A quick look at the May CB3 SLA agenda

Community Board 3's SLA Licensing & Outdoor Dining Committee meets tonight. 

We've covered two of the big-ticket items already: Corner Bistro exploring an outpost on Avenue A and Sixth Street ... and the Penny-Claude team looking at possibly opening a new cafe on 12th Street at Third Avenue. 

Here are a few other items of possible interest...

New Liquor License Applications 

• Time Out New York (Manhattan) LLC, 124 E 14th St (op) 

As we reported in late March, Time Out Market, Union Square, is opening a food hall on the ground floor of Zero Irving (formerly the Union Square Tech Training Center, 14 @ Irving, and tech hub) at 124 E. 14th St. (pictured above)

Here are details from Time Out on what to expect: 

The 10,000-square-foot market hall will soon house seven kitchens, a fully-stocked bar and a stage set to host talent and performances from local artists. The 300-seat space will also feature an outdoor terrace. The new destination will build upon the legacy of Time Out Markets across the world — all with the mission of featuring the city’s best and up-and-coming culinary and cultural talents. 

You can look at the questionnaire here to see more details. There is a list of potential vendors (some of which are possibly aspirational) that you will recognize. The market plans to open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with an 11 p.m. weekend close. 

Time Out currently has 10 similar markets worldwide, including a 24,000-foot converted warehouse that opened in 2019 in Dumbo. 

The now-closed Urbanspace Union Square had its food hall here after a December 2022 debut. 

• Village East by Angelika (Citadel Cinemas Inc), 181-189 2nd Ave (upgrade to op)

The theater is looking to upgrade its license from beer-wine to full liquor. (They received the OK for the beer-wine in late 2021.) The paperwork shows that there won't be any bar seating but a concession stand for someone to purchase a drink to bring into the auditorium. (There is also an expanded food menu that includes items like flatbread pizza.) 

Many local theaters, including Metrograph and those operated by AMC or Regal, have alcohol sales — a standard practice now to help with revenue shortfalls at a time when people's moviegoing habits have changed coming out of the pandemic. 

In January 2021, the State Liquor Authority ruled that movie theaters could now apply for beer and wine licenses, with consumption allowed in seats — not just from a lobby bar-cafe... ending a years-long debate about alcohol in theaters. 

Items not heard at Committee

• Blue Dimsum NY LLC, 19 St Marks Pl (wb) 

According to the paperwork on the CB3 website, the owners of Mountain House East Village are changing concepts at 19-23 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

The new place will be Blue Dimsum. There isn't any other info about it in the paperwork. 

Mountain House, which has received positive notices via The New Yorker and The Times, opened here in late 2017. 

You can visit the CB3 website for the list of restaurants and bars looking to open a sidewalk or roadway cafe. These items will NOT be heard before the committee. 

Tonight's meeting is at 6:30. The Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, and limited seating is available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Owners of Penny and Claud looking at 12th Street space for possible new project

Updated: A spokesperson said the restaurateurs "are just exploring the 139 E. 12th St. space, and a lease has not yet been signed."

As we've noted elsewhere, an application doesn't guarantee a concept will move forward — as we saw in December 2023 with the Paulie Gee's outpost that never materialized at 107 First Ave., now home to Adda Indian Canteen (among other examples).

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Joshua Pinsky and Chase Sinzer, partners in the acclaimed 10th Street restaurants Claud and Penny, have plans for a new wine bar called Cache, two blocks north of their current establishments. 

The two have applied for a tavern wine license for 139 E. 12th St. at Third Avenue, a small space with four tables for 14 diners and a bar with four seats. 

There's an equally small French-inspired menu, as seen on the application on the Community Board 3 website ...

Given the method of operation, the applicants will not appear before CB3's SLA committee when it meets on May 19. 

Pinsky and Sinzer opened Penny, a raw bar and seafood counter, in March 2024, a flight of steps above Claud at 90 E. 10th St., which opened in September 2023 between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. 

The last tenant here on 12th Street, Tacombi, closed for renovations last September and never reopened.

This hasn't been the easiest spot to make work for any length of time. Other recent casualties include iSouvlaki and Greekito. The Wayside lasted six years. 

