Oyama getting the reboot on First Avenue

[EVG file photo]

Oyama, the inexpensive sushi restaurant at 188 First Ave. between East 11th Street and East 12th Street, closed back in May.

However, several regulars told us that the owners were going to reboot the space with a renovation and new menu.

Appears that's the case … new signage is up for Honshu-ichi …



One of the former regulars says a mid-August opening is planned.

Hey, it's Max Fish

Happened to be walking on Orchard Street between Rivington and Delancey the other morning ... and we saw the new Max Fish signage for ourselves for the first time.

BoweryBoogie pointed this out earlier last week. BB hears from owner Ulli Rimkus that the opening date here at No. 120 is currently set for Aug. 2.

As previously noted, the new space will be on two levels ... with some possible scheduled performances as well as a small menu that includes — !!! — chili ($5) and hard-boiled eggs ($1).

Max Fish closed last July after 24 years at 178 Ludlow St. Plans to open an outpost in Williamsburg never materialized.

CB3 approved the liquor license for the space in April.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The art evolution of Ulli Rimkus and Max Fish

From Tin Pan Alley to Max Fish

First sign that Max Fish is returning to the Lower East Side

A few more details (hard-boiled eggs!) about Max Fish, which hopes to return to the LES

Report: Max Fish clears first hurdle in return to the Lower East Side

Noted

Spotted on Avenue C near East Ninth Street today.

Not quite the (RIP) Tree Chair of East Sixth Street. But what is?

Photo by Bobby Williams

Family history found in free newspaper box

EVG contributor Derek Berg came across this scene earlier today on Second Avenue at East Fourth Street.

A man reached into one of the free newspaper boxes, and discovered two photo albums.



They were photos, which Derek estimated to be from the 1970s, from vacations as well as a wedding. The man who found the photos stood there with them, quietly studying each shot.

We don't know how the photo albums got into the box... or what became of them.

Updated 2:27

Derek had two more photos to share...

Did you know Michael Brody?

Michael Brody has died. He had lung cancer.

We didn't know Michael. Or anything about him. He was likely in his 70s.

News of his death comes from a resident who lives in the same building on East First Street. Michael had lived here for a very long time.

Apparently Michael didn't have many friends or relatives left. [Updated: We have since heard from several of Michael's friends. We hope to have an update later this week.] There is no mention of a will.

And now the super, via the landlord, is responsible for clearing out his apartment. The super invited the resident inside, to help find some information.

"It is FILLED with artifacts. There are trunks filled with collections of tapes, old cameras, altar-like installations, etc. I found newspaper clippings that the tenant put in a scrapbook, in the 1960s, which were reviews of all the plays he was in. (He was an actor for some period of his life.) There was a folder with a dozen pictures of him and a girl (also looked like 1960s photos).

I also found his diary from 1967 about living in the East Village — totally written in beat style (ie. "Beatles and Brahms and cigarettes in the park and tea and whiskey and Uncle ted.").

The resident has been doing research about Michael, but hasn't turned up much. He walked with a cane, as there are five canes near the front door. The photo at the top is of Michael from the mid 1960s.

While this is a long shot, the resident is hoping to track down anyone who may have known Michael … and may be interested in some of his belongings. (This is not intended to be a public raid on the apartment.)

As Michael spent time as an actor, the resident has already arranged to donate his many suitcases to a theater set designer.

If you knew Michael or have any information about him, then you can contact us via the EV Grieve email

Updated 2:37 p.m.

Someone left this brief obit in the comments. Michael died June 8. He was 70.

Celebrating 25 years at Paul's Da Burger Joint

Paul's Da Burger Joint celebrated its 25th anniversary on Saturday. EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by here at 131 Second Ave. at St. Mark's Place for a few photos (and samples) at the beginning of the day … she reported that the place was packed, as prices rolled back to 1989 prices …





As a vegetarian, I wasn’t able to sample all of what Paul's had to offer, but I did get to try to the delicious Baily's milkshake, some East Village veggie Frites and the caprese salad on a skewer. All yummy.

I sat at a table with folks from ABC News, who reported (heh) that the new sliders — called Second Avenue Sliders — were juicy, fresh and tasty. I heard that same refrain over and over again — how juicy the burgers were.



Founder Paul Koval's family still operates the restaurant today. Matt Wardrop, who has been running Paul's since 2007, was busy hustling samples out for the crowd. (Read an interview with him here.)

I was lucky enough to catch him in a rare moment of stillness for a quickie snapshot.



I also got to snuggle Ruby, the puppy mascot, as she sat outside welcoming people to the party.



Even Zoltar next door at Gem Spa got in on the action.

Work starting on Mars Bar 2.0

Over at 21. E. First St., workers have removed the for lease sign and put up brown paper on the front windows … likely signaling the start of Mars Bar 2.0.

The city issued work permits issued last Tuesday. Nothing too exciting on the permits. Some "structural stair work" and "removal of non-load bearing interior partitions," etc.

Mars Bar owner Hank Penza — along with a new group of partners — is returning to his former home, now part of the luxury Jupiter 21 building.

