Saturday's opening shot

City crews were out this morning salting roadways for the anticipated winter weather expected this afternoon... to the National Weather Service for some ALL-CAPS forecasting...

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM EST SUNDAY... 

WHAT...Mixed precipitation including freezing rain expected. Total snow accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch. 

WHERE...Portions of northeast New Jersey and southeast New York. 

WHEN...From 1 PM this afternoon to 10 AM EST Sunday. 

IMPACTS...Difficult travel conditions are possible due to icy roadways, especially this afternoon through tonight

Friday's parting shot

Fetch! A scene in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Removing a curbside living space on 9th Street and Avenue C

An EVG reader shared the following photos... someone had moved into the curbside dining structure on Ninth Street at Avenue C outside the temporarly closed Esperanto... 

The man, and the various items that he has collected, had been in the Ninth Street space since this past Saturday. We're told that nearby residents had called 311 and other city agencies about the encampment... 

By this afternoon, some workers — unsure who sent them — arrived to remove the roof from the curbside space...

... and eventually the man's items had been moved to the sidewalk...

In recent weeks, several curbside spaces at currently closed bars-restaurants have temporarily been turned into encampments... including outside Lucy's on Avenue A...

Come out to 'Play'

 

Missed this single when it came out back in the fall — the UK-based duo Nova Twins with "Play Fair."

The band recently announced "Nova Twins Presents Voices For The Unheard," a new compilation album they'vee curated to spotlight underrepresented POC artists from the rock and alternative scene. 

Police searching for suspect in 1st Avenue assault on Wednesday afternoon

Police are searching for a suspect they say critically injured a 59-year-old man after punching him Wednesday afternoon on First Avenue near 12th Street. (Update: Readers say it was actually 11th Street near the Islamic Council of America.)

CBS 2 has a few more details:

Police say the suspect got into a dispute with the 59-year-old victim. Things escalated, and the suspect punched the victim in his left eye. 

The victim fell to the street and knocked his head on the concrete. That left the victim semi-conscious, police said. He suffered a fractured skull and swelling of the brain, according to authorities. 

The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition.

Accounts of the assault did not include a description of the suspect (he appears to be wearing checkerboard slip-ons by Vans) ... the NYPD did release this footage last evening...

🚨WANTED for an ASSAULT: On 2/10/21 at approx. 2:51 PM, at 1st Avenue and East 12 Street. The suspect punched a 59 year old male victim in his left eye, knocking him down causing him to be semi-conscious. Any info call or DM NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS. Reward up to $2,500. pic.twitter.com/4GTu3d9w5r

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) February 12, 2021

Essex Market regulars Davidovich Bakery opening an outpost on Avenue A

Signage has arrived for the new tenant at 36 Avenue A — Davidovich Bakery. 

The Essex Market regular looks to be opening another standalone shop offering bagels, pastries, sandwiches and coffee. 

The 23-year-old business opened its first non-Market space at 77 Clinton St. late last fall. 

No word on an opening date or hours at this time for Avenue A.

Until this past September, this storefront was home to Native Bean. The cafe was here since January 2015, having moved the one block from 50 Avenue A. 

We had heard that another coffee-bagel shop was opening here, but didn't know the brand. 

A Valentine’s Day pop-up: Never Ending Taste coming to Yellow Rose on Sunday

Text by Kate Woodruff

Acclaimed pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz is popping up at Yellow Rose this Valentine's Day.

And it's a case of paying it forward, pop-up style.

Described as "genuine cosmic Texas cookin'," Yellow Rose opened this past fall at 102 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. Owners Dave and Krystiana Rizo were on the pop-up circuit before opening their own place, and are now hosting Pickowicz's highly regarded Never Ending Taste bake sale, which helps raise money for local nonprofits working with issues of food insecurity and in food justice.

"I'm really excited to be in the kitchen with them," says Pickowicz, whose Valentine's menu (serving from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) will feature sticky buns, layer cakes and cookies alongside Yellow Rose's homestyle tacos and heralded vegan queso.

Pickowicz, a James Beard nominee, is best known for her work at Café Altro Paradiso in Soho, where she worked as the head pastry chef until March 2020 when she found herself out of work at the start of the PAUSE. 

It was after this that Superiority Burger's Brooks Headley reached out to see if she would be interested in using his space on Ninth Street for a residency on Sunday nights, and the Never Ending Taste was born.

As for this Sunday, Pickowicz instructs: "No indoor dining. Wear a mask. Bring your Sweetie."

 ----

Kate Woodruff is a food writer and chef. Both working and residing in the East Village, she spends her time cooking, eating and writing about the two. For inquiries: katejeanwoodruff@gmail.com.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood and NYC ... 

Construction watch: 298 E. Houston St.

Yesterday, we looked at the incoming 14-story affordable housing complex at 302 E. Second St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

One building to the west is a very different type of new residence — the luxury Houston House, now fully revealed.

