Sen. Hoylman introduces legislation allowing bars and restaurants to continue offering drinks for takeout after COVID-19

[7B via Instagram]

State Sen. Brad Hoylman announced new legislation yesterday that would allow bars and restaurants to continue offering drinks for takeout and delivery for two years after the state disaster emergency expires.

The bill would also provide community boards and local government with the power to conduct oversight that ensures an establishment is operating safely.

"If we want our favorite bars and restaurants to survive the crisis, we’ve got to help them adapt," Hoylman said in a statement. "My new legislation will allow bars and restaurants to provide beer, wine and cocktails for take-out and delivery for two years after the crisis ends, giving these establishments a much-needed lifeline while New York slowly returns to normal."

Per info via Hoylman's office:

The bill includes multiple safeguards to ensure all sales are safe and legal. It would require all alcoholic beverages to be sold in closed/sealed containers, to be accompanied by the purchase of food, and to comply with open container laws.

It would also require the State Liquor Authority (SLA) to conduct regular outreach to municipalities and community boards to solicit comment, and would allow the SLA to hold hearings to decide whether to suspend or revoke a licensee’s ability to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption in response to complaints from community boards or municipalities.

The bill requires the SLA to report to the Governor and the Legislature on the implementation of the law, and to hold public hearings across the state to hear from local communities about how the law has affected them.

New York’s hospitality industry is facing enormous economic pressure from COVID-19. According to a recent report from the New York City Office of Management and Budget (OMB), restaurant revenues declined by nearly 90 percent immediately after the New York on PAUSE regulations took effect.

Benched: City removes seating from Ludlow and Stanton

From the EVG tipline... a reader shared this photo yesterday from Ludlow and Stanton, where city workers removed two four-sided benches that surround trees at this spot.

No word why these benches were deemed disposable... city officials likely wanted one less possible spot for people to potentially congregate as spring moves into the summer... there had been reports of daytime boozing without any social distancing here in Hell Square central.

Thursday's parting shot

Tompkins Square Park view this afternoon...

Takeout openings: William Barnacle Tavern, 2A

The William Barnacle Tavern opened today for take-home drinks here at Theater 80, 80 St. Mark's Place near First Avenue.

Steven ran into proprietor Lorcan Otway, whose bar offerings include mead, an alcohol made from water, honey and yeast...



And 2A has their take-home setup happening at their Second Street window here at Avenue A...



... and there are flyers asking patrons to move along after making their purchase...

Coming of red-tailed age

It's becoming more difficult to see the red-tailed hawk's nest in Tompkins Square Park... however, Goggla was able to manage a few photos of Amelia and Christo's three hawklets last evening... (unfortunately, they wouldn't cooperate and pose for a group shot) ...









As she notes: "They're growing fast and should be ready to fledge in the next couple of weeks." You can find more of her photos here.

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.

2nd Avenue mainstay B&H Dairy now accepting credit cards and mobile pay

[Image via @bandhdairy]

A quick follow-up about B&H Dairy's reopening ... as noted here, the popular lunch counter (circa 1938) known for its house-baked challah at 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place is now open for takeout and deliveries as of this past Saturday.

In the first few days, they were cash only. Now, however, owners Ola and Fawzy Abdelwahed have announced that they're also accepting credit cards and other forms of mobile pay.

There was a lot of enthusiasm when B&H announced its return. Unfortunately, that hasn't translated into actual sales.

In an Instagram post about the credit cards, B&H noted:

We hope this makes ordering easier for everyone. Though we are open for take-out and delivery, we are not yet doing the volume of business needed to sustain being open and it is possible that we may temporarily close again next week.

Before the pandemic we served 200 customers a day. Now we serve 20-30 on a good day.

B&H is taking order by phone only at 212-505-8065 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check their Instagram and Facebook pages for links to the menu and daily specials.

Construction watch: 302 E. 2nd St.

There's plenty of progress to note at 302 E. Second St. between Avenue C and Avenue D where a 14-story affordable housing complex is rising on this long-vacant, city-owned parcel...



The project — called East Village Homes — will feature 45 affordable apartments and a ground-floor community facility.

As Patch reported last fall:

Eight apartments will be for formerly homeless people under Section 8 for incomes up to 20 percent of area median income, seven apartments at 47 percent of AMI, 14 apartments at 77 percent of AMI and 15 apartments at 120 percent of AMI — which ranges from annual incomes less than $15,000 to about $90,000 for a single person.

And a look at the rendering...


