A look at Che Cafe, home of empanada pouches

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

In case you missed our post from last Thursday... Che Cafe is now open at 86 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

This quick-serve venture is run by Mark Merker, who started Harry's and Benny's Burritos in 1987.

Here's his story via the Che Cafe website:

I have long enjoyed empanadas and their culinary cousins from around the world including the Indian samosa, Chinese dumpling, and Jewish knish.

Empanadas make great on the go street food. Given the many versions from around the world, they present endless possibilities for including different tastes from many cultures. I am excited by the opportunity to borrow from each the essence of flavor that I love and share it with you.

So I came up with Chechenitas, an empanada pouch. They are a small, easy to eat on the go item. Better yet, the pouch means less bread and more delicious filling. Please give them a try and let me know what you think.

You can find Che Cafe's offerings here.

The small space was home until last fall to Abraço, who moved across Seventh Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Che Cafe bringing empanada pockets to 7th Street

Make Sandwich opens today on 4th Avenue

Make Sandwich debuts today at 135 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street...



Make is an extension of the Melt Shop brand. Here's their pitch via Facebook: "Make Sandwich serves uniquely classic sandwiches and quality make-your-own ingredients with NYC hustle."

You can find their menu here.

The previous tenant, Desi Shack, the quick-serve Indian-Pakistani restaurant, closed in April 2016 after less then two years.

An early look at FryGuysNYC coming soon to 2nd Street

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Marco Lanuto and McKenzie Foster, East Village residents partnered in business and in life, plan on opening their 1970s-inspired retro fry shop FryGuysNYC with a touch of grit, glitter, rainbows and an affordable menu at 150 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B by the end of the year.



FryGuysNYC will sell meals for less than $10, with main courses such as fried chicken and brisket alongside a large variety of french fries and toppings. (The store also plans on offering dessert fries, such as caramel-infused tater tots with chocolate and sea salt, topped with marshmallow drizzle.)

The recently completed mural next to the storefront (formerly a short-lived vape shop, and prior to that, a Vietnamese sandwich shop) is by artist Theresa Kim, who works under the name Resa_Piece. The owners have given Kim a one-year residency at the shop. In addition, Mosaic Man Jim Power is set to decorate the storefront with his work, and plans are in place for a floor made out of old vinyl records and a ceiling hung with lighted disco balls.

The restaurant’s hours are to be determined, but Lanuto and Foster want to be open for breakfast through late-night snacking. They said they will eventually apply for a beer/wine license and offer $3 beers like PBR.

Mandolino Pizza coming soon to 13th Street

Signage is up for Mandolino Pizza here on East 13th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



We don't know a thing about the pizzeria just yet, like will it be more of a slice-to-go place ... or a sit-down-and-order-a-whole-pie establishment... (or both!)

Mandolino takes over the space from Sahara Citi, the hookah/hummus restaurant that closed this past summer after four years in business.

In any event, despite the nearby NYU dorm presence, it has to be a tough pizzeria market right in this area ... you have Joe's around the corner on 14th Street, which serves one of the city's best slices ... Gotham Pizza recently opened on 12th Street and Third Avenue (I finally tried a slice there and really liked it)... and for a sit-down meal, there's Bruno Pizza on 13th Street between Third Avenue and Second Avenue that reviewers really seem to like.

DumplingGuo is now open on 2nd Avenue

The restaurant offering dumplings and hot pot is now open on Second Avenue at 12th Street.

DumplingGuo began life as Dumpling Go here, and closed for parts of the spring and summer for a revamp.

We posted a copy of their menu here.

Storefronts and signage updates: The PokéSpot, Mizu Sushi, more!

The signage has arrived for The PokéSpot, which will be serving Hawaiian raw-fish salad on Fourth Avenue and 12th Street in the space that previously housed the Subway (sandwich shop).

-----


[Photo by Steven]

On Saturday, workers installed the sign for the new sushi place coming to 350 E. Ninth St. near First Avenue... Mizu Sushi ...

A.K. Shoe Repair was here until last August ... then a tobacco-variety shop quickly came and went after several months.

-----

Pink Bear is open and now serving rolled ice cream on East 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...




-----

And on East 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, EVG reader KT notes the signage is up at the incoming E14 MedicalArts facility...



Per the sign in the window, E14 is a "state of the art boutique medical and wellness center which will cater to Stuyvesant Town residents."

The address was previously Danny Cycle's, which closed here at the end of 2015.

99¢ Pizza now serving 99¢ pizza on Avenue A

The discount pizzeria had its Grand Opening last evening here at 91 Avenue A at East Sixth Street.

The pizzeria is operating out of the space that last housed Benny's to-go. Not sure what's going on with the former D-Lish Pita storefront next door. There has been some work done on that space as well.

Meantime, let us know if you try this pizza. (Seriously.) We'll also post a night-time photo of the storefront some time. It is quite bright. (Seriously.)

