On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: fresh bread, vinyl records and the members-only FlyFish Club

Here's a look at some of the applicants who will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this evening. (See below for info on watching online.) It's a light agenda this month, with just a handful of applications for new liquor licenses. 

• Heaven's Cookies LLC, 47 2nd Ave (wb)

The team behind Sauced, a wine bar that plays vinyl records on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, is planning a like-minded concept for a currently vacant and under-renovation storefront on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street (pictured above).

Sauced Grocery is a combo deli-bakery-cafe that will serve deli sandwiches and baked bread during the day with a wine bar in the evenings. There will also be "a vinyl records listening room." Proposed hours are from noon to midnight, with a 2 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday.

You can find more details on the Sauced questionnaire here.

• Francis Kite (Francis Kite LLC), 40 Ave C (op) 

The Francis Kite Club is being billed as "a collectively built space created for sociality, leisure, collaboration, debate, conversation, and play" for the storefront at 40 Avenue C between Third Street and Fourth Street.

The space, which will operate a cafe, plans to host "art events such as lectures, exhibitions and performances" several times a month.

No. 40 has been used as a pop-up theater space this past year... the address was previously the cocktail lounge Bedlam.

Find the Francis Kite questionnaire here. 

• FlyFish Club (D&C Social Club Inc), 141 E Houston St (op)

As reported in November, the city's first NFT restaurant signed on at the new 9-story office building at 141 E. Houston St. between Eldridge and Forsyth. 

According to the Post, the Flyfish Club is leasing three levels, 11,000 square feet total, for the members-only club that will feature a "bustling" cocktail lounge, an upstairs restaurant and outdoor space — the enclosed walkway between the building and Yonah Schimmel next door.

The 84-page questionnaire provides a lot of background, including a sound study and sample menu. Find the PDF here.

• NGE NYC LLC, 308 E 6th St (op) 

The management behind the Tim Burton-inspired bar-restaurant Beetle House on Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue is behind Bread & Stone. This pizzeria will also offer a variety of baked bread.

They plan on operating a "small-batch bread shop" during the day and a restaurant in the evenings, featuring a menu of Italian classics. You can find a sample menu and more details about the proposed business here.

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The CB3 SLA agenda also includes this item of interest: "Develop guidance regarding Open Restaurants hours."

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom invite at this link.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a reader-submitted photo from the Ninth Street Community Garden & Park) ...

• Here's the new, larger residential building planned for 280 E. Houston St. (Monday) 

• The 'Daze' of our lives: Adam Zhu's new photo book chronicles today's downtown youth culture (Wednesday) 

• Renovations underway at the former Whitehouse Hotel on the Bowery (Tuesday) 

• At the Tompkins Square Park holiday tree lighting (Monday) ... Seeing the Tompkins Square Park holiday tree in a whole new light (Saturday) 

• The Gallery Watch Q&A: Harvey L. Silver's 'Changin' Times' (Friday) 

• Bad Brains on the Bowery with Shepard Fairey and Glen E. Friedman (Thursday) 

• The New Museum is collecting coats for the Bowery Mission (Tuesday) 

• Cautionary tales: A song inspired by an East Village move (Friday) 

• On the CB3-SLA docket: The Commodore aims for Avenue C; an all-day Italian cafe for 12th Street (Monday) 

• The Zero Irving food hall is now OPEN (Thursday) 

• Memphis Seoul announces itself on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

• Before Dallas BBQ (Tuesday ... Wednesday ... Thursday) 

• Crab Du Jour sleeps with the fishes on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

• Gen Korean BBQ House drops the plywood for a full reveal on 14th Street and 3rd Avenue (Thursday) 

• Pizza for the former Subway (sandwich shop) on Avenue B (Thursday)

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

On the CB3-SLA docket: The Commodore aims for Avenue C; an all-day Italian cafe for 12th Street

Here's a look at some of the applicants who will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this evening. (See below for info on watching online.)

New Liquor License Applications 

 • Corp to be formed by Christopher Buncher, 14 Ave C (op) 

The Commodore looks to bring its acclaimed fried chicken and retro vibes from Williamsburg to its first Manhattan outpost at 14 Avenue C at Second Street (pictured above). 

