Wednesday, June 12, 2019

A visit to Zadie's Oyster Room on 12th Street



Photos and interview by Stacie Joy

There’s an early summer thunderstorm brewing as I make my way over to Zadie’s Oyster Room, 413 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, to meet Chef Mike (Campanile) and chef-owner Marco Canora.

The oyster room is warm, romantic, intimate yet friendly and welcoming — a good date-night spot. During the time I was there, Chef Mike, bartender/server Chris Maslowsk, and Marco personally greeted customers, mostly cultivated regulars and neighborhood folks who have the menu memorized and are looking forward to supper and watching the approaching rainstorm through the large glass windows.





I ask Marco about the history of the restaurant: he wanted to mimic old oyster bars from the turn of the century, and highlight oysters served every style, not just raw but cooked, steamed, fried, pickled, smoked, roasted and baked. Originally, he wanted to call the place Saddle Rock (after the East River oyster) but it was trademarked. Also under consideration was Zadie’s Oyster and Seaweed Room, but he settled on Zadie’s Oyster Room.

The two chefs spent a fair amount of time explaining the sustainability of oysters, the farming and care of them, and when to eat and enjoy oysters according to season. Chef Mike, who shucks an average of 3,000 oysters each week, explains “oysters are a gender-fluid food,” before launching into a detailed discussion about bivalve spawning and parthenogenesis. Both chefs are eager to share their knowledge and thoughtfully answer my questions.


[Mike Campanile and Marco Canora]

This month marks the third anniversary for Zadie’s. How has the restaurant evolved since then? In a preview piece in the Times in 2016, Marco said that he almost called Zadie’s “an oyster and seaweed room.” How much does seaweed play a role in today’s recipes?

Marco Canora: My original hope was to have seaweed show up in every dish — we’ve turned that back of late. Turns out our guests don’t love seaweed as much as we do. We do however always have seaweed on hand and it is in a handful of dishes from the opening menu, my favorite being our seaweed-infused take on oysters Rockefeller.

Chef Mike Campanile: When I first got involved in Zadie’s, my philosophy was “how would an oyster open an oyster room?” Hence the emphasis on individuality, sustainability, versatility, environment consciousness, and genderqueer support. Also just treat each oyster dish with the upmost respect. Seaweed is always on my mind but it doesn’t always pair well with everything and it’s not an easy sell to the general public. Sometimes it’s easier to just add seaweed and not advertise it, let the customer try something new.





“Oyster” is in the name, but the menu features other items. Do you encounter diners who think you only serve the one item? For who that don’t eat oysters, what dishes do you recommend?

Canora: The focus is obviously on oysters but we have a section on our menu called “not oysters,” and there are plenty of options. The BLT during the warmer months is a must and I think our Caesar salad is a contender for best in class...

Campanile: Almost everything on the menu had some element of the sea in it, from the briny bottarga on the deviled egg to our take on the Caesar salad, where we don’t skimp out on the anchovies. The summer BLT and the spring cacio e pepe are our only nonfishy treats.


[The summer BLT]


[The Caesar salad]

The space has transitioned from Terroir to Fifty Paces to Zadie’s. How have you been able to successfully navigate these revamps?

Canora: One of the benefits of such a small space is the ability to shake things up at will. Having the Hearth mothership next door has certainly helped our ability to navigate through these changes.

Campanile: It’s such a rare privilege to have a chef of such caliber allow you to pour so much of your own personality/queerness into such a wonderful little brick-and-mortar and allow it to grow and become successful.


[Chef Mike]

You are partnered with the Billion Oyster Project. What can you tell people about their work?

Canora: Chef Mike has really been the point person here but I am hugely supportive. One of the ideas that drove Zadie’s was to harken back to turn of the century NYC when oysters were literally overflowing out of our waters and hundreds of oyster bars, oyster cellars, and oyster rooms were scattered all over the city. Billion Oyster Project has been successfully bringing those oysters back into our waters and that culture back into focus, and we couldn’t be happier to help.

