Thursday, June 11, 2020

Ben's Deli returns, and there's a new pop-up taco shop inside



Ben's Deli reopened this week on Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street, as EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports.

The family-owned market, here for the past 45 years, temporarily closed on April 19 as concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak grew.

For now, Ben's will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, visitors to Ben's will find a new pop-up vendor renting the deli counter...



Ruben Cardoso (above, left) and Enrique Jardines are behind the still-unnamed Mexican spot. (Jardine previously ran Boticarios on First Street.)

The two are serving Mexican street food for breakfast, lunch and dinner ... specializing in tacos and quesadillas. Salad bowls are also available. The hours for now are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.







Previously on EV Grieve:
The last night, for now, at Ben's Deli

On Avenue B, Ben's Deli is closing for now; first time in 45 years

Farmwich pops up with speciality sandwiches at Ben's Deli on Avenue B

The L-train stop on 1st Avenue officially has all 4 entrances open



As we were saying back on Monday in this post, the MTA is wrapping up the L-train work along 14th Street.

And just like that on Tuesday, the north entrance (westbound side) to the L train on 14th Street at First Avenue opened ... and now for the first time all four entrances — two on Avenue A and two on First Avenue — are open for access to the L.

The MTA spells it all out in a news advisory:

This is the final major infrastructure element of the 1 Av Station expansion, which is part of the integrated resiliency, accessibility and capacity initiatives under the l Project. Previously, two new entrances near Avenue A and 14th Street were built and opened, one at Avenue A South in November 2019, and one at Avenue A North in February 2020. Following those openings, the existing entrances, which are part of the original 1924 station, were closed to be fully reconstructed. The First Avenue South entrance was reopened in April 2020, and this final original entrance at First Avenue North opened [Tuesday].

And kind of a but:

At this time, all entrances at 1 Av Station are open for customers with temporary finishes. Final finishes will be scheduled for one entrance at a time in the future, and the entrance will be temporarily closed at that time. Customers will be able to use the entrance to the station that provides complementary access.

Meanwhile, the two platform-to-street ADA elevators on either side of 14th Street near Avenue A will be complete by the end of the summer, per the MTA...



Look for some new crosswalks at Avenue A one day soon too...



The work officially began along this corridor in July 2017. In late April, Gov. Cuomo announced that the Sandy-damaged Canarsie tunnel rehabilitation phase was completed — reportedly several months ahead of schedule and less than $100 million as originally expected.

Khyber Pass closes on St. Mark's Place



Multiple EVG readers have shared that Khyber Pass has closed on St. Mark's Place.

One reader noted that the space was gutted the last week of May here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue: "This sucks. They were in the building already when I moved here in 1989. It was a great place and they were very nice neighbors."

While there hasn't been an official confirmation from anyone at the Afghani restaurant that dates to the mid-1980s, the space is now empty and their website deactivated. Khyber Pass had previously shut down in mid-March at the start of the COVID-19 PAUSE.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Wednesday's parting shot



New wheatpaste art of James Baldwin on Lafayette and Great Jones... "the Best Baldwin Brotha" ...



Art by @erinkostudios ...

Twilight's last gleaming: One last electric version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' on 7th Street


[Photo last night by Sarah Larson]

In case you were headed over to Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue this evening to hear the Jimi Hendrix-style version of "the Star-Spangled Banner" ... last night marked the final performance.

Starting on April 3, Seventh Street resident John the Baptist (aka John Fredericks) played the anthem on his Bobkat with a Stratocaster neck from his fire escape during the 7 p.m. cheer for health-care workers.

The song became a tradition, even attracting two off-duty ER doctors from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx who wanted to hear it live.

He recalled one night where he didn't break out his guitar, and "people were looking up at our fire escape, and they were, like pissed," he told Sarah Larson as part of The New Yorker's cover story on a day in the life in NYC during COVID-19.

The tribute was always personal, as his father and two brothers are ER doctors, per The New Yorker. It also received the approval of Janie Hendrix, Jimi's sister.

Here's a flashback to April 20 ... to a video via Stacie Joy...



And an upclose version that Rainer Turim shot for Gothamist...