More details emerge on Corner Bistro's proposed East Village location

Photo by Stacie Joy 

As we reported this past Friday, NYC classic Corner Bistro is eyeing an expansion to the East Village. 

There is more information about what to expect at its new outpost, 94 Avenue A at Sixth Street, via the questionnaire now online at the Community Board 3 website. 

The EV Corner Bistro would have daily hours of 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., with 17 tables seating 50 diners. The proposal also shows a 31-foot bar with 15 stools.

Unlike the previous tenants, Corner Bistro only plans to use the ground floor for customers, with the basement reserved for storage and food prep. 

Corner Bistro opened in 1961 on West Fourth Street in the West Village. Elizabeth McGrath — daughter of Corner Bistro's original owners, Bill and Lorraine O'Donnell — took over the business in 2015.

 

This wouldn't be the burger institution's first time branching out. Corner Bistro opened a location in Long Island City in 2012, which shuttered in 2020 due to pandemic-related pressures. An outpost at the Gotham West Market food hall in Hell's Kitchen also closed in 2020. 

The most recent tenant at 94 Avenue A, the sports bar Offside Tavern, closed late last year. Before that, August Laura had a brief run beginning in October 2019 but faced a stop-start schedule during the pandemic and finally closed in December 2021. 

The address is best known as the longtime home of Sidewalk — the restaurant, bar, and live music venue (and host of the Antifolk Festival) that closed in February 2019 after a 34-year run. 

And as we noted in Friday's post, an application doesn't guarantee a concept will move forward — as we saw in December 2023 with the Paulie Gee's outpost that never materialized at 107 First Ave., now home to Adda Indian Canteen (among other examples).

CB3's SLA committee meets next on May 19 at 6:30 p.m.

NYC institution Corner Bistro eyeing an East Village expansion

Photo by Stacie Joy 

An iconic East Village corner space may soon be home to an NYC classic. [Find an update here.]

Reps for Elizabeth McGrath, owner of the decades-spanning Corner Bistro on West Fourth Street, are on this month's Community Board 3 SLA Committee agenda, seeking a liquor license for 94-96 Avenue A at Sixth Street — the onetime home of Sidewalk Cafe.

So far, only the application is on file with CB3. The accompanying questionnaire, which typically offers more insight into an applicant's plans, has not yet been made public. The CB3 SLA Committee is scheduled to meet on May 19. (Keep in mind that an application doesn't guarantee a concept will move forward — as we saw in December 2023 with the Paulie Gee's outpost that never materialized at 107 First Ave.) 

We've reached out to McGrath — daughter of Corner Bistro's original owners, Bill and Lorraine O'Donnell — for more details on the potential expansion. 

This wouldn't be the burger institution's first time branching out. Corner Bistro opened a location in Long Island City in 2012, which shuttered in 2020 due to pandemic-related pressures. An outpost at the Gotham West Market food hall in Hell's Kitchen also closed in 2020. 

The most recent tenant at 94-96 Avenue A, Offside Tavern, closed late last year. Before that, August Laura had a brief run beginning in October 2019 but faced a stop-start schedule during the pandemic and finally closed in December 2021. 

The address is best known as the longtime home of Sidewalk — the restaurant, bar, and live music venue (and host of the Antifolk Festival) that closed in February 2019 after a 34-year run.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a moon watch shot from First Avenue)... 

• Fundraiser underway for patron killed at Tom & Jerry's on March 1 (Tuesday) 

• Otto's Wednesday open mic: music and community in the tiki bar’s back room (Wednesday) 

• 9th Street condo project turns former parking garage into construction zone (Monday)

• Final orbit for the 2nd Avenue Star Watchers (Thursday) 

• Yummy Hive vanishes in the night on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street (Friday) 

• At LaMama, 'Above Ground' brings aging, improv and the art of being seen to the stage (Tuesday) 

• Work commences at the long-vacant 11 Avenue A, due for a residential conversion and 3 new floors (Wednesday) 

• Win Son Bakery set to debut East Village outpost on March 19 (Friday) 

• About Robert Sietsema's New York (Sunday) 

• Full reveal at 340 Bowery, the new home of micro hotel Now Now NoHo (Monday) 

• Construction watch: 183 Avenue B (Thursday) 