Updated

Here it is at night... via EVG 99¢ pizza corespondent Steven...





Previously on EV Grieve:
How about some 99¢ pizza for Avenue A

Incoming 99¢ pizza place on Avenue A will be called 99¢ Pizza

C & B Cafe now open on East 7th Street

Just noting that C & B Cafe opened last Friday at 178 E. Seventh St. just west of Avenue B.

Aside from serving coffee and tea, the cafe has a small menu that includes squash soup, several sandwiches and salads, and dishes like mushroom and eggs and chicken and eggs. There's some seating in the back.

Several readers, including Dave on 7th, have given C & B high marks so far.

The space was previously home to Korzo Haus, which closed at the end of October.

2 new coffee choices for you

Dave on 7th reports that C&B (Coffee and Breakfast) had a sneak preview Saturday morning here at 178 E. Seventh St. just west of Avenue B.

Ali the owner (who previously worked hung out at 7A see comments) was handing out free coffee. Dave on 7th said that it is a great space.

Not sure of an official opening date just yet. The space was previously home to Korzo Haus, which closed at the end of October.

Meanwhile on East 10th Street (No. 280) between Avenue A and First Avenue…



Cafe Silan, which has a variety of coffee and house-made pastries with natural sweeteners (like silan, a Middle-Eastern date paste), is now in soft-open mode.

BoweryBoogie, who first noted this arrival back in November, reported that the former manager of Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop is one of the proprietors behind this new venture.

Matcha Cafe Wabi now open on East 4th Street

Matcha Cafe Wabi recently opened at 233 E. Fourth St. near Avenue B.

The cafe's owners offered up a sneak preview for neighbors back in October. EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for a look ... and taste. Here's her report:

The open house was for the neighborhood to introduce them to the matcha and sencha tea drinks, the red-bean paste and green tea pastries (gluten free!), matcha tea lattes, and the Japanese roasted coffee drinks.

I tried the classic pour-over coffees from 95 RPM Coffee Roasters (co-owned by Hiroki Kobayashi and Osamu Igano), which I drank as suggested — straight up without milk or sugar. I also tried the soybean black-sesame drink, which thankfully had no caffeine and was sweet and delicious — and unusual to my admittedly uneducated palate.

Kimie Kobaya (pictured below), the shop’s enthusiastic and friendly manager, brought around trays of samples to the guests and patiently translated between the English-speaking and Japanese-speaking visitors.



We learned about Wabi-Sabi, the aesthetic of imperfection, which was a difficult concept to translate from Japanese. (Kimie suggested the Wikipedia page definition.) We enjoyed a (truncated) tea ceremony, courtesy of Yuji (pictured below), who showed us the usu-cha-style bamboo whisks used to blend the bitter green tea powder into tea, and how the bowls are prewarmed, and about the bubbles that mimic a lake and shore in the tea bowl.



The owners of the new shop are Hideaki Minamida and Ken Mitsui, who you might recognize from Pirka Salon next door. (Both shops share the address 233 E. Fourth St.) The tiny to-go spot’s green-tea colored walls and minimalist décor mimic the healthy and happy feelings you experience when ingesting the drinks.

Coffee and breakfast will live here

Dave on 7th is keeping a watchful eye on 178 E. Seventh St., where Korzo Haus recently left… all we know so far is that it will be a coffee shop with some breakfast foods to go here just west of Avenue B…

The sign on the door for the post office reads "This is where C&B/Coffee and Breakfast LLC Lives."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Something new for the old fortress of East 7th Street

Spot Dessert Shoppe shaping up on St. Mark's Place

As we pointed out back in November, the owners of Jum Mum at 5 St. Mark's Place decided to transform the space into an annex of their dessert place Spot a few storefronts away.

Anyway, the new sign for Spot Dessert Shoppe arrived late last week. It will be a take-out only uh, spot with coffee and stuff once it opens soon…

Jum Mum becoming another Spot for dessert on St. Mark's Place

[Photo by Jordy Trachtenberg from Nov. 10]

Earlier in the month, Jum Mum at 5 St. Mark's Place closed for renovations. According to the quick-serve Thai-Chinese restaurant's Facebook page: "Hold on to your VIP cards WE ARE COMING BACK. Getting ready for a new look this fall!"

Apparently there is more than a new look… there's also a whole new concept… the banner now hanging outside advertises an annex (Spot 2) for the Spot Dessert Bar …



… which is just a few storefronts away…



Jum Mum, which opened in May 2012, was run by the owners of Spot.

Coming soon to 1st Avenue: Sweet Generation, 'A Bakery for Arts Education'

There's a new tenant coming to the former First Avenue Pierogi and Deli at 130 First Ave. near St. Mark's Place.

As you can see, signs are up for Sweet Generation, a bakery that recently raised $27,000 in an Indiegogo campaign that ended on Friday to help build out the space.

