On Avenue A, a bagel oven for Tompkins Square Bagels

Yesterday, Tompkins Square Bagels at 165 Avenue A near 10th Street took a big step toward its opening date with the delivery of a bagel oven and dough mixer ...

Christopher Pugliese, part owner of Court Street Bagels in Cobble Hill, is eyeing an Aug. 1 opening ... we'll have more on all this later...

Previously.

Bakery opening on St. Mark's Place

Last September, a thrift store-boutique called Junk took over the former De La Vega Museum on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. In March, Junk closed.

Now! Workers have been renovating the space. One worker on the scene said that a bakery would open here in the next two weeks. A quick look inside confirms like a bakery-looking business is in the works.

Wai? Cafe ready to open as Y Cafe on Avenue B

As we pointed out back in April, Wai? Cafe had left its First Avenue home... and was relocating to Avenue B near 11th Street... There is now a sign... as well as menus ... looks as if they're going by Y Cafe these days.

The menu looks similar too...

No exact opening date just yet.

Birdbath Bakery now open on Third Avenue

As Eater noted, the fifth location of Birdbath Bakery, a spinoff of City Bakery, opened yesterday on Third Avenue at NYU. Among other things, they'll serve Kombucha on tap. And we hope that no one decides to detoxify the body right there on the corner... Jeremiah noted the Birdbathers impending arrival back in October.

Here comes Fat Sal's

On March 30, we noted that the fourth Manhattan location of Fat Sal's was taking over the ApizzA space on Avenue A... now the signage has gone up...

Meanwhile, a reader who lives near Fat Sal's noted that they built a ventilation duct up the back of that building ... and they're going to install a ventilation blower on the roof next to the vent. Given the tentative hours (noon to 4 a.m.), "This is going to suck (or blow) big time," the reader noted.

Fat Sal's coming to Avenue A

APizzA closed on Avenue A in early February. A tipster notes that the space will become home to the fifth NYC location of Fat Sal's.

So... anyone ever eaten a slice from Fat Sal's?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Why APizzaA closed

On Second Avenue, La Da Nang is suddenly Zabb Elee

Rebecca Marx first pointed this out yesterday at Fork in the Road... The owners of Le Da Nang, which opened last March, have turned the space into Zabb Elee...

... the second outpost of their Northeastern Thai restaurant... (the other is in Jackson Heights). Hmm. And I rather liked Le Da Nang the few times that I either picked something up to go or had food delivered.

Previously on EV Grieve:
La Da Nang sign up

Keep on truckin': Van Leeuwen opening dessert shop on Seventh Street

A reader sent along a link to a post on The Feast from last Friday reporting that popular food truckers Van Leeuwen will be opening their third cafe in the city — this one "at Second Avenue near 7th Street."

Per The Feast:

"[T]his first Manhattan branch will focus on locally-made ice cream, Intelligentsia coffee, and house-made pastries, but will be much larger.

"Expect the space to resemble the newest shop, which the young owners designed themselves with reclaimed wood and custom wallpaper."

So, this explains what will be going in here...

As we noted last month, workers at the former City Copies on Seventh Street just east of Second Avenue would be home to "coffee and ice cream."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Coming soon to Seventh Street: coffee and ice cream

Yummy House merges with Plump Dumpling, sort of

Last month, we noted that Yummy House next to Nevada Smith's on Third Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street had closed...

Several readers pointed us to the sign that now appears in the Yummy House window...

Sure enough, a pass by Plump Dumpling on Second Avenue and 11th Street reveals the dual menus...

However, several EV Grieve readers have left comments about this merger.

AdamsAthas said...
Yummy House Fans BEWARE!!!!!

Plump Dumpling on 11th St. & 2nd ave is now answering the delivery number for Yummy House and they said they are now sharing space and that YH has the same chef as they always did.

Lies I tell you ... All Lies!!!

The food is terrible and it definitely is NOT the same as Yummy House. I'm so disappointed as we would have never ordered from Plump Dumpling. When I called back to confront them they said well we do have one chef that had worked at YH.