An East Village community raffle for Black Lives Matter



The folks at East Village Postal, 151 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street, have organized a community raffle to raise funds for Black Lives Matter.

Here's how it works:

100 percent of all ticket sales will be donated to Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp and the Equal Justice Initiative.

Each ticket is $5. For multiple entries, please purchase in increments $5. You can purchase tickets by venmo @eastvillageraffle and leave your email or phone number so that we can contact you if you win. To purchase tickets in cash, please purchase your ticket at our shop.

Visit this link for a list of all the raffle prizes, which include gift cards to East Village Organic, Veselka, Mr. Throwback, Superiority Burger, Abraco and Azaleas, among many others.

Updated:

East Village Postal shared this on Instagram this morning...

Violet won't be reopening on 5th Street



Violet, the restaurant by the Pizza Loves Emily Group and chef/owner Matt Hyland, will not be reopening after the COVID-19 PAUSE here at 511 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Eater had the news yesterday about the spin-off from Emmy Squared and Emily:

[I]t wasn’t the runaway hit of the chef’s past restaurants. The restaurant built its menu around the grilled pizzas made famous at Italian restaurant Al Forno’s in Providence, Rhode Island, and critical reception was tepid. Eater critic Ryan Sutton found that the toppings-saturated pies at Violet often missed the mark, while New York Times critic Pete Wells praised the pizzas but saw some flaws in the pasta and dessert lineup. The restaurant, which opened its doors in January 2019, also featured pasta and seafood dishes like spaghetti with clams, and grilled shrimp with spicy butter and cilantro.

Hyland called the restaurant “a fun experience” in a statement on the closure, but said that Violet wasn’t feasible to run “in a New York that is increasing drastically in cost of goods and wages.”

FWIW, I liked the pizza, and it was a good spot after a drink at Sophie's a fews doors away.

The address has been home to several restaurants since Le Tableau closed in December 2007. Before Violet, there was Goat Town, Seymour Burton, Butcher Bay and GG's.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Emmy Squared's owners are bringing grilled pizza to the former GG's space on 5th Street

Getting 511 E. 5th St. ready for new grilled pizza venture from Emmy Squared's owners

Your Desire in Food now open on 4th and B



Your Desire in Food debuted back on Monday on the southeast corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street... the owner runs several other delis in the neighborhood, including on Seventh Street and Avenue C.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by and met the manager, Nassr Saleh...





So far the sandwiches are said to be popular ...



And they'll have beer for sale soon...



The previous tenant here, East Side Gourmet Deli, closed in April 2019.

St. Mark's Place seems a little more St. Mark's Place-like with the return of the sidewalk vendors



The sidewalk vendors returned to St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue on Monday... as these curbside operations are OK'd in the Phase 1 reopening. (You'll have to wait for any body piercings, though!)

Steven passed along these photos ... and as you can see, the open-air shops are well-stocked with the usual sunglasses, hats and scarves...





Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Tuesday's parting shot



The Brant Foundation added their support to BLM on the plywood outside both the entrances on Sixth Street and Seventh Street ... photo by Derek Berg

These East Village venues are open today for protestors



As part of the Open Your Lobby campaign that we've been reporting on (here and here and here).

The venues are supplying protestors with water and snacks as well as letting them use their restrooms.

Check @openyourlobby on Instagram for updates every day at noon.

An appreciation: East Village Books



New York City entered Phase 1 of the four-part reopening plan yesterday. In this initial phase, curbside and in-store pickup are now available for certain retail outlets, including clothing stores, florists and bookstores.

This does not pertain to East Village Books. The used-book mainstay at 99 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue has been open throughout the COVID-19 PAUSE. Gov. Cuomo stated in March that "any business that only has a single occupant/employee has been deemed exempt."

And we've heard from several residents who have been grateful that East Village Books remained open — albeit with instituted time and occupancy limits while following CDC guidelines. Having the opportunity to be inside a store and find some pandemic reading has been therapeutic.

With the proprietor's blessing, EVG contributor Stacie Joy recently wandered the stacks and shared these photos from her visit...





