The EV location has proposed hours of 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays, with a 4 a.m. close Friday and Saturday (with an 11 a.m. open on Saturday and Sunday). There are also applying for a sidewalk cafe with seven tables and 14 seats.

You can check out the CB3 application here.

Recent tenants included Sanatorium, the hospital-themed cocktail lounge ... and the hookah lounge C Lounge.

• Entity to be formed by Patrick Joseph Cremin, 99 2nd Ave (op) 

The team behind the Sefton, an Irish saloon on the Upper East Side, is looking to open a bar-restaurant between Fifth Street and Sixth Street (above). 

The proposed hours are daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. They are also vying for a sidewalk cafe, which would end service at 10 p.m. 

You can find the CB3 questionnaire here.

This space was previously Calexico, which went dark in late 2020. The owners were looking to try a new concept here, but those plans didn't materialize. 

• Paradise Lost (Paradise Lost LLC), 100 2nd Ave (op)

Three applicants are looking to open a restaurant called Paradise Lost ... and serving "nouveau contemporary, global influences." 

Proposed hours are from noon to 2 a.m. during the week... with a 4 a.m. close Friday and Saturday.

You can find a sample menu and background on the applicants here. Paradise Lost is proposed for the gut-renovated building between Fifth Street and Sixth Street that last housed Haveli-Banjara.    

• Only Love Strangers LLC, 175 E Houston St (op) 

The team behind MáLà Project on First Avenue (and two other NYC locations) has plans for a two-level restaurant with a "Mediterranean-inspired menu" and nightly live jazz performances.

The establishment, whose name is pending, has proposed hours to 1 a.m. during the week and 2 a.m. on the weekend... with a 5 p.m. open during the week and 11 a.m. on weekends.

You can find the CB3 questionnaire, which includes a sample menu, at this link. 

Several applicants have kicked the tires on this space just east of Allen Street (above) through the years to no avail. As far as we can recall, the space has been empty since Preserve 24's eviction in 2014.

 • Chuppa Rustam (Rice Guys LLC), 214 E 9th St (op) 

The owners of Laut Singapura, which serves Singaporean street food on East 20th Street, have plans for a still-unnamed establishment serving "British-Indian pub food" on Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

These applicants will be looking for daily hours of 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. (closed on Mondays) for the retail space that was previously a hair salon.

Look for the CB3 questionnaire with a sample menu right here. 

• Corretto LLC, 511 E 12th St (op) 

Two East Village residents are looking to open Caffe Corretta — an all-day Italian cafe with coffee service in the mornings and dinner/drinks in the evening.

The proposed daily hours are 8 a.m. to midnight in space that was most recently Raclette here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Find more about this project here. 

Items not heard at Committee 

• Marinara Pizza (Pizza 10 LLC), 160 2nd Ave (wb) 

The pizzeria, which opened in June 2021 on the northeast corner of Second Avenue at 10th Street, will soon be able to serve beer and wine with the slices.

• Appas Pizza LLC, 210 1st Ave (wb) 

The operator of EV sushi spots Thirteen Water and Shinn East, both on Seventh Street, is opening a pizza-fried chicken concept in the former Kikoo (and Papa John's!) space between 12th Street and 13th Street.

CB3 questionnaire here. 

• Red Onion Foods Inc, 277 E 10th St (wb)

A health-focused Indian restaurant called Red Onion is in the works for this vacant space between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

You can find the Red Onion website here... read the applicant's questionnaire here. 

This space on 10th Street was previously the blink-and-you-missed-them Chichen Itzá and Tompkins Village Cafe.

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Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link at this link. 

Another new broker for the long-vacant 20 St. Mark's Place

There's a new for-lease sign outside 20 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

This is at least the fourth broker to try to lease the long-empty retail spaces.

The dearly beloved Grassroots Tavern was the last business here, closing after service on New Year’s Eve 2017... ending a 42-year run in the lower level. The upstairs tenant, the record store Sounds, shut down in October 2015.

According to the new ARA listing, two storefronts are available — separately or as a combo. 

Here's a look at the former Grassroots via the listing images ... (wonder if the place still smells like burnt popcorn?) ...

As you can see, those incredible old murals that workers uncovered during renovations have been removed/covered.

No mention of the asking rent for the storefronts. 