• These bars and restaurants are temporarily closed, and at least one is permanently shuttered (Thursday) 

• Zine takes a fresh look at Keith Haring's public school murals on the Lower East Side (Wednesday) 

• Partial window signage reveal for the new home of Soda Club on Avenue A (Monday) 

• CB3 to hear more about plans for the new restaurant coming to the New Museum (Monday) ... A quick look at the March CB3 SLA agenda (Monday)

• Closings: Tallgrass Burger on 1st Avenue (Tuesday)

• Revisiting the art of the Avenue A/14th Street Trader Joe's (Monday)

• Signage alert: El Camino on 1st Avenue (Tuesday) 

... and NOTED on Avenue B and Second Street (photo by Stacie Joy)

CB3 to hear more about plans for the new restaurant coming to the New Museum

The New Museum — with its 60,000 square-foot expansion — reopens this fall on the Bowery. Among the new amenities is an all-day café and restaurant. 

Community Board 3's SLA committee will hear more about the plans tonight. 

Per the questionnaire on the CB3 website: 

The New Museum Restaurant — an extension of the New Museum's renewed visitor experience — will function as an all-day café and restaurant. The cuisine will focus on seasonal and sustainable ingredients. 

Art and artmaking have always flourished through in-person collaboration and connection, especially when convening over food and beverage. Our restaurant will be a space where artists, museumgoers, and community members converge, as part of the many new experiences offered by the OMA-designed expansion of the New Museum. 

Built with conversation and intimacy at its center, our restaurant will be an active contributor to the New Museum’s community and a celebration of the surrounding neighborhood’s rich artistic history.

It's not immediately clear if they settled on The New Museum Restaurant as the name. The CB3 questionnaire also states that the trade name is TBD, and press materials sent to local news outlets last week didn't mention a name. 

Anyway, the New Museum announced its partnership with the Oberon Group (Rucola, June, Rhodora Wine Bar, and Anaïs) on the project this past week. Julia Sherman, chef, artist, and author of "Salad for President: A Cookbook Inspired by Artists," will oversee the kitchen. 

Here's more via the EVG inbox...

Incorporating sustainable materials and practices in both its menu and design, the 100-seat space will be a zero-waste, all-day cafe and restaurant spotlighting vegetables and local seafood, drawing inspiration from local purveyors and growers and focusing on ingredients from the Hudson Valley. 

Dish presentation by Chef Julia Sherman will be artful and visually striking, and diners can expect bright colors and playful eating. The cocktail program will be designed by Arley Marks, featuring classic martinis, spritzes, and botanical non-alcoholic selections. The wine list will feature natural selections of back vintages, predominantly from regenerative wine growers. 

OMA's design for the space draws inspiration from downtown New York neighborhood restaurants and the community gardens of the Lower East Side, creating a warm and intimate gathering space for artists, museum visitors, and patrons from around the world. 

Tonight's meeting is at 6:30. The Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, and limited seating is available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

A quick look at the March CB3 SLA agenda

Photo of 215 E. 4th St. by Stacie Joy 

Here's a look at a few of the East Village addresses on tonight's CB3 SLA committee meeting agenda: 

New Liquor License Applications 

• 20 Blocks (Empty Lunchbox LLC), 215 E 4th St (wb) 

A sandwich shop called 20 Blocks is planned for the former home of ZAKAYA NYC between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The online questionnaire for the beer-wine license describes the place as "a sandwich shop serving up original classics: the food & drink you know and love, but with a twist. The best sandwiches by a mile." (Traveling 20 blocks north-south in downtown Manhattan is roughly 20 blocks.) 

The sample menu includes various sandwiches with eggs, fried fish, lamb shoulder, and broccoli rabe, as well as sides such as long beans, sweet potato chips, and potato salad. 

The proprietors, Willy Corman and Jack August, previously held pop-ups in community gardens "with a new chef and a new menu" every week. According to the application materials, proceeds went to the garden. 

Proposed hours: Sunday to Wednesday from 9 a.m. to midnight with a 2 a.m. close on other nights. 

• Wilka's NYC LLC, 241 Bowery (op) 

Wilka's Sports Bar, 241 Bowery between Stanton and Rivington, will be dedicated to broadcasting women's sports. We wrote about it here. Find the Wilka's CB3 questionnaire here. 

