The food courting of East Village delis continues

Roger's Garden on First Avenue between First Street and Second Street closed for renovations back in early January... (uncovering a Dash Snow tag on the rolldown gate in the process)



Here's what the space is looking like now...

It's the latest deli to go more upscale... with a new-look that can best be described as New Americana Food Court... similar to other newish eateries-delis in the neighborhood to open in recent months...

Related reading:
For Bodegas, An Uncertain Future (The Local East Village)

Signs of life on the Eighth Street willow tree

Back in early December, we noted that workers had butchered cut back the willow tree here on Eighth Street near Avenue C... going from this...

... to this...

Anyway, we were assured by some willow tree authority types via e-mail that the tree would be just fine, that this was a healthy pruning, etc. (Not in such friendly terms though!) Anyway, we thought we'd check back in on it yesterday on the first official day of spring...

...showing some signs of life...

Melanie has some more willow tree shots at East Village Corner.

EV Grieve Eatery Etc.: Xoom moving from Seventh Street; Souvlaki GR opening today

Xoom, the smoothie shop that opened on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Avenue A in November 2009, is moving... We expect to hear more about a new location this week...

EV Grieve contributor Samo notes that that food-truck favorites Souvlaki GR will have a soft opening this week today at their new home at 116 Stanton St. just west of Essex Street. They were originally slated to open on March 14, but held off to work on some last-minute details... BoweryBoogie has more here.

EV Grieve contributor Bobby Williams noted that the Yuca Bar got a rather mustardy paint job this past Friday on Avenue A at Seventh Street ...

The DOH shuttered Montien Thai Cuisine on Third Avenue near 12th Street in January ... and the sign on the door still says they're remodeling...

...this board covers the DOH sticker...

Joe Strummer mural restored

As we learned last week, artist Angel "LA II" Ortiz added his personal touch to the Joe Strummer mural on Seventh Street and Avenue A...

Since then, the mural has been touched up...

It has been a busy time for Ortiz, a veteran artist who once worked with Keith Haring. NYC the Blog has more on Ortiz here. Meanwhile, DNAinfo reported last week that the NYPD arrested Ortiz for tagging a building on Second Avenue ... the night before the LES native's opening at his show at the Dorian Grey Gallery on East Ninth Street.

Anyway, you've probably seen his LA ROC tag around a lot of late... I counted 12 before I stopped...

Why you can now feel good about the popcorn popped at Village East Cinema

I suppose it makes sense that movie theaters would receive a letter grade from the DOH just like restaurants and bars ... seeing as they prepare and store popcorn and what not... Anyway, I never noticed that the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue at 12th Street placed its grade so prominently ... (Has that A always been hanging right there?)

... 0 points on the last inspection in January ... an improvement from the 21 points from a December 2010 inspection...Now if they can only inspect some of the movies playing here! (OK — kidding... that was too easy...)

Week in Grieview

A busy week ... thanks to everyone for all the lively comments...

We had news of a new burger place coming to Second Street (Monday)

Kenny Scharf's mural was bombed (Tuesday) and cleaned (Wednesday)

We reported that Acme Bar & Grill abruptly closed (Tuesday) before hearing that the owner suddenly changed his mind (Tuesday)

We looked at a penthouse duplex connected by a stainless-steel slide (Thursday)

A lot of cops showed up to apprehend someone who tagged Angels & Kings (Thursday)

We found out about changes coming to Cienfuegos (Friday)

A ressident told us about life at the renovated 325 E. 10th St. (Wednesday)

Tagging Joe Strummer (Thursday)

We found out about the "hipster trap" (Monday)

The CB3/SLA rejected application for a new Avenue A music venue (Monday)

A resident took offense to the "Hot Chicks Room" sign at the UCB (Monday) ... and the UCB agreed to remove the sign (Wednesday)

On that topic... here's the WPIX news item on the matter...

 

Today in new ads that poke fun of people from Des Moines

Yesterday, we noted the crane on Second Avenue and Second Street... where workers were putting up a new ad...

We went back to see what the ad was for...

There is an East Village in Des Moines too.