East Village Books is also continuing to buy used books. Per their website: "On the store-open days, should you wish to sell books without entering you would phone from out front and use the designated bins. You would be paid by envelope and offered an alcohol wipe."

Reopenings: Il Posto Accanto


[Photo today by Stacie Joy]

Il Posto Accanto reopens today at noon for takeout and delivery over at 190 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Owners Bea and Julio (officially Beatrice Tosti Di Valminuta Pena and Julio Pena) made the announcement on Instagram. (And they seem quite excited to be back open.) You can find updates and daily specials on their Instagram.

The closed back on March 25.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Checking in at Il Posto Accanto

Preparing for Saturday's dinner at Il Posto Accanto on 2nd Street

Exquisite Cleaners is closing



From the EVG tipline (thanks Patrick!)... Exquisite Cleaners is closing after 30 years on the corner of First Avenue and Third Street...



Management is telling customers to swing by to pick up their dry cleaning by mid-June... and as the signage notes, they'll be carrying on over at their Mercer Street outpost...

Forsythia temporarily sets up on 7th Street



Forsythia has been offering four-course takeout meals from 107 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue since the beginning of the month.

This is a temporary arrangement for owner-executive chef Jacob Siwak, who had been planning a new restaurant on Stanton Street when the city went on its COVID-19 pause.

Per the Times the other day:

The menu is based on a working sojourn in Italy [management] took before the coronavirus pandemic, and has Roman overtones. Focaccia with mortadella, short rib meatballs, supplì cheese and rice balls with asparagus and mushrooms, stuffed pastas like scarpinocc and tortellini, and a brioche bun filled with whipped cream are some of the dishes they’re planning and preparing for four-course takeout menus, $30 per person. The kitchen is open from 4:30 to 6 p.m. daily, except Sundays.

Forsythia is using the space that belongs to the currently closed Atelier Sucré, which offers a studio kitchen for cooking classes, catering, and pastry and wine tastings.

Monday, June 8, 2020

Monday's parting shot



Photo this evening by Robert Miner ... there was a report of a fire in a building on Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... no word on any damage...

2 new East Village murals honor George Floyd



The above mural by @fumeroism is on the southwest corner of the Bowery and East Houston... the other new work by @dragon76art arrived today on the northeast corner of First Avenue and 13th Street...


Welcome to Phase 1



NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt is doing a segment on NYC retail shops reopening for curbside service under Phase 1.

Network correspondent Ron Allen was spotted on Avenue A interviewing Exit9 Gift Emporium owner Charles Branstool ... (thanks to Stacie Joy for the photos!)



This segment is expected to air tonight during the broadcast that starts at 6:30.

Meanwhile, Gothamist put together a helpful guide here on NYC's four-part reopening, which started today with Phase 1.

Perspectives on feeding the homeless in the neighborhood



Text and photos by Stacie Joy

This spring, I had the opportunity to document an East Village-restaurateur family's efforts (here and here) to feed the neighborhood's homeless.

The married couple, who own a restaurant that's currently closed during the COVID-19 crisis, have made two deliveries to date of boxed meals that they've prepared — a number that has increased thanks to donations from EVG readers.

On a recent day in May, I met up with them again for what will be the third delivery. We’ve learned a bit from our previous two runs and we have music on hand to make the rhythm of the work flow easier. (I’m partial to The Cramps and the three of us find a lot of in-common musicians to keep us company.)

We soon establish a plan, and map out how we hope the day might go. We’ve done all the shopping and the couple has done some of the meal prep the day before. We have contact info from a local resident in need whom we’d hoped to meet up with on the prior trip, and a special request or two, including dog food, which we didn’t have last time as well as extra sanitary supplies.

The delivery goes well, and after days of shopping and planning and hours of prep, handing out all the meals and kits is over in less than 90 minutes. We manage to meet up with the friend of a reader who made a donation in his honor, got the dog food to the couple and their puppy, and spent only a bit over what we had allotted.









This time, when we’re out making deliveries, I ask if the husband can answer a few of my questions. I’m curious about how he feels about the project and if his thoughts vary from his partner’s.

How has this experience been for you?

We came up with the idea for this project at the very beginning of the statewide PAUSE order. There have always been homeless people in the East Village and Lower East Side, but there has been a level of support for them in people who they can panhandle from.