• Baja and Humans LLC, 195 Ave A (aka 441 E 12th St) (wb) 

This is for the new owner of the dog cafe Boris & Horton. We wrote about the new owner here. The CB3 questionnaire is available at this link. 

Items not heard at Committee 

• Metrograph LLC, 7 Ludlow St (op/method of operation: change to allow patrons to take alcohol into movie screening area)

Metrograph moviegoers will now be permitted to take an alcoholic drink into the theater's two auditoriums... a standard practice now at most theaters with a liquor license. (RIP Sunshine.)

The theater, between Hester and Canal on the Lower East Side, has a lobby bar-cafe and the commissary on the second floor. 

Dining Out NYC — Not heard at Committee 

Under the city's new Dining Out NYC program, enclosed, year-round roadway dining structures are no longer permitted. The revised regulations stipulate that roadway cafes must now be open-air, easily portable, and simple to assemble and dismantle. 

Additionally, these establishments are restricted to operating only from April through November. Sidewalk cafes are permitted year-round. (ICYMI: C&B Cafe on Seventh Street participated in a pop-up event on Friday afternoon to help advocate for year-round outdoor dining.)

Restaurants had to apply for the license with the DOT, which apparently required a local community board sign-off. 

These establishments within the confines of Community Board 3 are on the March agenda... 

• Gnoccheria by Luzzo's (Italian Essenza Corp), 234 E 4th St (Roadway Cafe) 

• Victoria! (Moneygoround Inc), 235 Eldridge St (Roadway Cafe) 

• Phebe's (East Pub Inc), 359 Bowery (Roadway Cafe) 

• Dream Baby (162-4 Ave B Bar, Inc) 162 Ave B (Roadway Cafe) 

• Non LA (NonLA LLC), 128 E 4th St (Roadway Cafe) 

• 7th Street Burger (TPK Holdings LLC), 91 E 7th St (Roadway Cafe) 

• Westville (Westville Restaurant, Inc), 173 Ave A (Roadway Cafe) 

• Westville (Westville Restaurant, Inc), 173 Ave A (Sidewalk Cafe) 

Tonight's meeting is at 6:30. The Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, and limited seating is available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Meet the new owner of Boris & Horton

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Carol Krakowski is the new owner of Boris & Horton, which was the city's first dog cafe when it debuted in 2018. 

Krakowski, who has a dog named Baja, said she is still a few weeks away from a grand reopening.

In the meantime, with the new ownership, Krakowski is applying for a beer-wine license for the space on the NW corner of Avenue A and 12th Street. (The previous cafe also served beer and wine.) 

Today (Monday), Krakowski will be at the cafe from 3 to 6 p.m. to gather signatures for the application. She said she's also happy to discuss her plans for Boris & Horton further. On Monday, March 10, she and her reps will appear before CB3's SLA committee. 

The previous owners, Logan Mikhly and Coppy Holzman, closed Boris & Horton in November before eventually finding a buyer for the business.

A quick look at the February CB3 SLA agenda

Here's a look at a few of the East Village addresses on tonight's CB3 SLA committee meeting agenda:

 

New Liquor License Applications 

• Andy's Burros LLC, 5 St Marks Pl, as seen above, (op) 

The owners of Taqueria St. Marks Place (and several other similar restaurants) between First Avenue and Second Avenue are behind Andy's Burros one block to the west. 

The application describes a Mexican restaurant selling burritos, burrito bowls, beer, and margaritas, with 11 tables for 34 guests, a few steps down from the sidewalk at 5 St. Mark's Place. 

You can find a PDF of their questionnaire, which includes a sample menu, here. 

• At Cave (At Cave LLC), 103 E 2nd St (op) 

This is a holdover from last month... an Asian-fusion restaurant, At Cave, is looking to take over a vacant retail space at 103 E. Second St., between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

A questionnaire can be found at this link. 

• 5's (Dunne Hospitality LLC), 179 Ave B (op) 

5's is the name of the proposed new restaurant for the long-empty retail space on the east side of Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street.

According to the questionnaire on the CB3 website, 5's will offer "a seasonal and produce-driven menu will be inspired by the flavors of Asia." Apparently, they will only serve five food items, five specialty cocktails, five draft beers, five canned beers, and five wines.

