Celebrating with Melissa

Sharing a moment ... and perhaps a piece of cake with (presumably?) Melissa on 9th Street this morning...



Photos by Steven

That time this restaurant closed after less than 2 weeks on St. Mark's Place

[Photo from June 2011]

In recent months, several restaurants have closed after a short time in business.

In late November, for instance, 100% Healthy Blend (or maybe just Healthy Blend) shut down at Second Avenue and Fifth Street after less than three months.

And at the beginning of November, 'Merica, described as "the most American bar and restaurant in the world," switched concepts after three weeks in operation on Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Each time a restaurant comes and goes so quickly, someone asks if this is a record for a closure.

In recent years, at least in the nine years of EVG, an Italian restaurant called Tre Scalini holds the dubious East Village record, closing after less than two weeks at 130 St. Mark's Place in 2011.

Here's the EVG post from July 21, 2011:

Back on June 17, we pointed out that an Italian restaurant called Tre Scalini was taking over the former Bello's space at 130 St. Mark's Place near Avenue A.

I meant to note when they opened... If I had to guess, then I'd say they opened around July 1... During the weekend of July 8, I spotted this sign...

I walked by a few times and never saw anyone inside, save the owner and a worker or two. I last saw it open on July 10. I've walked by every day since then. It has not been open in the past 10 days.

If this is all true, then it was probably a good idea that they never changed the awning from the previous tenant.

They weren't even open long enough to merit a Yelp review.

By my count, they were open nine or 10 days. I wondered how many guests they served (if any) ... and why they decided to bail so quickly. (Did their lease have some kind of escape clause? There was still the cost of renovating the space.)

Tre Scalini wasn't a new venture. They had a location on 58th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue that eventually closed. They re-opened 13 years later on St. Mark's Place. There was also a location on Melville, Long Island, that now goes by a different name.

The restaurant that eventually took over this space, Kura, has been open for three-plus years.

Plywood comes down at 131 Avenue A to reveal new cafe Baci e Vendetta

[Photo via EVG reader JG]

The plywood came down yesterday to reveal Baci e Vendetta, the new wine bar-cafe at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

This prime space across from Tompkins Square Park was the 10 Degrees Bistro until the fall of 2015 ... and the Flea Market Cafe before that.

Back in December, CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license for the owners of Shoolbred's and Kingston Hall (and formerly Ninth Ward) on Second Avenue. The CB3 meeting notes refer to the new establishment as "a New Orleans Cajun restaurant."

Baci e Vendetta, Italian for Kisses and Revenge, doesn't have much of a Cajun ring to it. Anyway, we're not sure at the moment who's behind this venture that debuted last night.

The space looks nice...

Be transported to another era. Our bar features 6 varieties of wines on tap including prosecco. #nyc #bar pic.twitter.com/ZiQdzHx0s2

— BacieVendetta (@BacieVendetta) December 15, 2016

Here's a look at the food and beverage menu... (click on images to go big)




According to the Baci website, these are the hours:

Sunday – Thursday: 9 am – midnight
Friday – Saturday: 9 am – 2 am
Brunch — Sat – Sun: 9 am – 4pm

Previously on EV Grieve:
New-look Flea Market Cafe shows itself on Avenue A; reopens March 11

Flea Market Cafe reopens today, and here's the menu

Was the fire at Flea Market yesterday suspicious?

On Avenue A, Flea Market Cafe is now Ten Degrees Bistro

The Marshal seizes 10 Degrees Bistro on Avenue A

10 Degrees Bistro won't be reopening on Avenue A

Team behind Shoolbred's and Ninth Ward vying for 10 Degrees Bistro space on Avenue A

Pastry chef Sebastian Brecht bringing chocolate to 4th Street

Signage is up at 63 E. Fourth St. noting "Obsessive Chocolate Disorder" in this storefront between Second Avenue and the Bowery. The name on the door notes the name of Sebastian Brecht, Chocolatier.

A 2007 feature in the Times on Brecht, a well-regarded pastry chef, reports that he "built a reputation by supplying Dean & DeLuca with cakes during its glory years and by working with fancy party caterers who fed his confections to the likes of Mick Jagger, Bon Jovi and Hillary Clinton." (His father was Greenwich Village historian, poet and author Stefan Brecht.)

We don't have any further details on the business at the moment. The space was previously home to Bond Street Chocolate for seven years.

Otherwise, how was your night?

From DNAinfo:

A doorman for The Ludlow Hotel became so incensed Friday evening when a taxi driver refused to accept passengers that he punched the driver repeatedly in the face, trashed his phone, then unceremoniously quit his job by fleeing the scene.

Previously on EV Grieve:
People behind fabulous hotels opening another likely fabulous hotel on Ludlow Street

Actual work being done at the long-stalled Hotel Ludlow site

Image via @ludlowhotelnyc

The fast and the flurrious

A quick weather break...

A before (above) and after of this morning's (unexpected?) flurry action...



Thanks to EVG reader John Iz for the photos from Seventh Street.