And!

Anonymous said...
A sign on the building said it moved to 11th and 2nd. That location is Plump Dumpling and the guy inside insisted that Yummy House merged with them and that the cook was the same. However, the Hot and Spicy tofu -- so good at Yummy House -- was greasy and overfried ... I think maybe they somehow bought out Yummy House but there is no evidence of YH quality there. I wouldn't go again.

And!

Anonymous said...
Went with a friend to the new location. The food is nowhere near the same quality. Everything seemed old and tasteless. I was sure i was going to get sick but didn't. Still that's my last time here. RIP Yummy House.

Cowgirl Cupcakes (and Burritos) now open on East 10th Street

Back in December, we noted the Cowgirl Cupcakes was taking over a storefront on East 10th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A...

EV Grieve reader Leesy reports Cowgirl opened yesterday...

While she didn't sample the food, she did go in for a look... she notes the staff is very cool and excited to be part of the neighborhood... and that the place kind of smelled like, say, San Loco ... per the menu, burritos are the first item listed... Per Leesy: "I guess it just seemed odd that a place with cupcake in the name was more like Burritos."

Anyway, everything on the menu is vegan...

Coming soon to Seventh Street: coffee and ice cream

The city issued permits last week for the former City Copies on Seventh Street just east of Second Avenue. We've been curious what might be going in here... Workers on the scene told an EV Grieve reader that the storefront will soon be home to "coffee and ice cream."

Pizza being delivered to former tattoo shop on the Bowery

Looks as if the look vacant former home of Bowery Tattoo has a new tenant...

... signs just went up for Forcella — La Pizza di Napoli here between Bond and Great Jones...

As BoweryBoogie had reported, the folks behind the Vbar were looking to open a bar here two years back... And maybe a little competition now for McNally's Pulino's?

A victory for chocolate libraries everywhere!

From Fork in the Road:

Remember that debacle over the Chocolate Library, the East Village chocolate shop whose owner was forced to change its name to Chocolate 101 after the education department told him the law forbade the use of the word "library" in business names? In a victory for the owner, Byron Bennett, he's now allowed to call his place a library.

Via Diner's Journal.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Chocolate Library ready for checkout

D-Lish Pita expected to open soon

That's the word anyway here on Avenue A near Sixth Street... workers said the place should be ready for d-lish food in "the next few days." Here at the former home of Habib's Place...and France's Beauty Salon.

On Avenue B, China 1 becomes Affaire

A reader sends along photos and the news that China 1 has apparently changed concepts on Avenue B near East Fourth Street...





Starting Friday, the space becomes Affaire, as the sign shows... Can't quite make out the menu in the photos, but it looks like small plates... Anyway, this place has a long short history...

I've heard a few noise-related complaints about the space, though none quite so pointed as the comment left at Down by the Hipster in March 2009:

This club is in the basement of my building, in which 25 families live, including young children and inform elderly. This club has been an absolute nightmare for we who "live upstairs." .... They seem to deliberatly not care that we cannot sleep at night, especially on the weekends, until after 4 a.m. because of the loud bass beat that literally throbs through the building and shakes the walls. I implore all to please DON'T PATRONIZE THIS CLUB! It is just a money-grubbing operation that doesn't care who it inconveniences as it just strives to rake in the cash. ... The new Obama era is here and it's time to stop being so self-centered, ya'll -- get with the program, grow up, and contribute to the quality of life in our community instead of destroying it in your own self-indulgence. AND LET US SLEEP!

Signed, "Sleepless in the EV"

East 10th Street storefront lassos Cowgirl Cupcakes

Thanks to EV Grieve reader Leesy for this shot of Cowgirl Cupcakes coming to East 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. No word on an opening date... And I do like the art on the roll-down gate. Maybe it's the image makeover that the often-maligned cupcake needed?

A new era for Polonia

Last week, Eater reported that First Avenue Polish diner mainstay Polonia was under new ownership.... 22 year-old Paul Jurczyk bought the restaurant from his parents, who started and operated Polonia the past 24 years... Jurczyk has hired a chef, the 26-year-old Olaf Wozny, who previously worked at Il Bucco.