Campanile: It’s one of the most rewarding and progressive charities I’ve ever worked with. They recycle all the shells we go through and use them to build and restore oyster reefs in the New York harbor to filter the water and rebuild an ecosystem. Oysters are basically going to save our planet, so keep eating oysters!

How would you describe the current state of the East Village dining scene? What draws you to the East Village as a chef and chef-owner and how does the neighborhood affect your food and drink decisions?

Canora: I used to live on Sixth Street back in the late 1990s and I have now been operating Hearth for more than 15 years — then and now I’ve thought the East Village has the most vibrant dining scene in all of New York. This certainly makes for a challenging and competitive landscape as an operator, but as a consumer there is no better place to eat than the East Village.

It’s difficult to articulate why I’ve always been drawn to the area, I think as a young punk it was the gritty, anti-establishment vibe that drew me in ... and of all the neighborhoods in this ever-evolving city it still retains a small fraction of that. There’s nowhere else I’d rather have a stake in the ground.

Campanile: What I love about the East Village is that it’s a grimy, gritty, graffiti-covered protective bubble from the modern scenes. No, we don’t have gluten-free vegan cheeseburgers, or sleek iPad surfaces and lighting, and we don’t have to ever feel the pressure to do so. The East Village doesn’t follow trends, it’s too busy creating them. People who come here are going to get unpretentious, unapologetic, eccentric and queer food.

What’s next for Zadie’s?

Canora: That’s for Chef Mike to determine, though one thing’s for sure — we love what Zadie’s has become, so any changes will be food and beverage changes to the menu. Though [Hearth’s] Chef Luigi [Petrocelli] and I have often contemplated doing a once-a-month dinner series where we would serve one set meal with beverage pairings to a dozen or so guests.

Campanile: I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what Zadie’s and oysters can provide for the universe. Going back to the notion of “if an oyster opened an oyster room,” I’m going to continue being proactive and resourceful. We’re still in constant support of BOP and our local Long Island oyster farmers. We are also promoting oysters as a mental health superfood: The meat is so high in B-12 and omega fats, and the shells can be repurposed into bone meal to benefit the wellness of your plants.





---

You can follow the restaurant on Instagram here. Zadie's is open Monday through Saturday 5 to 11 p.m. Walk-ins only, no reservations.

#NoKidsInCages spotted on 2nd Avenue


[Photo by Derek Berg]

Caged installations are appearing around the city this morning, including on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

The cages are reportedly part of a movement by NoKidsInCages.com, which advocates for the immediate end of the separation of children from their families at the border and aims to reunite the children separated.


[Photo via EVG reader Chris]

NBC 4 reports that the NYPD removed the cage left on Sixth Avenue and 48th Street outside the Fox News studios.

And the police were apparently ready to take away the one on Second Avenue too...


[Photo by Mike House]

The 14th Street busway debuts on July 1


[EVG file photo]

The 14th Street busway launches July 1, the DOT said this week.

In April, the city announced that an "experimental new transit improvement" would take place early this summer to help move commuters in Manhattan during the L-train restoration.



Here's more on what to expect. Starting July 1, private through-traffic will be banned between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on 14th Street between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Buses, trucks and emergency vehicles will be given priority in the center lanes between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Cars will be allowed to make pickups and drop-offs as well as access local garages.

And how will the city patrol all this?

Here's Curbed:

To enforce the busway, new cameras on the buses will issue tickets to those violating the street’s new restrictions. But drivers will be given warnings and tickets will not be issued until at least September...

The busway also harkens the arrival of the new M14 Select Bus Service, which features off-board fare payments and all-door boarding. To also help speed up travel times, the MTA is eliminating 16 stops (down from a proposed 22) along the M14A and M14D routes (but not without a fight from local elected officials and some residents who were upset about the loss of the stops).

Per amNY:

The current M14 A and M14 D routes have an average speed of about 3.8 miles per hours — just a bit faster than the average human walking speed of 3.1 miles per hour and much lower than the citywide bus average of 7.4 miles per hour.