When the city shut down, that interaction disappeared, and the homeless and their plight became much more visible. As business owners, we tried to help individuals by giving them food from the restaurant, but then they started coming back looking for more, and that was difficult for our staff to navigate.

Whatever efforts the city or other organizations implemented wasn’t noticed by us, so we felt we had to come up with a plan to address the problem on our own.

Having grown up in the EV/LES area in the 1970s and 1980s, hanging out in Tompkins Square Park and on St. Mark’s Place, I have seen homeless people all my life. Throughout the years I have thought of ways to help but I always just end up giving someone the change in my pocket or my leftover dinner from the restaurant where I just ate.

As we live our busy lives, balancing work and raising a family, rushing from one place to the other, sometimes it’s easy to let the homeless blend into the background. If we don’t think about them, they can become fuzzy shadows existing only in our peripheral.

But when we carried out our project, we got a glimpse of who they are. We found people from many different countries, many different ages, many different races, and genders. Putting them in the forefront, we discovered they were all people, who, for whatever reason found themselves in a difficult situation living rough on the streets.

Overall, my experience has been mixed. I am shocked there are so many homeless out there — just in our neighborhood. I am heartbroken to see that some are so young. Most people are receptive, some are hostile, some won’t look at me, some talk to themselves, some are in withdrawal, some ask for drugs, some ask for money, one woman asked for underwear, one man was distressed because he needed to use a bathroom, some are panhandling, some are sitting on the sidewalk in a tent or a cardboard box.

At the end of each day, I am physically and emotionally drained. Sometimes it’s hard to deal with reality, but I guarantee that whatever I’m feeling pales in comparison to how these people live every day. And it always leaves me feeling like there is much more work to do.

The community response from the initial story was overwhelming, with lots of people reaching out to privately donate funds and/or goods for this project. How did that inform your decisions about what to buy, how to shop, what to serve, and how best to deliver food and goods to those in need?

I will be eternally grateful to the folks who had the faith to donate, without an idea of who we were, or what we would do with the money. That we included feminine hygiene products and socks seemed to resonate with your readers, so we expanded in that direction.

Due to the virus, we asked for masks, which we included in each package. We included toothpaste and a toothbrush. So many people asked for a second meal, for a friend or relative or themselves, so we rethought the menu and created packages that could easily be two or three meals and easy to eat. We put everything into one paper shopping bag for efficiency. We were able to really stretch each dollar we received.

Being in the restaurant business, we bought unprepared food in bulk as well as containers at a restaurant supply market, and the rest of the items we bought at Costco and a dollar store.

We filled a paper shopping bag with all of these items, at a cost of about 10 bucks per bag.

In personally delivering these grab-n-go bags to people, you received feedback from the recipients. Anything that you’d care to share?

I discovered that people are much less wary if I approach them wearing an apron. Otherwise, I’m just some random tattooed guy walking up, and people can be understandably defensive. But when we get through that initial wariness and the guard drops, most everyone is receptive, happy that someone would give them something without question.

What stays in your mind from this experience? What might you tell other people who may be interested in helping?

What has really stuck in my mind was the last stop. We found a large community of homeless, 20 or more, and were able to give bags to all of them — except one. We were packing up and closing the car door when a young man walked up and asked for a bag. But we had already given out the last one.

My heart dropped — we searched the car and were able to give him a fruit salad, which was meant for someone else, and the rest of the sandwich I was eating for dinner, but I could tell he was disappointed, looking at everyone else smiling, taking things out of their bags. I was devastated and felt I failed him as I couldn’t look him in his eye to tell him we had no more to give.

So, my takeaway is this: whatever it is that we are able do, there is much more work to do. What we did — two full days of shopping and preparing 72 bags, which filled our car — was handed out in one and a half hours. It was over so quickly! What we did was a drop in the ocean. There is a serious problem out there, which has been exacerbated by this pandemic, and I hope that any new relief package includes help for all these people in need.













Previously on EV Grieve:
Anonymous East Village restaurant owners continue to feed those in need of a meal

Anonymous East Village restaurant owners distribute meals to neighbors in need