The new space will be a two-level cafe-restaurant-lounge combo that will feature a juice bar upstairs with a cafe that serves items such as quinoa bowls, according to DNAinfo. And the downstairs portion will house the bar-club-whatever. (Details remain a little murky on how all this is going to work.)

The place will apparently retain the Mars Bar name, even though we spotted the architect's plans in the window with The Pink Elephant on them.



Penza's new partners are Alain Palinsky, a co-founder of Juice Press, Chris Reda, an owner of The Griffin in the Meatpacking District, and Robert Montwaid, an owner of the club The Pink Elephant.

CB3 OK'd the license for the space back in May.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Will the new Mars Bar be another location of The Pink Elephant?

That's it: The Mars Bar is closed for good

Here lies the Blarney Cove

While we're on the topic of bars that we used to like … we were walking on East 14th Street just east of Avenue A on Friday … and noticed that the ongoing demolition here has now claimed the former Blarney Cove space.

[Moment of silence]

The Blarney Cove closed for good in June 2013. But we got the sign.

Given the water on the site, perhaps we can call it The Blarney Cove. Or The Blarney Cove Cove.

As you know oh so well, many of the businesses on East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B either relocated or closed to make way for two, 7-floor retail-residential buildings.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New 7-floor buildings for East 14th Street include 150 residential units

Here is your Red & Gold Crab Shack! signage on St. Mark's Place

The emoji-ish Crabby arrived on Friday here at 30 St. Mark's Place, per neighbor Jordy Trachtenberg.



Otherwise, we don't know much else yet about the incoming restaurant taking over the former Japadog space along here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Breaking: Japadog is closing for good after tonight on St. Mark's Place

Reader report: Crab Shack in the works for former Japadog space on St. Mark's Place

Westside Market signage arrives

Just noting the arrival of the Westside Market signage on Third Avenue at East 12th Street … the store anchors the retail space at the new luxury rental The Nathaniel. (Still not really feeling that Nathaniel name.)

Although the Market's ads promise "We've got what you're hungry for" …



… they do not just yet here. Workers are still assembling the interior.



The family owned mini chain of markets, which debuted in NYC in 1965, announced their arrival here last October. From the official news release:

Offering freshly-prepared foods, specialty products and catering, the two-level store will occupy 18,871 total square feet – 10,500 square feet at the ground level and the remaining space at the lower level.

Shoppers at this location, Westside's fifth in the city, reportedly will be able to connect to Wi-Fi from electronic devices including smartphones and tablets. Westside is also using technology to create faster checkout counters and an advanced security system.

No word yet on an opening date.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Westside Market coming to the East Village

The new Westside Market on Third Avenue will have Wi-Fi

Birdbath Bakery remains closed, though it may only be temporary

As we noted last Monday, The Birdbath Neighborhood Green Bakery on Third Avenue at East Ninth Street hasn't been open of late.

Another week passed here without any sign of activity. And the address no longer appears on its parent City Bakery's website.

However, a representative for City Bakery told Eater the shutter is only temporary.

If this is the case (and we like the food here, so …), then why not put up a sign noting a temporary closure? The only recent sign is the one comically announcing new summer hours.

We walked by every day last week. And on each occasion, at least one other person would attempt to enter the business. Why not tell your loyal customers that you'll be back?

Girls! Girls! Girls!

"Girls," the HBO television program entering its fourth season, will be filming in and around the neighborhood this week.

Signs are up along the Bowery and East Third Street for Tuesday … and on St. Mark's Place (and East Ninth Street) between Second Avenue and Third Avenue for Wednesday …



There are likely more filming notices on other streets, but we didn't really look too closely for them.

Sunday sunset

Courtesy of EVG reader Vinny.

Click on the image for the full panoramic sunset action.

More on Punjabi Grocery & Deli and the never-ending East Houston construction

[Photo via Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]

As Jeremiah Moss first reported back on Wednesday, the never-ending construction along East Houston has put a big dent on business at the 20-year-old Punjabi Grocery & Deli on East First Street.

Gothamist has a feature on the situation as well.

A favorite of hungry cab drivers in search of good food and a spot to rest between fares, the span of East 1st in front of Punjabi between 1st and A was once lined with the parked yellow cabs of satisfied customers. Now that span is home to a battered cement median, some orange cones, and not much else.

Given the lack of parking, cab drivers have to go elsewhere … and miss out on Punjabi's inexpensive vegetarian fare. ($5 gets you a very large portion of food.)

So, in case you didn't hear ... Punjabi started an online petition asking the commissioner of the Taxi And Limousine Commission to approve a taxi relief stand at Avenue A and Houston Street.

You can find the petition here. (We posted about this on Thursday.)

Meanwhile, an EVG reader told us the following on Friday about the work along East First Street. "People have basically given up, and assume that this construction will go on forever," the reader wrote in an email. "It's very hard to unload a cab since stopping effectively stops all traffic on the block. This situation is especially hard on residents who cannot park on their own block and load bags, etc."

Yesterday morning, the street was closed for construction.



The reader also noted what looks like a grill amid all the construction materials.



"If the construction site can make room for what looks like a a grill (could it be an actual piece of construction equipment?), then it can make room for some parking."