...and...

[T]he MTA and city tout that SBS treatments work, improving travel time between 10% and 30%. Citywide SBS routes are about 27% faster than other local or limited-stop bus routes.

The city continues to install SBS ticking machines along the M14 routes, such as here on Avenue A between Houston and Second Street...


[Photo from June 7]

Tai Thai is back in action



Tai Thai is up and running again at 78 E. First St. near First Avenue after a nearly one-week closure for renovations.

A reader shared that the interior has been painted and the tables reconfigured to accommodate a few more diners.

Ravi DeRossi bringing Indian cuisine to his former Fire & Water space on 7th Street



We noted last month that Fire & Water, East Village restaurateur Ravi DeRossi's attempt to veganize sushi and dim sum, had closed at 111 E. Seventh St.

Looks as if he figured out what he wants to do with the space here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

DeRossi is on CB3's SLA docket tonight for a beer-wine license for a vegan Indian restaurant called Night Music (to pair with his restaurant Ladybird right next door), per the questionnaire posted on the CB3 website. (This item will not be heard this evening, as DeRossi agreed to CB3's stipulations in advance.)

The restaurant, seating 44 guests, will be open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight. No word on an opening date just yet.

Updated 6 p.m.

DeRossi shared a logo for the restaurant. (We also had the name wrong — it's Night Music...)

Squish Marshmallows only taking appointments for the summer


[Photo by Steven]

In case you had plans to pop into Squish Marshmallows in the weeks ahead, the sweets shop at 120 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue is only open by appointment this summer ... as well as via online ordering or delivery.

Here's the word from Squish via Instagram ...


Squish opened here in late November 2016.

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

A moment at Mikey Likes It Ice Cream



Late this afternoon EVG regular Lola Saénz caught up with Michael "Mikey" Cole, the proprietor of Mikey Likes It Ice Cream at 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street... where the shop today debuted a custom flavor created by hip-hop artist Benny the Butcher, the aptly named The Butcher (a Sour green apple ice cream with green apple gummy bears and a red apple swirl topped with a fondant butcher cleaver).

Farewell to the leaning tree of 3rd Street



A dispatch from Third Street via Felton Davis, who reports that crews were on the scene here to remove the leaning tree on this block between First Avenue and Second Avenue...



Davis reports that the tree was dead — "most likely from last summer's extensive road work."

[Updated] What is happening at Gem Spa?



Several readers were shocked this morning to see that Gem Spa, a 24/7 hub of activity on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place for years, was closed.

Steven took these photos just before 9.



Last week, we heard that Gem Spa was going to reduce its hours, closing from midnight to 7 a.m. Business has been off at the shop since April, when Gem Spa lost its license to sell lottery and tobacco products (with the exception of e-cigs) due to an employee twice selling cigarettes to an undercover underage buyer. The state suspended the store’s license for six months, which apparently also leaves them unable to apply for a license to sell beer.

The Patel family has owned the store since 1986. Mr. Patel has been in declining health, and his daughter Parul is handling the store’s management. EVG contributor Stacie Joy spoke with her outside the shop on Sunday. While she acknowledged some issues with the landlord (he wants a clean look out front, for instance), she didn't give any indication that the shop was in danger of closing. She had ideas on how to help business in the interim, such as offer an "egg cream happy hour."

Meanwhile, the Zoltar machine along with the newspapers were removed from outside the shop in late May. Parul said they don't make a lot of money on newspapers and so the margins are too slim (people also steal them all too often).

Another sign making regulars nervous: The everything-must-go notices outside. According to Parul, they're simply thinning out the back stock of hats, scarves and sunglasses ...




[Photo in April by Stacie Joy]

We'll update this post as soon as we learn more.

Updated 10:40 a.m.



Gem Spa is open, per Steven. Their new hours are 8 a.m. to midnight. And their iced coffee is only $2.