The layout will feature five communal bar tables seating up to 40 guests. 

Guac was the last tenant at No. 179, closing in the fall of 2019. 

Items not heard at Committee

• Conway Diner Inc, 80 2nd Ave (wb) 

Conway Diner, which received conditional approval for a beer-wine license, is now in soft-open mode between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. 

New owners have taken over the short-lived Sunday Dreamin, billing the business as an Asian American diner. Menu items include fish and chips, New York strip steak, fried calamari and spicy mussels. 

Per an Instagram post, they are offering 15% off all menu items through Feb. 15.

• Twilight Lounge Corp, 110 1st Ave (wb) 

Twilight Lounge will offer Asian cuisine, per its application for a beer-wine license for the former Sushi Dojo space between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

Dining Out NYC - Not heard at Committee 

Under the city's new Dining Out NYC program, enclosed, year-round roadway dining structures are no longer permitted. The revised regulations stipulate that roadway cafes must now be open-air, easily portable, and simple to assemble and dismantle. 

Additionally, these establishments are restricted to operating only from April through November. (Sidewalk cafes are permitted year-round.) Restaurants had to apply for the license with the DOT, which apparently required a local community board sign-off. 

These establishments within the confines of Community Board 3 are on the February agenda... 

• Lil Frankie's Pizza (Just an Oven Corp), 19 1st Ave (Roadway Cafe) 

• Lil Frankie's Pizza (Just an Oven Corp), 19 1st Ave (Sidewalk Cafe) 

• A'more Caffe (Sumone Cafe Inc), 150 E 2nd St. (Roadway Cafe)

• Supper (Raguboy Corporation), 156 E 2nd St (Roadway Cafe) 

• The Immigrant NYC (The Immigrant Wine Bar LLC), 341 E 9th St (Roadway Cafe) 

• Penny Farthing Restaurant (East County Louth Inc), 103 3rd Ave (Roadway Cafe)

• Miss Lily's 7A (Seven A Cafe Inc), 109 Ave A (Roadway Cafe) 

• Miss Lily's 7A (Seven A Cafe Inc), 109 Ave A (Sidewalk Cafe)

• Horus Cafe (Elsayed III Corp), 293 E 10th St (Roadway Cafe)

• Horus Cafe (Elsayed III Corp), 293 E 10th St (Sidewalk Cafe) 

Tonight's meeting is at 6:30. The Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, and limited seating is available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

A quick look at tonight's CB3's SLA agenda

Photo of 103 E. 2nd St. by Stacie Joy 

There are a modest number of applicants on tonight's CB3 SLA committee meeting agenda. However, at least one applicant may provide some fireworks. 

Here's a look at some East Village applications... 

• Momofuku Noodle Bar (Momofuku 171 First Avenue LLC), 171 1st Ave (upgrade to op) 

Momofuku is looking to expand its license to full liquor. 

• Meama Cafe & Restaurant (Meama LLC), 78 2nd Ave (wb) 

A Georgian restaurant is in the works for the former Nomad space between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. Questionnaire here.

• At Cave (At Cave LLC), 103 E 2nd St (op) 

An Asian-fusion restaurant called At Cave is looking to take over a vacant retail space at 103 E. Second St., between Avenue A and First Avenue. A questionnaire can be found at this link.

• Freedom for Ukraine LLC, 136 2nd Ave (op) 

A corporate change and a new liquor license are on the agenda for Brasserie Saint Marc on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. However, the owners will remain the same. 

Meanwhile, as the flyer above shows, neighbors have complained about noise coming from what they claim is an unauthorized space in the back of the property. The applicants were also on the November docket, and the conversation became heated — to the point that CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer said she would call the police if the applicant didn't leave. (You can watch the video starting at the two-hour-and-nine-minute mark here.) 

The applicant ended up withdrawing the application over a disagreement about stipulations. 

• Banshee (Entity to be Formed), 143 1st Avenue (North Store) (op) 

Jennifer Murphy (you might know her from the International) is developing a new concept for this former smoke shop. We covered it here. Jason of the Immigrant is a partner in the project.

