Food OK now at the former Amato Opera

Not much has happened of late at the former Amato Opera, the historic opera house that closed last May after a 61-year run. As Curbed noted, the building sold for $3.7 million.

I had hope for this space after The Real Deal reported in January 2009 that the building's new owner wants another theater to occupy the ground floor.

Perhaps the building's owner changed his mind. Big "store for rent" signs are now up...



... and, as you can see, food is also OK here now ...


\

In more disturbing news, someone removed the commemorative plaque that was placed above the doorway last June.



This isn't a good sign.

As for rent, the address hasn't been listed yet at 9300 Realty.

For further reading:
Amato Opera (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Quick withdraw: HSBC name-change shocker!

As I exclusively reported with an exclusive back on April 27, the new HSBC branch at Second Avenue and Ninth Street showed off its new name... (and helpful warning that guns aren't allowed inside!)



The Stuyvesant Branch.

But now! The branch has changed its name!



Does this mean that the Stuyvesant HSBC branch on First Avenue just past 14th Street has been saved? Or did someone simply make a mistake? Or did millions in focus groups and rebranding just get tossed?

Maybe I should ask Mr. H.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Stuy Town neighbors rallying to save a bank branch

Former Cookout Grill turning Japanese

Over on First Avenue and 13th Street, there's work galore being done at the former Cookout Grill, home of the worst restaurant mascot in restaurant mascot history...

Let us pause...




To the news! A worker says a Japanese restaurant is opening here...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Action at the former Cookout Gill, where vandals beheaded their mascot

After less than six months, Matsukado shutters

Speaking of Japanese, as I noted back in December, Matsukado took over the old Baluchi's space on Second Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...

Last evening, EV Grieve reader Peter passed along these photos with the news that Matsukado has closed...



The monthly rent is, according to the sign posted on the door, $12,500 a month. And and they owe more than $30,000.




As Fork in the Road noted, Matsukado is family-owned with two other branches in Japan.

What's doing at the Economakis dream mansion on East Third Street?

Scoopy has an update this week in The Villager.



Take it away Scoopy....:

Lower East Side activist Susan Howard told us that a friend of hers who lives near 47 E. Third St. — the East Village "mass eviction" building — hasn't seen evidence of any work going on there for a while and thinks construction has ground to a halt.

Howard urged us to call Alistair and find out what’s up. "Work is progressing..." He said he doesn’t have a specific completion date for when the building will be ready for them to live in as their luxurious, single-family mansion. He said he and his family recently moved out of the place, and are temporarily living in Brooklyn until the job is done. "It came time we had to move out of there," he said of 47 E. Third St. "Our bedroom's gone — it was relocated to a different spot. The steps are being relocated. It was much simpler to just open everything up and build everything at once." Economakis said all the building’s windows are boarded up on the inside, not because no work is going on, but to protect the windows while work is going on.

[EV Grieve file photo]

Previously on EV Grieve:
And Economakis gets the whole building for his dream mansion

The 47 E. 3rd St. protest in video

At the 47 E. 3rd St. protest

Conspiracies: Where are all the fliers?

Mr. Brainwash gives Shepard Fairey some love

But first... As I pointed out on Saturday, Shepard Fairey's Bowery-Houston mural got hit pretty hard ...



Now, it looks as if someone is making some progress cleaning off the mural...




...while Banksy Mr. Brainwash checks in next door....




Previously on EV Grieve:
Historic bombing on the Shepard Fairey mural

So far so good at The Penny Farthing, but how about the possible not-actually-secret secret downstairs lounge?

EV Grieve reader Margaret decided to stop by The Penny Farthing last evening ... it's new place on the southeast corner of 13th Street and Third Avenue....it was the former Cafe DeVille, who never returned from vacation last summer.

Here's what she had to say:

"[T]hey've definitely reimagined the space. In the old cafe, the bar seemed pretty secondary, but it seems pretty front and center now.

Right in the middle is a large table, and it looks like they've partitioned off some tables for diners over on the left. The old
bicycle wheels are definitely up, as is a decent draft/bottled beer list.