Owner Amy Chasan is a former high school arts teacher who quit her job to open the made-to-order cookie and cupcake business … first from her home kitchen then to a shared commercial space.

Here's more about Sweet Generation via Indiegogo:

Before starting Sweet Generation, I dedicated my career to Arts education. I first taught Art in 2004 at an alternative high school that was a last resort for teens — there I witnessed the dramatic and profound transformation that my students experienced when nothing else had worked for them. They gained confidence, developed a stronger sense of self, and assumed greater responsibility for their own success. I spent 8 years running Arts programs and then worked with the City of New York to expand and improve Arts programs in low-income communities.

The problem is the negative impact that funding cuts have on the quality and availability of the Arts to children. In fact, government funding for the arts has decreased by 31% since 1992! I noticed that organizations tried to bridge the gap through bake sales and community events, but the ones that needed it most could not make up the loss.

At the same time, I returned to my lifelong love of baking as a personal creative outlet and before I knew it, I was being hired to cater weddings, art openings and corporate parties. Demand grew to the point that I was baking all night, going to work in the morning, running out to do a delivery on my lunch break, and then starting all over again… and that’s when I came up with the idea for Sweet Generation, a bakery that removes barriers between children and art.

Sweet Generation not only funds Arts education for youth, but engages young people in the business itself. A portion of Sweet Generation’s sales are donated to Arts organizations, and we support their fundraising efforts through in-kind donations of our baked goods. We also started an internship program that teaches baking, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to teens and young adults from low-income communities.

Some of the organizations that Sweet Generation supports are: Theater for a New Audience, Arlington Center for the Arts, Children’s Museum of the Arts, Citizen Schools, Urban Arts Partnership, The After School Corporation (TASC), Precious Dreams Foundation and the Hip-Hop Re:Education Project.

In 2013, the Voice named Sweet Generation the "Best Cupcake" in NYC.

After 30 years here, proprietor Wieslawa Kurowycky and her family decided to retire and close First Avenue Pierogi and Deli in early July.

Previously on EV Grieve:
After 30 years, First Avenue Pierogi and Deli is closing

EV eatery etc.: Benny's expands on A, gelato signage arrives on Second Avenue

Just a few quick storefront items... Sal's closed back in March... and, as several readers have pointed out, Benny's is taking over the space next door here on Avenue at East Sixth Street... Benny's used to run their to-go business from this side...

...and on Saturday, signage went up for the new gelato place/cafe coming soon on Second Avenue between St. Mark's and East Ninth Street...

Renovations under way for a Gin Palace on Avenue A

Changes are taking place on Avenue A and East Sixth Street...

EV Grieve reader Creature sends along these photos of the Cuban-flavored Cienfuegos space... The big transformation comes with the main space — El Cobre — on the ground floor. The owners have decided to change concepts. As Eater pointed out in November, the new space will house an English fish and chips restaurant called Gin Palace, "focusing on gin cocktails and old style English pub fare."

No word on an opening date. There's no mention of this development on the Cienfuegos website.

Kebab Garden becoming Mediterranean Grill, pretty much serving exactly the same stuff, probably

A few Fridays ago, we pointed out that the Kebab Garden on First Avenue near St. Mark's Place had closed... though in the days that passed, we could hear workers inside, uh, working and hammering and stuff.

Anyway, if you saw the new sign yesterday, then you probably know that something very similar (or the same thing) is reopening here ...

Yummy House-Plump Dumpling mashup is now called Yummy Dumpling

Back in March, Yummy House closed on Third Avenue... and moved in with Plump Dumpling on Second Avenue at 11th Street...

Apparently, they have decided on a name...

And our money was on Plump House...

h/t @marytom

New bakery now open on Ninth Street

A reader reports that Zucker, a Mediterranean-style bakery, opened today... The reader says that the place has a "nice, laid-back vibe" with Stumptown coffee and a limited selection of baked goods as they were still filling the cases.

As Patrick Hedlund noted at DNAinfo, Zucker is "the brainchild of Village resident Zohar Zohar, an Israeli native who decided to return to the culinary world after taking nearly a decade off to devote to her family."

We stopped by for a quick photo and will check it out once they are a little more settled in...

Previously.

Mediterranean-style bakery opening on East Ninth Street

Yesterday morning, Dave on 7th passed along word that a new bakery is opening on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. (433 E. Ninth St. to be exact.) Looks like the name will be Zucker.

Meanwhile, DNAinfo checks in with a story... turns out the space will be a "Mediterranean-style bakery serving up gourmet cookies" run by Zohar Zohar.

According to DNAinfo, "Zohar attributes her style of cooking to her grandparents — Polish and Czechoslovakian Jews who brought a European sensibility to their cuisine when arriving in to Israel." Her friend Johnny Iuzzini, the head pastry chef at Jean Georges, is serving as an adviser.