[Via Leroy Street Studio]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here are more details on East Village Homes, the affordable housing set for 2nd Street

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop's automated approach to dining in the COVID-19 era

As we first reported back on March 23, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is coming soon to 131 First Ave. (aka 82 St. Mark's Place).

In recent days, more details have been reported on how they plan on doing business in this COVID-19 era.

Owner Stratis Morfogen, the founder of Philippe Chow in Chinatown and Brooklyn Chop House in the Financial District, revised his opening plans after the pandemic shut down the city. Patrons can now expect an automat-type arrangement — not to mention temperature checks at the door.

Here's the Post:

The shop — now slated to open in July — vows zero human interaction. Instead of a server behind a counter, patrons will be greeted by an 11-foot-high wall of lockers, which will contain orders of steaming hot dumplings.

"When restaurants reopen, nobody is going to be saying, 'Do you feel like Chinese or Italian tonight?'" Morfogen said. "It will be, 'Where do you feel safest?'"

And the safety measures in place:

The front of the shop will be staffed by a single greeter wearing a face covering and gloves, of course, who will beckon customers through a device that’s able to scan body temperatures.

If a patron draws a red light instead of a green one, it could mean they have a fever — or perhaps that they were holding a cup of hot coffee. For a final verdict, the greeter leads the customer to a wall unit that takes wrist temperatures. If the second reading lands in the red zone, sorry, no dumplings, according to Morfogen.

Only two customers will be allowed into the shop at a time (versus a planned capacity of 10 for the earlier design). Once inside, customers who haven’t already ordered from their phones can visit one of two wiped-down self-ordering kiosks.

And how about ordering food then? Let's go to Eater:

[C]ustomers will be able to do so on their phone or through an ordering kiosk nestled among the nearly ceiling-high row of food dispensers. Diners won’t have to touch the pad; instead they can hover their fingers on the panel to make selection and to pay with a credit card, Morfogen says.

The stack of lockers — reminiscent of the Horn and Hardart automats that were a ubiquitous presence in NYC in the mid-20th century — flash red when an order is placed, yellow when the order is two minutes from coming out, and green when it’s ready to be picked up. Diners continue to receive text updates throughout and scan their phone on their locker when it’s ready to be picked up.

For now, you can visit the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop website for details and updates ... and a look at their 32 varieties of dumplings, which include some far-flung combos like peanut butter and jam and wonton with vanilla ice cream.

As previously noted, workers divided this former single-occupant storefront into three spaces. Eiyo Bowl, a vegan quick-serve restaurant specializing in acai and rice bowls, was the first tenant to sign a lease here.

The previous tenant, Foot Gear Plus, closed in July 2018 after nearly 40 years in business.

Wednesday's parting shot

COTTON CANDY CLOWNS VAN SIGHTING!

Spotted on Seventh Street today by Dave on 7th ...

COVID-19 testing site temporarily setting up behind the former St. Brigid School

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

Workers set up tents today behind the former St. Brigid School on Seventh Street and Avenue B.

It was a bit of a mystery until we received this missive from Assemblymember Harvey Epstein's office:

This Thursday, May 21, Somos Community Care is opening a COVID-19 testing site at St. Brigid - St. Emeric Church at 119 Avenue B (between Seventh Street and Eighth Street). This testing site will only be open until this Tuesday (May 26). You must call to make an appointment first so please do so immediately as this is a short window of time. The number is 1-833-766-6769.

It's open from 9 to 5.

Updated 5/26

Th temporary COVID-19 testing site has been extended by a few more weeks.

The site also has new hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports, walk-ins are still possible but they would prefer that you make an appointment. Somos reps also promised better staffing of the phone lines. (Several readers reported that they couldn't get through to make an appointment.)

Checking in on Jane's Exchange

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Jane's Exchange, the children's and maternity consignment shop at 191 E. Third St., is back open, now offering curbside pickups here between Avenue A and Avenue B as well as deliveries.

"Customers have emailed and called to see if we have certain items and if we do, we meet them on the curb or mail items to them," said co-owner Eva Dorsey, who first opened the shop in 1993. "On Monday, for example, we mailed out a box with $100 worth of books to Maryland."


[Eva Dorsey with her daughter Jane]

Starting on June 1, Jane's Exchange will have their online store up and running, featuring children’s and maternity clothing, books, toys and some equipment. People will be able to order online and given the option for mail delivery, human delivery or curb pickup.

"In addition to our generous customers who have contributed through our GoFundMe and purchased gift cards, we are hoping our online store will help us meet our bills and provide a service to our consignors, customers and community," Dorsey said.



You can follow Jane's Exchange on Instagram here.