Updated:

Jeremiah Moss has a post on Gem Spa here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to Gem Spa

Amelia and Christo's 2nd 2019 chick dies


[Photo from May 31 by @couplewithoutborders]

Amelia and Christo's second chick, who had fallen ill in recent days, died on Sunday.

Early Saturday morning, the chick fell from the nest, landing in the under-renovation playground in the southeast portion of Tompkins Square Park.

A reader shared this photo as help was on its way.



As Goggla reported, Ranger Rob (aka Rob Mastrianni, a Manhattan Ranger supervisor who lives in the East Village), retrieved the stricken nestling and transported it to the Animal Medical Center.

On Saturday night, the chick was transferred to Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation (WINORR) on Long Island. Unfortunately, "its illness/injuries were just too advanced," Goggla reported.

In late May, this chick's sibling also died. In the past two years, Amelia and Christo have lost three of their four offspring.

It's not known at this time what killed the chicks this year. Per Goggla: "The remains will be sent to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for testing to determine the cause of illness and death."

Last year, the chick died from a combination of rodenticide and West Nile virus.

In more positive hawklet news, the three chicks in Washington Square Park have fledged. Roger Paw has you covered with their activities at this link.

Reminders: This week's meeting lineup on stormproofing plans for East River Park



As a reminder, here are your opportunities this week to learn more about the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project as the public review process continues:

• ULURP Public Hearing – Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee
Tuesday, June 11, 6:30 p.m.
PS/MS 188 – The Island School, 442 E. Houston St. (entrance at Houston/Baruch Drive)

• CB6 Full Board Meeting
Wednesday, June 12, 7 p.m., 433 First Ave. between 25th Street and 26th Street (NYU School of Dentistry), Room 210

• CB3 Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee Meeting
Thursday, June 13, 6:30 p.m., Henry Street Settlement Youth Services Gymnasium, 301 Henry St. (CB3 posted several relevant documents on the project here ahead of the meeting.)

Last fall, the city unveiled an updated plan, which took residents, community leaders and local-elected officials by surprise after years of outreach and groundwork. The revamped plan — released without any community input — is radically different than what had been discussed. City officials have said in various presentations that this approach will provide a reduced construction time, resulting in an operable flood protection system for the 2023 hurricane season and future sea rise.

Creating the intricate flood protection system would see the city close East River Park for up to three and a half years starting in March 2020.

Also, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available for public comment until Aug. 15. Find those details on how to comment here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here are the next meetings for you to learn more about stormproofing plans for East River Park

A look at 131 1st Ave., currently being divided into 3 retail spaces



The gutting of 131 First Ave. at St. Mark's Place continues.

There's not much left of the single-level structure, which was home for years to Foot Gear Plus.




[Photo by Steven]


[Photo by Steven]

The property had been on the sales market, with a pitch mentioning 4,150 square feet of air rights.

According to a filing that hit public records in November, the property changed hands for $3.85 million. The new owner is an LLC that shares an address with HUBB NYC Properties LLC, a real-estate operating company.

However, workers are now dividing the storefront into three spaces — without any vertical extension. Per the listing at Meridian Retail Leasing:

• Single story commercial building delivered vacant in the East Village.
• Corner property with excellent visibility in highly trafficked location.
• Prime value-add opportunity to establish a retail or food and beverage presence.

The storefront rendering via Meridian Retail Leasing shows the graffiti intact on No. 131's surrounding walls ...



The largest of the three spaces (510 square feet) has a monthly rental ask of $11,000. The smallest (410 square feet) space seeks $9,000.


[Click on image to go big]

As for Foot Gear Plus, Tony Scifo, who opened the shop here in 1980, told this to EVG contributor Stacie Joy last July: "After several years of peaks and valleys in business there were just too many valleys. Companies now sell direct to consumers and once they started offering free shipping it was all over. This is happening everywhere, not just locally. The landlord wanted us to stay. She offered us a fair price and she's been great. We just couldn't make it."

Supper's 1970s-style subway-car look on 2nd Street



A legendary NYC graffiti artist has created murals for the awnings at Supper on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.