The hostess said the downstairs area is not open yet, as it's more for the Thursday through Saturday night crowd. My fingers are crossed that a "Thursday night crowd" does not mean frat-tactic. The people there tonight definitely seemed a little more mature, so maybe there is hope! And there are 4ish large TVs up in the space. Interesting mix of bar and restaurant, that's for sure.

And the menu....



And what about that "downstairs area?"

"There's now a sign on the door to it on 13th that says 'PF 13,' which makes me think it's going to try to be the new not-actually-secret secret place.'"

A happy ending next door to Cabin Down Below

Back on March 25, I did a story on the family who lives next door to the newish entrance to Cabin Down on Seventh Street at Avenue A. The residents were often kept up for hours at night by the clack-clack-clack-clang-clang-clang of footsteps on the steel stairs bargoers use to enter and leave the bar...

As I left off, the resident had heard back from one of the owners, who expressed concern over the situation...

Anyway, good news to report... the resident reports that the problems has been resolved. In recent weeks, a worker has tinkered with the steel stairs. Among other things, the stairs now have rubber treads ... as well as a padded mat at the landing... He said that this has resolved the problem to the point that it no longer disturbs the resident and his family. (Aside from the fix, he said a small part of it had to do with simply getting used to the noise.)

While it did take a few phone calls... a few weeks of waiting, he said that he was happy to report that a resident can still resolve a problem without getting attorneys involved or tossing water balloons at the offending parties.

Perhaps there's hope left for the rest of the neighborhood...?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Life above Cabin Down Below

Hi neighbor: Is this a new era for bar-resident relations in the East Village?

What happened with the Cabin Down Below management and the family next door is the latest example of East Village bar owners trying to be better neighbors...

1) David Schwartz, one of Lit's co-owners, recently outlined the steps his bar is taking to appease their unhappy neighbors. (Read that story here.)



2) The manager of the Elephant on First Street recently told me what she had done to help change perceptions neighbors may have of the Thai eatery. (Read that post here.)

3) In response to an exchange with EV Grieve readers, the GM of Aces & Eights made good on trying to dispel the bar’s Upper-East-Side, preppy reputation by hosting an art show by Curt Hoppe. (You can read that story here.)

4) Last summer, Destination's Mason Reese was the only owner who attended a meeting of residents on 12th and 13th Streets to address issues people were having with the proliferation of new bars on Avenue A. He agreed to close the bar's front windows by 10 p.m. during the week and 11 p.m. on the weekends. (And Reese recently chimed in on a comment thread to remind folks that he has kept his word.)

Maybe this is all for a good reason. Monday night's CB3/SLA meeting showed what can happen when neighbors get organized and work together... As Jill reported:

Tonight's Community Board 3 SLA Committee meeting was possibly historic. The Upper Avenue A residents had such a strong turnout ... The end result, which is often a testament to stamina more than brains, was that nobody got their license approvals tonight, and one of the three bars withdrew their application in the face of so much opposition.

I'm sure there are other bar owners who continue to be good neighbors... (and others who are anything but!) Still! Is this a New Era for Neighborly Love? Do bar owners realize that it might be a good idea to actually cater to people who walk a block or so to the establishment and not travel here on, say, the LIRR? I think back to those ugly, drag-out fights involving the people vs. Le Souk, Death & Company, among others.

As the Cabin Down Below neighbor said, it took a few phone calls, a little waiting... and one evening a bar owner is in the apartment to hear for herself what the noise is like while a contractor was outside on the stairs.

I just don't know if bar owners (and prospective bar owners) are just being smart... or they're scared.

Habib's quietly opens on First Avenue

Last November, Habib's Place on Avenue A near Sixth Street closed rather suddenly...



Well! Thanks to Sean at East Village Wines for passing along the good news that Habib has relocated to the former Question Mark Cafe space on First Avenue between St. Mark's and Ninth Street. As Sean said, he's just getting started in the new location ... Indeed, as you can see, the old Question Mark signage remains...



However, some old Habib's clippings are up in the window...



And I've now officially lost track of all of Habib's former locations... Avenue A, Ninth Street, St. Mark's...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Habib's Place abruptly closes

We'll always have Caffe Buon Gusto

Well, this is actually starting to get entertaining...