Alterations

• Sugar Mouse (Sugar Mouse LLC), 47 3rd Ave (op/method of operation: extend Friday-Saturdays hours to 3am) 

• Motel No Tell (Alphabet City Group LLC), 210 Ave A (op/method of operation: extend hours to 2am Sunday-Wednesday, extend hours to 3am Thursday-Saturday, add DJ) New Liquor License Applications 

Tonight's meeting is at 6:30. The Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, and limited seating is available for the public—the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

What are they now? The fate of several unlicensed cannabis shops in the East Village

As 2024 unfolded, illegal smoke shops closed rapidly in the East Village and around NYC. 

The latest casualty is the unmarked place that opened in the former Good Beer space at 422 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. The legal documents on the storefront are dated Jan. 2. (Thanks to Steven for these two photos.)

Here's a look at a few other formerly unlicensed spots, like the Village Happy House at 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, which is now for lease. 

The ex-Goodies Shop is also for lease at 324 Bowery near Bleecker...

At 44 First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, Exotic Green House shuttered and morphed into Rainbow Spa, which offers "body work"...

At 143 First Ave., the former Smart Smokers (dumb name!), Jason Corey of The Immigrant on Ninth Street and Jennifer Murphy are behind a new venture called Banshee. The restaurant will serve oysters and other fresh seafood. 

Banshee is on this month's CB3-SLA committee docket for a new liquor license for the storefront between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. (Application here. And thanks to Jake for the photo.)

In August 2023, a new city law that holds commercial landlords responsible for renting storefronts to unlicensed cannabis shops went into effect.

 

Introduction 1001-B, also known as Local Law 107 of 2023, prohibits commercial space owners from knowingly leasing to unlicensed sellers of marijuana or tobacco products and imposes fines of up to $10,000 on landlords for violations. 

While the illegal shops are disappearing, leaving plenty of available storefront inventory, expect many new licensed establishments in the year ahead.

According to the Post:

The legal cannabis industry will take New Yorkers even higher in 2025, with state regulators projecting the number of new licensed pot stores will more than double — soaring from 275 to more than 625.

The Office of Cannabis Management said sales in 2025 could exceed $1.5 billion, or about double last year's haul while law enforcement will expand efforts to padlock illegal stores.

You can find a map of legal cannabis dispensaries here.

 Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The future of the unlicensed weed vendors 

Signage alert: Tipsy Shanghai on 2nd Avenue

Photos by Steven 

The Tipsy Shanghai signage arrived Tuesday at 104 Second Ave. at the NE corner of Sixth Street.

As previously noted, reps were on this month's CB3-SLA committee docket for a beer-wine license and had received conditional approval. 

The restaurant serves traditional Chinese cuisine and has West Village and Murray Hill locations. (Their outpost on East Broadway shuttered last year.) 

While the chainlet started in 2018, its signage notes "century-old restaurant from China." 

Monsieur Vo closed here earlier in the fall after a September 2022 debut.

Coming attractions: House of Pasta on 12th Street

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy 

House of Pasta is set to debut at 511 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Owner Andres Dominguez is also active at several establishments, including Sofia's on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, Sofia's Bagels & Kitchen and Sofia's Gelateria in the West Village.

Dominguez will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a liquor license for the address. (You can find the questionnaire and a sample menu online here.)

He plans to open and offer his variety of pasta dishes without a liquor license at first. (Plans only call for a 3-seat bar.)

The previous tenant here, the well-liked Caffe Corretto, had little chance after a gas leak in the building ultimately forced them to close.  

On tonight's CB3 docket: New homes for B Cup Café and B-Side

Here are a few items on tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting (there are more applicants for places below Houston). 

New Liquor License Applications 

• Corp to be formed by Drew Popkin, 29 2nd Ave (op)

For starters, this makes the Bad Hombre closure official (photo above). 

The owners of Cask on East 33rd Street and Bar Bonobo on Eighth Avenue are looking to open an Italian restaurant bar called Bambino between Second Street and Third Street. 

Find the Bambino application (PDF!) here, which includes a sample menu showing their brunch and dinner offerings. 

• B Side (Flam Able LLC), 131 Ave C (op/removal from 204 Ave B) 

After a fire at 204 Avenue B in June 2023, B-Side and the building's landlord parted ways later that fall. 