As Jurczyk said, Polonia was serving food that "was frozen and microwaved, there was a wine list that consisted of 'Red' or 'White' which was poured from a gallon or a box, the lights were super bright all day and all evening, and the radio was playing z100 or 103.5 fm."

So some changes were in order... he and Wozny are planning to revamp the restaurant... which they've slowly been doing (you may have noticed the addition of a happy hour and WiFi in previous months...)



I asked Jurczyk a few questions via Facebook...

Are you concerned with what some old-timers might think about the changes? Do you think they'll return?

There are customers that have been coming to Polonia since the day that it opened. When I first started making changes about a year and a half ago, I had to start small: slightly changing the decor, the music selection and re-organizing the menu so that it was more comprehensible and visually appealing. Up to that point the 'old-timers' didn't have much to protest about. However, when I hired Olaf Wozny as my head chef, I began to hear complaints.

Olaf understood that changing a diner to a restaurant isn't an easy task and has to be done slowly as to not warrant too much attention in the beginning. Olaf slowly started changing the recipes, using better, higher-quality ingredients which are more expensive than the ingredients previously used — we had no choice but to slightly raise the prices. That is when the older customers started to complain. They appreciated the quality but weren't willing to pay for it. Even now I have some of the older customers complaining about our coffee which is a high-quality coffee, that we have priced at $1.50; the deli on the corner near us charges the same price for coffee of a much lesser quality.

Another issue is that most of the main entrees take about 15 minutes on average to prepare. Most of the older clientele can't seem to understand this, even though in the menu it says that our dishes may take about that long to make because they are made per order and asks the customer to please be patient. Even tonight I had a table of three walk out half way through their meal. They were served water, bread, wine and soups all within 10 to 15 minutes. After waiting just over 20 minutes (since they sat down) they decided that their three combination platters were taking too long so they paid for what they already had and walked out.

Many of the older customers left for a few months but returned. The prices in the East Village aren't cheap — no matter the quality of the food or the ambiance. I'm sure that after realizing that we are still better priced than most spots in our area, and have better prices and better quality food than any other Polish/Ukranian restaurant or diner in the area, including Veselka, they will be sure to come back — even though I have to say that my staff and myself are hoping that the old customers which really enjoy to nag and complain will find somewhere more suitable to their liking. Besides, we are starting to attract a younger, career-oriented crowd.

Why do you think changes were necessary?

These changes are necessary for two reasons. The East Village is quickly becoming a more sophisticated area filled with people who are willing to spend a little extra money to eat good food, have a nice glass of wine and truly enjoy themselves. Personally I don't believe that diners have the right ambiance for the new clientele that is surfacing in our area.

Secondly, it is very important to my chef and myself that we produce and sell a product which we are happy with and are proud of. Olaf will not be happy preparing food which was cooked 12 hours ago and is now being heated up in the microwave and I likewise will not be happy serving people that type of food or serving them any food at a location which I do not feel gives off the vibe that I would like it to. My restaurant represents me — it allows both Olaf and myself to express ourselves. I am looking forward to having everything exactly the way I want it and to see people really enjoying themselves at Polonia Eatery. We have already made a great deal of progress and I believe things will continue moving in the direction I hoped they would.

The Chocolate Library ready for checkout

The Chocolate Library is now open on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue... And EV Grieve reader Michael Fivis filed a report... "Lively grand opening. Dude working was really kind. Tasting samples and music." But, um, are there books or music...? "Just chocolate. I was expecting a sly name for another new bar! But it's actually just — a library of chocolate. Tons of square IKEA shelves filled with product."

Get Roasted!: Roastown Coffee is now open

At Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. Today is the grand opening. If you try it, please drop me a comment...

Roastown Coffee opens Tuesday

If you walked by the corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place, then you saw the Roastown Coffee all dandied up and ready for action... the signs out front say the place opens Tuesday...