During the April CB3/SLA meeting, the owners of graffiti and homeless hotspot Caffe Buon Gusto on Avenue B at Fifth Street were no shows... aside from a beer and wine license within a resolution area, they were also on the docket for a sidewalk cafe. But! Later, the architect representing the eatery for just for the sidewalk cafe arrived... though he couldn't very well make a pitch for a sidewalk cafe when they don't even have a liquor license yet. Plus, the Board said that they had instructed the owner to be present.

Got all that?

OK. The Gusto crew was back on the docket for Monday night's meeting... and, well, cue the circus music... EV Grieve reader Ryan on Avenue A provided the recap:

[T]he guys applying for the sidewalk cafe for a non-existent business were hilarious. Having a business license and applying for a liquor license under different names, NOT actually having a business, and then being surprised when they wouldn't give them a sidewalk license. Hilarious. Best was when the "personal representative" of Buon Gusto's owner (hey nice ascot by the way!) said he missed his son's chorus concert to be there, so he was rightfully indignant that CB3 wouldn't hear him out.

So, meanwhile, the space sits, being used to collect some tags...





...and provide some comfort for those in need of rest...



Will we see The Gusto Crew back next month? Will a restaurant ever open here?

Sidewalk shed up at alleged new First Avenue motel

Several readers pointed out that the sidewalk shed went up yesterday at 147 First Avenue at Ninth Street...



And now, the guessing game continues... Motel? Condo? An empty lot after the building is razed and the project's funding dries up?


Previously on EV Grieve:
Ninth Street and First Avenue shocker: Motel ... Hello?

Blockbuster: 147 First Ave. set for demolition

No sweat? Former Dolphin Gym for lease

Signs up are now at the former Dolphin Gym on Avenue B near Second Street... As you may recall, the gym quickly shuttered back in February.



Anyway, um, not sure how viable retail is here... in the basement of a former gym? (Sounds like the perfect home for the next Mad Dog Room!) No details on the lease. The number belongs to Skyline Development. No listing posted just yet. I haven't heard the Duane Reade expansion rumor in some time. Perhaps it's time to revive that one.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Dolphin Gym hangs it up on Avenue B

The pastry chef was not high when she created the cereal milk soft-serve ice cream at Momofuku Milk Bar

According to the Times:

Today, a small but influential band of cooks says both their chin-dripping, carbohydrate-heavy food and the accessible, feel-good mood in their dining rooms are influenced by the kind of herb that can get people arrested.

Call it haute stoner cuisine

.

Dude!

But not everyone partakes of the sweet, sweet bud.

The cereal milk soft-serve ice cream at Momofuku Milk Bar ... is a perfect example. A dessert based on the slightly sweet flavor of milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl particularly appeals to someone who knows both high-quality food and the cannabis-induced pleasure of a munchie session built from a late-night run to the 7-Eleven.

Christina Tosi, the pastry chef of David Chang’s empire, said she was stone-cold sober when she invented it. She was in the basement of Mr. Chang’s Ssam Bar late at night, trying to save a failed experiment in fried apple pies.

“I promise you there was no marijuana involved,” she said. “It would have made the stress of it more bearable if it was.”

[Image via]

Paprika on St. Mark's closed till Thursday for renovations

Here at 110 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Avenue A... Spotted workers earlier when the gate was up... looks as if they were buffing the floor or something... sign said they'd reopen Thursday... though you wouldn't know that when the gate is down...

Board games

A skateboarding tour of the East Village via Vice ... And Gleaming the Coop at the one-minute mark...

Last night's CB3 recap: Residents 1, Bar Owners 0

Last Thursday, I wrote about the next CB3/SLA meeting... held last night.... For residents on the northern stretch of Avenue A who are tired of a neighborhood over-saturated with bars, there were reasons for for concern. On the original docket (I believe Forbidden City was a scratch):

Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades
-- El Camion (El Camion III Inc), 194 Ave A (trans/op) (The Raven)
-- Percy's (Steelbar 180 Inc), 210-212 Ave A (trans/op) (Al Diwan)
-- MBM Lounge Inc, 212 Ave A (trans/op) (Forbidden City)
-- Corp to be Formed, 503-505 E 12th St (trans/op)

Plus, the popular Westville at 11th Street is applying for a sidwalk cafe license...