B-Side's owners want to open a new bar at 131 Avenue C between Eighth Street and Ninth Street.

No. 131 has been vacant for some time. As far as we can recall, Babel Lounge & Hookah Bar was the last tenant, closing in 2017. (Babel had the storefronts at 129 and 131.) 

You can find the B-Side questionnaire at this link. B-Side debuted on B in 2003 ... with the new owners taking over in January 2021.

Items not heard at Committee

• Alison St Marks (Disfruting Two LLC), 110 St Marks Pl (wb) 

Alison St. Marks is the name of a full-service restaurant that will serve lunch, dinner, and brunch at this spot between Avenue A and First Avenue. This link has the questionnaire. 

Ownership also runs Alison on Lexington Avenue in East Harlem. 

At No. 110, David's Cafe closed without any notice to patrons over the summer after nearly nine years in service. 

Photo of No. 110 by Stacie Joy 

• G&I Food Hospitality LLC, 204 Ave B (wb) 

As previously reported, B Cup Café is moving to a renovated 204 Avenue B, located just several storefronts south of its longtime home on the SW corner of 13th Street. 

B Cup owner Guy Weizmann told us they will be expanding the café's menu and have later hours with the addition of a beer-wine license here at the former home of B-Side. 

Tonight's meeting is at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Signage alert: Bar Snack on 2nd Avenue

The first signs of the next tenant have arrived at 92 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

Bar Snack, a cocktail lounge with the slogan "Dressed-up classics for dressed-down people," is coming in the space that last housed Local 92.

Hospitality vets Ollie Cleary and Iain Griffiths are behind Bar Snack. Cleary operated Lucky Jack's on Orchard Street before launching Honore Club (Bushwick), Minnows (Greenpoint) and Common Mollies (Williamsburg).

You can check out a drinks menu here. For more details, check out the Bar Snack questionnaire on file at the CB3 website for their appearance before the SLA committee this past summer.

Tipsy Shanghai eyes former Monsieur Vo space on 2nd Avenue

Photos by Steven

The owners of Tipsy Shanghai are planning on opening a restaurant at 104 Second Ave. at the NE corner of Sixth Street.

Reps are on this month's CB3-SLA committee docket for a beer-wine license, though they have received conditional approval and won't be appearing at Monday's meeting. 

Tipsy Shanghai serves traditional Chinese cuisine and has locations in the West Village and Murray Hill. (Their outpost on East Broadway closed last year.) 

While the chainlet started in 2018, its signage notes "century-old restaurant from China." 

Monsieur Vo closed here earlier in the fall after a September 2022 debut. 

And until a time in 2007, the storefront was Bamboo House!

About a new home for Baker Falls on the Lower East Side

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy

After a year at 101 Avenue A, Baker Falls is heading south.

East Village resident Nick Bodor has signed a lease to take over 192 Allen St. between Houston and Stanton — the former Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 — where he'll create his "decrepit-manor in the woods fever-dream alt-rock concept."

Bodor received his approval for a liquor license at a recent CB3 SLA committee meeting and expects to have the new license in hand in about three months. He may open a cafe in the interim, but plans are in flux. 

He told us he wants to showcase performance art in the venue, which will have a 150-person capacity, affordable tickets, and a focus on "old-school EV/LES performance art." 

"I'd like to book acts like an absurdist clown or a Victorian shadow-puppet theater" with "two to three acts per night of curated content and experimental programming. An indie space, a social club for weirdos," he said. 

Baker Falls, which featured a bar, cafe and some live performances, anchored the latest iteration of the Knitting Factory at the longtime former home of the Pyramid Club between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

That space is currently closed (as of late July) for extra soundproofing. 

While Bodor will still be involved with the Knitting Factory (he has a percentage), a known operator is taking over and rebranding the space, hoping for a legacy name. We will have more on that story soon.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Generation next: Baker Falls will bring together a cafe, bar and the Knitting Factory at the former Pyramid Club on Avenue A (Nov. 28, 2022)

On the CB3 docket tonight: An outpost of Bushwick pizzeria Ops; longer hours for Penny

Photo by Steven 

Tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting is on the light side (there are several applicants for places below Houston). 

Here are a few items to note around here...