Tim Ho Wan debuts tomorrow on 10th Street and 4th Avenue

The first U.S. location for Hong Kong-based chef Mak Kwai Pui's Michelin-starred dim sum parlor Tim Ho Wan has its soft opening tomorrow.

And the official grand opening will be Jan. 18 here on the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and 10th Street.

Here are more details from the media advisory via the EVG inbox...

• The dim sum menu features the world-famous BBQ Pork Buns along with other Tim Ho Wan specialties such as the Steamed Rice Roll stuffed with BBQ Pork, Pan Fried Turnip Cake and Steamed Egg Cake. The Deep Fried Vegetable Spring Roll and French Toast with Custard Filling, a Tim Ho Wan spin on the classic French toast, are the two dishes that will be exclusive to the New York restaurant. All items are priced $5.50 or lower and the full menu will be available during the soft opening phase.

• Tim Ho Wan’s Grand Opening will be on January 18th from 3 – 10 pm. Both the date and time were carefully selected based on the Chinese lunar calendar, to bring good luck to the restaurant. To celebrate and kick-off the official opening, there will be a dragon dance performance in front of the restaurant at 3:00pm EST. After the grand opening, Tim Ho Wan will open for normal business hours from Sunday – Thursday 10 am to 10 pm and Friday – Saturday from 10 am – 11 pm.

• During the soft opening phase from Dec. 16 through Jan. 17, Tim Ho Wan will open with limited hours. Lunch service will be from 10 am - 3 pm and dinner service will be from 5 pm – 10 pm. Fridays and Saturdays starting Dec. 23, dinner service will be available until 11.

In 2009, the original 24-seat dim sum eatery in Mongkok, Hong Kong's Kowloon, was reportedly branded the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world. This location marks the 45th Tim Ho Wan worldwide.

The address was last home to Spice, which closed in December 2014.

Previously

Image via Facebook

McSorley's back on the A list

As we first noted on Nov. 10, the Department of Health temporarily closed McSorley's on Seventh Street near Cooper Square after an inspection "revealed several critical health hazards, including evidence of rat activity, food held at the wrong temperature, and conditions conducive to vermin and pest activity."

The bar passed a follow-up inspection and reopened on Nov. 14.

On Monday, the bar received its new health inspection grade – an A...



"I think it should be A-plus-plus," bartender Teresa Maher de la Haba told the Daily News.

According to DOH inspection reports, the bar has had A grades from the DOH in previous years. Owner Matthew Maher blamed the Cooper Square reconstruction for the presence of the rats after work was done in the building's basement, per DNAinfo.

Odd Eye brings vintage and design collectibles to 5th Street

A photo posted by O D D E Y E N Y C (@oddeyenyc) on Dec 8, 2016 at 2:53pm PST

Odd Eye NYC is now open at 524 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Odd Eye describes itself as a "design store offering an eclectic array of objects and furniture."

And there's a grand opening/holiday party tonight from 6-9 for you the "potential dissatisfied customer," per the invite.

Otherwise, Odd Eye is open Wednesday-Thursday from noon to 8; Friday and Saturday until 9 p.m.; and 6 p.m. until Sunday.

A photo posted by O D D E Y E N Y C (@oddeyenyc) on Dec 8, 2016 at 11:39am PST

The previous tenant here, the designers Heights + Kenchi, moved to Ninth Street.

October surprise on the Bowery as Drake opens shop

The lines formed early on the Bowery at Bond Street Saturday for the opening of October's Very Own, Drake's line of clothing/lifestyle brand.

The store is at 330 Bowery (aka 54 Bond St.), the historic circa-1874 building, the former Bouwerie Lane Theater...







There are other OVO locations in Los Angeles and Toronto, the Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter-producer's hometown.

Drake drew crowds to a pop-up shop at 208 Bowery this past August.

News of this OVO outlet first started circulating on Dec. 5...

#NYWELCOMEOVO pic.twitter.com/8NPT48DB2O

— October's Very Own (@welcomeOVO) December 5, 2016

Last fall, a John Barrett luxury hair salon, which also sold vintage Rolex watches priced to $30,000, opened here. The salon closed after just a few months in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
330 Bowery wrapped and ready

A look at 330 Bowery, now free of its sidewalk bridge

The storefronts for rent on the Bowery

Retail space at historic 330 Bowery is for rent

Out and About in the East Village

In this ongoing feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Cara Bloch (left), Carmen Ruiz-Davila and Luella
Occupation: Owners, Love Gang
Location: East Ninth Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A
Time: Thursday, Dec. 8 at noon

Carmen: I was born in Barcelona. I was an artist, a sculptor, and 11 years ago I came to New York. I moved to the East Village in 2011 and now I live in Greenpoint. I used to live in the Bronx in the 1980s. In an article [about the store] The Village Voice wrote, ‘Carmen from the Bronx.’ I was like alright, I guess that gives me street cred. Don’t tell them that I went to school in Ohio.