Here's a refresh on the 8-story condplex — "inspired by environmentally friendly passive house standards" — via the HH website:

Interiors were designed to maximize space and natural light, and many of the units have dramatic, unobstructed views of One WTC and Lower Manhattan. Amenities include breathtaking views, part-time doorman, a state-of-the-art Butterfly Mx virtual doorman system, bicycle storage, and a package room.

Each apartment boasts private outdoor space and an array of high-end fixtures and finishes. Specific features include private keyed elevator access, gorgeous wide plank hardwood floors, triple glazed floor-to-ceiling windows with northern and southern exposure, high ceilings, Energy Recovery Ventilator Systems, Miele washers/dryers with heat-pump technology, and stunning kitchens equipped with eat-in peninsulas, statuary quartz countertops, a matching backsplash, custom Italian cabinetry, pantry space by ALTA, and a suite of fully-integrated Miele appliances.

A new East Houston landmark, Houston House is just steps from numerous parks and public gardens and a continually evolving collection of restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops. It is close to the brand new Essex Crossing development, and is a short walk to the East River Promenade...

HH features several floor-through units with either two or three bedrooms. There are four available units, per the HH website, ranging in price from $2.8 to $3 million. There's also a unit for rent at $11,000 a month.

This property was previously the Houston Street Beer Distributors (see below!). The parcel fetched a little more than $7 million in the fall of 2015, per public records.

Previously on EV Grieve:
298 E. 2nd St. latest development site up for grabs

East Village now minus 2 beverage distributors

Something brewing (demolition) for former beer distributor on East 2nd Street


[Photo from August 2016]

Black Seed Bagels and chef Bobby Hellen launch Black Seed Pizza

The Black Seed Bagels team today launches a new venture — Black Seed Pizza, a collaboration with Bobby Hellen, who ran GG's on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B for three years until December 2017.

Hellen will be working from Black Seed's East Village location on First Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

The opening menu features five pizzas, including standards such as Cheese, Tomato and White as well as several specialties like Bob's Pizza (seen below), which features sopressata, mozzarella blend, grana padano, pecorino, tomato sauce, castelvetrano olive, banana pepper, oregano and homemade chimichurri ...

The pizzas are available in two sizes — square (12" x 12", feeds 2-3 people) and round (9" diameter, feeds 1 person). Find the menu here.

Some details via the opening announcement:

Black Seed Pizza's dough is fermented for 36 hours and made from certified organic, stone ground flour from Wild Hive Farm in the Hudson Valley, non-GMO all-purpose flour from King Arthur Flour in Vermont, and a 100-year old sourdough starter. 

The sauce is made using certified organic Bianco DiNapoli San Marzano-style tomatoes from California. All pies are baked in Sicilian-style pans, in a wood-fired oven. Gluten-free dough options are available for the square pizzas, and a plant-based cheese (Numu) is available to substitute for mozzarella

The pizza will be available for pickup at 176 First Ave. and delivery through Black Seed Pizza's own site and also via the usual third-party delivery platforms. 

Hours: Sunday to Thursday from 4-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.
 
The Black Seed founding partners (Noah Bernamoff, Matt Kliegman and Dianna Daoheung) have been friends with Hellen for years and say that this is more than a pop-up concept, but rather "a full-fledged, standalone business alongside the bagel operation, poised to grow and potentially operate out of more Black Seed locations with wood-fired ovens."

Storefront photo by Steven; pizza pic by Shay Harrington

How about some more bubble tea for St. Mark's Place

Gong Cha, which describes itself as "one of the most recognized bubble tea brands around the world," is opening an outpost at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

This location is now on the Gong Cha website (H/T Upper West Sider!) ... marking the ninth outpost in Manhattan for the global franchise founded in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

This block of St. Mark's has seen a variety of bubble tea come and go through the recent years... some still in business (Kung Fu Tea right across the street).... and some not (Mi Tea). 

This storefront (the one on the left) has been vacant since Lab -320° closed in late 2016 after six months of selling ice cream. The previous longtime tenant here, The Sock Man, closed in January 2016 after a reported rent hike via (now former) landlord Raphael Toledano. Sock Man owner Marty Rosen later opened a new location at 99 1/2 St. Mark's Place ... where he remains today.

Photo by Steven

Mi Salsa Kitchen, serving Cuban cuisine, announces itself on Houston and Allen

A worker yesterday unveiled signage for the new restaurant coming to the southwest corner of Houston at Allen... welcome Mi Salsa Kitchen...

The restaurant, which will serve Cuban cuisine, looks to have a modestly priced menu... with meat and chicken dishes, served with two sides and a salad, starting at $11. 

This venture takes the place of the 8-year-old Mezetto, which never reopened after the PAUSE last March, per BoweryBoogie, who also first reported on Mi Salsa Kitchen's pending arrival.