East Village restaurateur Frank Prisinzano (Frank, Lil' Frankie's) commissioned GHOST, described as "one of the last kings of the New York City train writing era," to do the work on the restaurant as well as the building next door, home to Flux Studios.

GHOST and GIZ completed the 1970s-style work last week.

"Back in the 70s and 80s graffiti was what made me feel at home in NYC," Prisinzano told me via email. "It gave off a constant urban pulse that I think was very calming for everyone. The idea that street art can’t be suppressed and that it’s really the neighborhood bulletin board is what I want you to feel when you look at the work we just did at Supper."

Here's a better look via this photo by EVG regular Salim...


[Click to go big]

Monday, June 10, 2019

Monday's parting shot



Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Going 'Ape' over this gate at the East Village Vintage Collective



We have two reader-submitted photos from the weekend... showing the new Frank Ape mural on the gate at East Village Vintage Collective on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...



The new mural went up back on Friday as part of the 100 Gates Project, which provides site-specific artistic collaborations with East Village merchants.

The mural project started on various EV storefronts in late April.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Planet of the Frank Ape: Q-and-A with artist Brandon Sines

Report: Former Hells Angels HQ will become 22-unit residential building with retail



As I first reported back on Thursday, the former Hells Angels clubhouse sold for $7.75 million.

The Post followed-up yesterday with more details about new owner Nathan Blatter's plans for 77 E. Third St., a six-story building between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The $2 million renovation will create two retail spaces on the ground floor where the clubhouse bar used to be — and one storefront could become a shrine to the burly bikers.

Blatter said he has been contacted by someone curating a Hells Angels museum, and another about a barber shop.

And...

“The location is phenomenal,” Better Living’s Jonathan Sondry gushed. “It is a rare occasion to find a fully vacant building in Manhattan.”

The basement repair shop — equipped with a scissor lift that lowered motorcycles from the sidewalk — will be cleared out. The 16 “crash pads” once used by gang members — one was adorned with a swastika — will become 22 one- and two-bedroom units priced around $3,500 per month.

Sondry said he doesn’t plan to use the building’s history as a selling point, because he doubts oblivious 20-somethings will care.

To date, there haven't been any work permits filed with the DOB for the address.

The Hells Angels had a presence in 77 E. Third St. since 1969.

Previously on EV Grieve:
After 50 years on the block, the Hells Angels appear to be selling their 3rd Street clubhouse

The Hells Angels have left the East Village

This is what the Hells Angels building sold for

Bike lane paint returning to 1st Avenue



Back on Friday, DOT crews finally started painting the First Avenue bike lane — some six weeks after the city finished paving the roadway.

To date, though, the painting has only taken place on five blocks between Third Street and just shy of St. Mark's Place...



And no paint yet for Second Avenue...



Still to come (and as previously reported): the new offset crossings on select intersections on First Avenue and Second Avenue to make them safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The previous mixing zones forced cyclists and drivers to negotiate the same space at the same time, as Streetsblog noted.

And here's an example of offset crossing, as seen on Fourth Avenue and 13th Street...



Meanwhile, the bike lane is still MIA on the freshly paved 12th Street between First Avenue and Avenue B...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Resurfaced roadways on 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue to have offset crossings

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll debuts on St. Mark's Place


[Photo by Steven]

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll opened Saturday at 36 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

This is the third NYC outpost of the popular quick-serve establishment, which got its start in Flushing where owner Joe Rong has apparently perfected the art of the rice roll — known as cheung fun in Cantonese.

Per the cooking site Taste:

With a steaming machine imported from Guangzhou specifically used to make cheung fun, Rong makes each dish to order, so texture is never compromised. And similar to street vendors throughout Guangdong province, you get to choose what goes inside, like ground pork, barbecue beef, or dried shrimp, and extras that get mixed into the slurry of rice flour batter, including a cracked egg, corn, cilantro, and scallion.

No. 36 has seen a variety of food concepts come and go of late, most recently Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Joe’s Steam Rice Roll puts up the signage on St. Mark's Place