When I opened up the store, I had this crazy idea that I was going to make sculptures, have a store, and have a child, and that didn’t work out. I opened up a store here in 2012, and it was called Deverado, a designer vintage clothing store. It was open for about 3-and-a-half years, and then I had a baby and took a year off. Then I proposed to Cara to have a store here that was a little bit of vintage but more independent designers. She was like, "Yeah, cool. Let’s do it." And we came up with Love Gang. That was in 2015.

Cara: I’m from Miami. I got into art school at the International Center for Photography (ICP). Since I was a child, I was always a music nerd, and after ICP one of my first assistant jobs was with a music video director, Matt Mahurin, and that just escalated everything into rock photography. At the time, going to art school was very competitive, and I’m sitting there like Mrs. Friendly. I needed to make friends outside of ICP, and I became very good friends with a girl named Abby who sang in bands, and we would just go and hang out in Three of Cups, downstairs. I was a big 1980s cheesy rock fan. I love Slayer and Anthrax. I loved all that stuff.

As these bands I photographed were getting bigger, they would start opening for bands like Circle Jerks and Iggy Pop, so they would give me photo passes. One of my first rock jobs was with Punk Planet, and that propelled me to begin a body of rock work, and then I started to drop my book off at various magazines. I was just getting rejected all over the place.

I did my second documentary, photographing rock fans at concerts in front of cars. Then I started to do sports fans, and I submitted that to American Photography — that was my first 2004 American Photography award. I showed this body of work along with my music work, and I got a message that I was going to Boston. My first job was Bright Eyes, and I was like “Oh my god.” I was on a plane for the next 10 years. I did portraiture and live photography. My boss always said to me, once you get in one magazine it’s a snowball effect. Then Spin contacted me; then record labels contacted me. I couldn’t believe it was happening. I was 24 or 25, and I wanted to take every job and go everywhere and do everything. I also started to work non-profit for Rock the Vote, and that was a great experience.

Then at 30 years old I got sick. I was sick for five years with something called vestibular migraines. There were a lot of misdiagnoses. Doctors would tell me I was depressed. I said, "How can I be depressed? This is my dream come true." I had this ignorant idea that you’d go to the doctor and you’d be fine. And it just took one doctor, who took a blood test. I was severely deficient in vitamin D. It sounds like a very glamorous job, but when you fly to LA, it’s a red-nighter, you’re exhausted, you’re put in a van pumping yourself with Coca-Cola, and then you’re dealing with an entitled celebrity who doesn’t want you around, and you have to be on. Then you have to turn your deadlines in. I think it just had a big effect, and I was no angel either. I think it just took its toll on my immune system. When you get sick, life changes.

At that time, I met Carmen. I thought, "This girl’s so cool." She was so stylish and friendly, and she collected vintage. I always had a passion for that but nowhere near her knowledge.

Carmen: I’m a vintage nerd. I like the history of it. I like the concept of it.

Cara: I was fascinated. I didn’t know the history and I didn’t know the designers, and she invited me to her house. I said, “I’m going to be friends with this girl.” Sometimes I would work in her designer vintage store. And at the time, I started to work again, but with the iPod coming out, with the music industry, everything changed. I wasn’t making the same money anymore. I also thought it would be really nice to not travel and stay in one place.

Carmen: We had to come up with a concept that we were both amenable to. I had some ideas. I wanted the store to be more about the East Village, whereas the other store was a destination. It was high-end vintage and it was very niche. I sold to a lot of designers and stylists. This store was about creating a fun environment with a lower price point We have pop-ups with local designers as well. We’re the first store that some designers show in.

Cara: We love the history. We have reoccurring customers and it’s great. They hang out and have cocktails and they come to our pop-ups. That’s lovely. What I loved about Carmen’s concept was that it was all about emerging and independent designers — things that are special and unique, that you can’t find – the anti-Zara. We also came out with our own line. Carmen designed a whole beautiful clothing line. To open this store, to come out with our own line, and now she’s working on these amazing candles… She’s turning into a chemist.

Luella is like our therapy dog. We’re all working late and hard and long hours, and she’s great to have around. She’s a good salesperson.



Carmen: On Dec. 16 we’re doing a silent auction for Planned Parenthood [details here], and they’re going to come and speak. We have about 40 donations — almost everyone from the neighborhood and some artists. We just want to raise as much money as we can, and 100 percent of the profits go toward the New York chapter. I was never an activist. I went to my first protest not that long ago, so I think one good thing about all this happening is that it’s really turning non-protestors into protestors and activists.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

[Updated] East 12th Osteria has closed on 1st Avenue

Here's the sign that greets patrons at East 12th Osteria on First Avenue at 12th Street... the restaurant is relocating...



Chef/owner Roberto Deiaco served "elegant Northern Italian [fare] with a casual East Village vibe," per its social media description.

The relocation notice coincides with a posted Warning Seizure flyer via the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance...



The sign notes that the business has been seized for nonpayment of New York State Taxes.

The restaurant opened in March 2013. The space was previously held by the Fuji Apple deli, which closed in April 2011.

Thanks to dwg for the photos!

Updated 11:30 a.m.

Eater reports that the state seized it for more than $190,000 in unpaid taxes. "The restaurant ... had 14 open warrants from the government, mostly for unpaid sales tax."