New Liquor License Applications 

Mike Fadem, the chef and owner behind Bushwick's Ops (and sister pizzeria Leo in Williamsburg), looks to open a Neopolitan-style joint at 176 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street. 

Proposed hours for the space (54 indoor seats, including a 7-seat bar) are noon to midnight Sunday through Thursday, with a 1 a.m. close Friday and Saturday. (Questionnaire here.) 

The sourdough-leavened pizzas at Ops always get high marks... and, FWIW, Time Out recently ranked them at No. 5 on a city's best pizza listicle. 

No. 176 previously housed Numero 28 Pizzeria Napoletana, which went dark in late 2023.

Items not heard at Committee 

• El Diablito Taqueria 

The taco shop at 60 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue will be getting a license to serve beer inside the small space. 

• Penny 

You'll likely have a better chance of getting into the raw bar and seafood counter at 90 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. 

According to the paperwork filed on the CB3 website, Penny is extending hours of operation to noon to midnight all days of the week. (Current hours: daily from 5-10:30 p.m.) 

Penny, upstairs from sibling Claud, was just added to the Michelin Guide New York. 

Tonight's meeting is at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

On the CB3 docket tonight: a new era for Lucy's, another operator for Lamia's Fish Market

Top photo by Lola Sáenz 

As we reported on Aug. 1, Lucy's new owners will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this month. 

The owners of Golden Age Hospitality, whose portfolio includes establishments like Le Dive and Deux Chats, seek to take over Lucy's, the decades-old Avenue A favorite owned by Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius that has been closed since late November. Find more background at this link. (FYI: The plans call for Lucy to continue to have a presence at the bar.)

As a reminder, the meeting is tonight at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.  

Another East Village item of interest concerns 47 Avenue B, where, apparently, Lamia's Fish Market will not reopen. The restaurant has been closed since June for "maintenance."

An entity known as Fisherman Hospitality Group Inc. seeks to take over the space between Third Street and Fourth Street that workers recently painted. (Photo below by Stacie Joy.)

The questionnaire (PDF here) for the new seafood restaurant is on the CB3 website. 

A few more details on the future of East Village classic bar Lucy's

Photo of Lucy's interior last night by Stacie Joy

The new owners of Lucy's will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this month.

As we reported in May, the owners of Golden Age Hospitality, whose portfolio includes establishments like Le Dive, The Happiest Hour and Deux Chats, seek to take over Lucy's, the decades-old Avenue A favorite owned by Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius that has been closed since late November. 

However, Golden Age withdrew their application before the May meeting, and it happened again in June, per public records. This is not uncommon and can mean anything from the paperwork not being in yet to the applicant still negotiating a lease with the landlord. 

The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website for public viewing (PDF here) ahead of the meeting on Aug. 19 shows that the trade name would remain Lucy's with the same hours — 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. 

The questionnaire packet includes a letter from Golden Age Hospitality CEO Jon Neidich to the local block association. The letter reads in part: 

While we are taking over the operation of the bar, our involvement is solely premised on preserving an East Village institution: Lucy herself will very much still be a part of this project (and will still be behind the bar!). We will not be changing the concept or design of the space (we will be adding some soundproofing in the ceiling and an ADA bathroom). 

The floor plan shows the same configuration with two pool tables, etc. The storage space behind the pool tables will be a prep area for the limited menu with five sandwich offerings. (There's a BLT, turkey club, croque monsieur, etc.)

Several tipsters have told us Neidich was a big fan of Lucy's and interested in buying the bar. (We're told Neidich once lived in the apartments above the bar at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.)

During several conversations in February, Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that she had many potential suitors for the bar and may have a role in the new incarnation. 

As we first reported, attorneys for the building's new landlord served Lucy with a 30-day Notice of Termination in early February with a demand to vacate the space by the end of the month. 

Her lease expired in May 2015, and she was on a month-to-month arrangement with the previous landlord. Lucy told us that her last rent was $8,000 per month, and the new landlord, as of late December (West Lake 135-139 Avenue A LLC), was seeking a hefty increase.

The bar (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern) has been closed since November when some paperwork issues forced what was to be a temporary closure.

Golden Age Hospitality also has a pending application for the former Boiler Room space on Fourth Street at Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar