described burger bar here at 99 First Avenue and Sixth Street.

Work on the murals began over the Labor Day Weekend...and appear to be finished now...





In materials submitted to CB3 this past spring, the applicants described Ummburger as a "fast casual" concept serving a variety of burgers, including a vegetarian option. There are other sandwiches too, such as a fried chicken sandwich called the Southern Ummfort.

The previous tenant at this address, Mancora, moved across Sixth Street earlier in the summer.

H/T to EVG readers Bruce and Vinny & O for noting the progress!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ummburger vying for the Mancora space on 1st Avenue

Hot buns: Burger-burlesque concept on tap for the East Village

Per DNAinfo's Serena Solomon today:

A new restaurant project is looking to blend burgers with burlesque in the East Village, under a plan by a veteran nightlife operator to combine classic American fare with the risqué dance performance.

The man behind the concept is Timothy Simpson, aka Lorenzo Cortelli, who has worked for BR Guest Hospitality, which owns the Dos Caminos Mexican food chain.

And in a Craigslist ad, he is looking for an investor with $150,000 to be part of this project. (That posting has expired.)

Back to the article:

The concept is "fully developed," said Simpson, who has a business plan in place and is eyeing several existing bars near bustling St. Mark’s Place to convert into a space with a 1890s Paris feel in the coming months.

[Image via ...and it is not part of this project]

Zaitzeff closing Avenue B location

A tipster passes along word that the family-run Zaitzeff burgers is shutting down its Avenue B location that opened in 2007 after tomorrow... the Zaitzeff locations in Murray Hill and the Financial District will remain open...

Welcome to Burger Town?

Came across this article at Bloomberg Businessweek ... it's about Hilary Mason, a chief scientist at Bitly, the link-shortening service ... and a side project of hers called "menu hacking."

Anyway, this jumped out at me:

The 33-year-old wrote a program to crawl the Web and download menus from New York eating places. It took her down a rabbit hole of restaurant exploration. She didn't figure out the perfectly average spot, but she learned that there are 173 different burgers to order in the West Village — but 363 in the East Village, and at lower prices.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Does the East Village have enough places now to order hamburgers?

[Image via]

BareBurger is now open at former Sin Sin space

Back on Aug. 19, we first reported that an outpost of the organic hamburglar BareBurger is opening on Second Avenue at the site of the former Sin Sin space.

This past weekend, several readers told us that the place had opened... and EV Grieve Pedro ventured inside the two-floor restaurant at East Fifth Street ...

...and the final product, the BareBurger Supreme...

BareBurger is on tonight's CB3/SLA committee agenda for a beer/wine license.

Check out their menu here (PDF)

Does the East Village have enough places now to order hamburgers?

As we pointed out on Friday, Bad Burger (Breakfast All Day), the 24-hour diner, opens today at 171 Avenue A. A variety of burgers are on the comfort-food-heavy menu. Meanwhile, The Burger Shop at 115 St. Mark's Place will be serving hamburgers. (If they haven't done so already.) For something healthier, you can plunk down $15 for a cauliflower almond burger at the newly opened Gingersnap's Organic at 130 Seventh St.

Or, when the mood strikes, there are other choices nearby... like Black Market on Avenue A near Seventh... or Black Iron Burger on East Fifth Street close to Avenue B ... or Whitmans on Ninth Street near First Avenue... or maybe Mark Burger on St. Mark's Place... If you're that way, then you might as well go to Paul's, right? ... of course, I prefer the burgers at Stage. A few other people I know like Blue 9. And Royale. And Zaitzeff. And Bento Burger on Second Street. Which reminds me that I've never been to TallGrass on First Avenue. One person told me that the best burgers in the East Village are at the Hop Devil Grill on St. Mark's. Someone also left a comment once about how good the burgers are at DBGB. Not that I'd go there. Speaking of places that I've never been: The Village Pourhouse and Kool Bloo have burgers. So does Dempsey's on Second Avenue. I've been there. But never had a burger. And I can't forget Korzo Haus on Seventh Street by 7B. Interesting. I also always do things like order burgers at places like Odessa and 7A that aren't necessarily known for their burgers. And did you know that there is a burger place — That Burger — inside Idle Hands and Billy Hurricane's on Avenue B? Someone told me how me he liked them. Actually, I'm forgetting a lot of places. Which makes me think I'll just go to Ray's.

The Burger Shop, sans burgers, now open on St. Mark's Place

Well, we were a little surprised to walk by 115 St. Mark's Place on Friday and find something called The Burger Shop up and running... Most recently, Michael "Bao" Huynh ran DOB 111 and then BarBao here. A tipster had said that Bao was opening another corny-sounding eatery here... (Turns out a father-son team from Queens is running the place.)

We stopped by and learned that they opened Halloween weekend... and that they weren't serving any food yet — likely have the kitchen in operation this week ... for now, just $10 pitchers of PBR all day/night... as well as a 2-for-1 beer happy hour... and organic wines...

So far, they are keeping the Beau art on the gate that went up in January for Barbao...

Then!

Now!

Anyway, trying to recall a little liquor license history here... In April 2010, the CB3/SLA committee rejected Huynh's request for a beer/wine license for DOB 111.

The six-foot bar at DOB had six seats, and was mainly used for people waiting for tables. However, several Board members looked through the pile of signatures that Huynh brought, noting there were only 29 signatures from residents who lived on that block from Avenue A to First Avenue. Board chair Alexandra Militano scolded an increasingly incredulous-looking Huynh for not doing better community outreach, something that a well-known restaurateur should know.

Plus, this permit request was within the so-called resolution area... because there are 18 liquor licenses or so along here on St. Mark's Place...