[Updated] Moon shots

So last night's full moon was the largest and brightest seen in 19 years, appearing 14 percent bigger and shining 30 percent more brightly than usual, according to the article that I cut-n-paste that from.

How big was it? Here are a few photos ...

From EV Grieve reader Stephen Popkin ... taken on Third Avenue around 4 a.m...

From Bobby Williams...

From Shawn Chittle...

From EV Grieve...

OK, so I didn't get any good shots. Anyway, Gothamist has some more photos. Also, check out the photos that Bob Arihood took right here.

March 20

Eighth Street near Avenue C.

Table tennis now a permanent part of Tompkins Square Park

Earlier today, the city installed a new permanent ping-pong table in Tompkins Square Park, as DNAinfo has been reporting...

The table is dedicated to longtime Tompkins Square Park manager Harry Greenberg, who retired last fall....

...and if you want to play...

All photos by EV Grieve Ping-Pong Sideline Photographer Bobby Williams.

Warming up for the Supermoon

Last night...

And tonight!

Tonight's full moon will be the largest and brightest seen for 19 years, appearing 14 percent bigger and shining 30 percent more brightly than usual. (So that's 44 percent?) Here's more on Gothamist.

Missing dog alert

From our Friend Cat Sitter in the City:

There is a little brown dog running loose. He was last seen near Beth Israel Hospital ... He was either headed west or north. Please alert friends in the area so they can be on the lookout for him. Sorry I don't have more info. I just know he is a little brown dog.

Read the whole post here.

'All the Bowery is gold'

Some passages from the piece on the Bowery in the Times ... titled "The Skids? Hardly"

Gene Kaufman, whose architectural firm has been commissioned to design a hotel on the Bowery, said that the street had become “stuck in time.”

“And a city that does not change dies,” he said.

And!

Hamid Rashidzada bought a studio at 199 Bowery five years ago for $390,000, when prices had not yet begun to soar. Now, he needs something larger and is selling the apartment for $549,000, confident that at that price he will find a buyer, because it is tough to find an apartment anywhere on the Bowery for under $1 million.

And!

The new Bowery is defined by apartment prices approaching those in Manhattan’s most expensive neighborhoods. Just off the Bowery, at 48 Bond Street, a 5,000-square-foot penthouse with an additional 1,100 square feet of outdoor space is listed for $15.8 million. Last month, another penthouse on the strip sold for more than $13 million. There are now half a dozen condos on the Bowery on the market for over $3 million.

And!

Alan P. Miller, the senior director of the real estate investment firm Eastern Consolidated, who brokered the hotel deal, said that although parts of the market remained sluggish, investors were eager to get a piece of the Bowery.

“All of the Bowery is gold,” he said.

Today in 'the bad old days may be here again' articles

From the Post:

Hammered by budget cuts, the NYPD will field its smallest force by the middle of next year than at any time since 1992 — raising fears that, with fewer cops on the beat, a resurgence of crime could return to the city.

Read the article here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The "bad old days" are here again story of the day

Trend alert! The bad old days are here again!

Are the "bad old days" here again...again?

The "bad old days" are here again story of the day

Today in photos of very large cranes

You always take pictures of cranes. Like this one here on Second Avenue at Second Street...

And from EV Grieve reader Steven on Second Street near Avenue C...

Get the balance right

Late afternoon in Tompkins Square Park....

Photos by Bobby Williams.

This time he's gonna really tell the boss

Prompted by the Joe Strummer mural tagging this week.

Other East Village signs maybe someone can take issue with

This is just the beginning!

Cienfuegos adding a 'bitters tasting room'

Looks as if some new elements are being added to the Cienfuegos Cuban-eatery complex on Avenue A at Sixth Street... First, EV Grieve reader Creature notes that Carteles, the one-time sandwich shop here...

...will now be Amor Y Amargo — "a bitters tasting room" ... and a few other things...

Meanwhile, EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams noted some work being done on EL Cobre, the main restaurant yesterday ...

Later in the day, Bob Arihood took this photo... looks as if they'll be some open-air dining-drinking now on the corner...

[Via Nadie Se Conoce]

And, as a PS, El Cobre is named after the town where Cuba's patron saint is located... a duplicate statue is on display inside...

[Bobby Williams]

Previously