Due to work commitments, I was unable to attend last night's meeting... The Lo-Down was there. As they report: "Westville Restaurant’s sidewalk cafe license was rejected on the grounds that Avenue A is already overburdened with bars and late night crowds."

Jill was there too. Here's what she had to say at Blah Blog Blah ...

Tonight's Community Board 3 SLA Committee meeting was possibly historic. The Upper Avenue A residents had such a strong turnout, and Dolores' pink signs made a dramatic impact when 24 people held them up to the astonishment of the room. Even the committee members were taking photos.

And!

But signs are one thing, getting something done is another. And victory was the word of the evening. The northern part of Avenue A has been under siege by an incredible influx of bars, and tonight three more were on the agenda, plus a sidewalk cafe license. The end result, which is often a testament to stamina more than brains, was that nobody got their license approvals tonight, and one of the three bars withdrew their application in the face of so much opposition.

Jill goes on to discuss her conflict on this issue... She loves bars and restaurants and going out. But. Enough is enough.

"There has come a moment in the past few years where the tipping point was reached, and the number of bars has outnumbered everything else. Instead of the diverse place I've lived for so long, our little streets have become a mecca of nightlife, a Temple Bar or Bourbon Street zone that is on the verge of being truly unlivable. 19 bars within 500 feet simply have to be enough to choose from."

Thanks to Jill for attending and quickly writing this up...

More on this as the day continues...Here is Eater's coverage.... and perhaps more from The Lo-Down... and maybe Fork in the Road?

For more on the nightlife discussion....

Avenue A, 9:13 p.m., May 8 (read the 68 comments) .... "Another noisy bar" slated for Avenue A; actually, make that several noisy bars, perhaps

Noted

And if you really want to read the story.

Shepard Fairey's Cooper Square Hotel mural tagged too

After seeing photos of the epic bombing of Shepard Fairey's Bowery/Houston mural this past weekend, a reader said that he also noticed a small tag on Shep's Cooper Square Hotel work ...



... by the time we stopped by, the small tag had been wiped mostly clean... but you can still see the outline...



...this first attempt may just be the start of Open Season here too...

Ninth Street and First Avenue shocker: Motel ... Hello?

The other day Matt Rosen from Neighborhoodr was walking by the long-dormant building at First Avenue and Ninth Street as workers were finishing up and closing the gate. And the conversation went like this:

I asked if they knew what was going in.

Motel.

Uh, OK. Motel?

Hmm. Anyway, Curbed reported on April 30 that the city issued a permit for interior renovations on the four-story, 31-unit building. No word on what, exactly, the renovations were for. (As EV Grieve reader HippieChick has pointed out, the total cost of the renovations were estimated at $30,000 on the work permit. Which won't go very far...)

So here's my rendering for a motel here... Not real original, but...




Previously on EV Grieve:
Blockbuster: 147 First Ave. set for demolition

[Motel Hell image via. Bates Motel image via. Top photo via EV Grieve reader Steph.]

A little bit of country on East Fifth Street

Man, I can almost hear the rooster crow reading the newish listing for this one bedroom home on East Fifth Street just east of Cooper Square. As the listing says:

Nestled in the heart of the East Village is your own private oasis. Relax and enjoy a 680sf South facing private garden with shade provide by a beautiful Norway Maple tree and framed by gorgeous plantings. The indoor oasis is just as special creating a wonderful country in the city feel where you can relax, entertain and work. With North / South exposures and the birds chirping on the tree lined block it's easy to forget where you are. The country kitchen provides top of the line appliances and plenty of space to use them. Hardwood floors, HVAC and tons of storage including private basement storage room complete this fabulous home. The small scale condominium is conveniently located near all of the shops, restaurants, buses and trains that make life in the East Village so much fun to live in.

And then you hear a party coming from the Cooper Square Hotel!

Anyway! Here's what it looks like.

Looking at the new art outside the Mars Bar