Anyway, we don't recall seeing this item on the CB3 agenda... There was something called "The Saint Mark's Red House (TTD& G LLC), 115 St Marks Pl (wb)" on the agenda in June, but that was a scratch. There's now an active liquor license here ... and one more place for a 2-for-1 happy hour.

A glimpse of the incoming 5 Napkin Burger on 14th Street and Third Avenue

Yesterday, workers removed part of the plywood on the Third Avenue side of the incoming 5 Napkin Burger here at 14th Street...

Not much to see, to be honest. The interior still looks pretty raw. Plywood is remains up on the 14th Street.

In October, Patrick Hedlund at DNAinfo reported that a 5 Napkin Burger was opening on the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue — previously home to Robin Raj.

[Repost] BareBurger coming to former Sin Sin space on Second Avenue

We first posted his Friday around 5 ... so in case you missed it...

Another outpost of the organic hamburglar BareBurger is opening on Second Avenue at the site of the former Sin Sin space. This after the bakery-cafe-bar concept died.

Check out their menu here (PDF)

New: On Friday evening, EV Grieve reader Stephen Popkin happened by the BareBurger location in Murray Hill ... and sent along these photos ...

BareBurger coming to former Sin Sin space on Second Avenue

Another outpost of the organic hamburglar BareBurger is opening on Second Avenue at the site of the former Sin Sin space. This after the bakery-cafe-bar concept died.

Check out their menu here (PDF)

Really big 5 Napkin Burger still coming to 14th and 3rd; realtor disses Robin Raj

Back in October, Patrick Hedlund at DNAinfo reported that a 5 Napkin Burger was opening on the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue — the former home of Robin Raj, duh. We kind of wondered what happened with that. The site has been rather quiet of late.

The Observer has a follow-up today. Per the Observer:

The restaurant includes 3,570 square feet of ground-floor space, as well as a full basement. "This prime corner has laid fallow for the past five years. 5 Napkin Burger will undertake a full reconstruction of the building and turn it into a wonderful gem," said Winick Realty Group's Tatiana Jung-Voevodina, who repped the tenant.

Fallow!? Robin Raj moved out just two years ago!

Anyway! 5 Napkins is expected to open in April.

Select Burger grounded; wither Hamburger Alley?

EV Grieve reader Joe sends along this photo... Select Burger on First Avenue near 14th Street has closed... The place was open for less than a year. Meanwhile, Permanent Brunch and Burger shuttered last year. Tallgrass Burger remains on this so-called Hamburger Alley.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Burger joint fad continues: Select Burger coming to First Avenue (aka Burger Alley)

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.

RUMORS: Five Guys looking at Avenue A

171 Avenue A has been vacant for several years now... The space almost became home to a fishmonger and a bagel shop this year...



Anyway, the place seems to have been spruced up a little of late...



And one persistent rumor: This space may become home to a Five Guys Burgers, the Virginia-based chain with a handful of locations in Manhattan.



Never had one myself, but people I know love these guys....

Tory Burch-endorsed Marco Polo Café cedes to mini burgers on St. Mark's Place

Marco Polo Café at 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue is changing concepts. The Asian-Italian eatery known for the Moo Goo Gai Panini (better than it sounds!) shuttered after the weekend... Already, a Mini Burger sign has good up over the papered windows...



The Marco Polo home page included the following:

Tory Burch, whom the LA Times has called the most influential fashion designer in America, loves the East Village’s Marco Polo Café. She visited the café to meet and interview the owner and chef Ms. Jiang and called Marco Polo Café an "amazing restaurant" and was so impressed at the delicious dishes Ms. Jiang turns out of the kitchen, that she invited Ms. Jiang to her home to cook a special Sunday dinner for her and her family...

I'm told the same owners are behind the new eatery.

Korzo Haus now open on Seventh Street

So... that interesting looking place on the right...



opened last night.....




Turns out it's an outpost of the burger place in Park Slope... and their signature burger:

Korzo Burger 10
fresh -ground beef patty, apple smoked organic bacon, Allgäuer Emmentaller cheese, house made mustard, dill pickle– all wrapped in Langoš dough & deep fried.

Here's their menu (PDF).

Previously on EV Grieve:
German burgers coming to Seventh Street

German burgers coming to Seventh Street

So!

At the former Mohammed Falafel Star space on Seventh Street near Avenue B... the barn/stockade/dungeon-looking thing...



So we've heard that it may be a burger place... or a Mediterranean eatery... And now! A name!



It will be a German burger joint... Of course, we were rooting for a dungeon...Thanks to EV Grieve reader Peter H. for this photo...

(Updated) Burgers for this Seventh Street stable?

Mohammed Falafel Star on Seventh Street near Avenue B closed up back in March... and there was action behind the plywood for months... and now, workers have removed the plywood... and check out what the new eatery coming here looks like:




Hmm... interesting looking stable/dungeon combo... The folks next door at the dry cleaners say the space will be a burger joint... and there is a liquor license pending here...



[Updated: Melanie has an interior shot... and hears that it will be a Mediterranean restaurant]

Cafe Mocha puts in claim on "best burgers in Manhattan"

Second Avenue at Seventh Street. I actually didn't know they even sold burgers...

A fleeting chance of love and a good burger on the Bowery

From our friends at Craigslist...

We were walking up the Bowery - m4w (East Village)
Date: 2010-06-24, 9:04PM EDT

and I asked you if you knew where to get a good burger. You smiled and said you didn't know that area. You seemed friendly as if you would have and maybe wanted kept talking to me, but I got shy... and watched you walk away regretfully.

This makes me sad that he didn't... go to Paul's...