As noted, No. 20, known as the Daniel LeRoy House, was built in 1832. It received landmark status in 1971 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Past lives of this subterranean space — info via Daytonian in Manhattan — include a theater-saloon called Paul Falk's Tivoli Garden in the 1870s... in the 1930s, the Hungarian Cafe and Restaurant resided here before becoming a temperance saloon called the Growler.

After the Grassroots closed, Bob Precious tried to open a bar-pub here, but those plans never materialized after 18 months. 

Applicants for Ichibantei had been on the CB3-SLA agenda multiple times, dating to November 2018, for a liquor license for a new restaurant for the address. They've moved on to other places.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• New owner lined up for the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

• 20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold

• Last call at the Grassroots Tavern

• Behold these murals uncovered behind the bar at the former Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place 

Openings: Le Burger on 5th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

Le Burger has debuted at 540 E. Fifth St., just a little west of Avenue B. (First noted here.)

As the name implies, the restaurant serves a variety of burgers (see the menu below) ... and they offer wine and draft beers.

According to the questionnaire from July's CB3-SLA meeting, ownership previously ran the now-closed UES spots 1742 Wine Bar and Giorgio's Brick Over & Wine Bar.

For now, the space is open from 5 p.m. to midnight. No sign of a website yet, though Le Burger is on Instagram.

Black Iron Burger was in this space for nearly six years before closing in 2019. 

Ella Funt & Club 82 looks to bring food, film and theater to storied 4th Street venue

An ambitious project is in the works for 78-82 E. Fourth St. that would bring together a restaurant, movie theater and cabaret under one roof while reviving some East Village nightlife history. 

The operators behind Ella Funt & Club 82 are on tonight's CB3 SLA & DCA Licensing Committee docket for a liquor license for the two-level space between Second Avenue and the Bowery. 

There are several elements to this proposed establishment — a French restaurant, movie theater and performance space. The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website (PDF here) provides more detail and renderings of the 150-person-capacity theater space, which already exists in the basement (see below for more history of this address).

There's also a mention of "screenings of independent and old films five days a week," The management team includes Harry Nicolaou. His family operates several indie theaters, including Cinema Village on 12th Street between University and Fifth Avenue.

On paper, the concept sounds like a good fit for a block with destinations such as La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, the Duo Multicultural Arts Center, the Kraine Theater and the New York Theatre Workshop.

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. You can tune in via Zoom.

And now some history of the space...

Here's background via the New-York Historical Society: 

If you were an adventurous visitor to New York City in the 1950s or 1960s, you might have found your way to Club 82. A basement nightclub at 82 East Fourth Street, it wasn't much to look at from the outside... 

But once you made it there, you'd descend the steep stairs into an elegant, transporting nightclub decked out in the height of mid-century kitsch: mirrored columns, plastic palm fronds, elaborate banquettes, and white tablecloths. On the tables would be souvenir knockers, a small wooden ball on the end of a stick emblazoned with the club's name, which patrons would tap on the table when they were pleased with a performance or wanted to call a waiter. Knockers had one benefit over clapping: You didn’t have to put down your drink to use them. 

Club 82 was a trendy place to be. If you were lucky, celebrities like Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, or Salvador Dalí might be in attendance on any given night. A club photographer would circulate among the tables, snapping keepsake photos for a $1.50 or $2 fee for audience members, who were decked out in suits and cocktail dresses and would get an 8″ by 10″ print to take home at the end of the night. There wasn't a cover to get in, but there was a drink minimum and an extensive cocktail menu to hit your required mark. 

And of course, there was the stage, which was the main reason you would've come to Club 82 in the first place. The club was known for its elaborate live shows that ran three times a night into the wee hours of the morning. 

What made Club 82 unique was that it was an early bastion of drag and gender impersonation: Almost all of the performers in the floor show where men dressed as women, and most of the wait staff were women dressed as dashing young men in tuxedos. 

In the early 1970s, Club 82 became a rock club, featuring bands like the New York Dolls, Teenage Lust, Suicide and Another Pretty Face.

   

The subsequent iterations of the space included a movie theater and an all-male strip club. Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones tried to make a go of it as a music club again in 1990 with Woody's. The basement space reopened as the Bijou Cinema around 1992, per Cinema Treasures, operating off and on through the years in different capacities until 2018. 

Stillwater Bar & Grill was a ground-floor tenant, shutting down in the spring of 2019 after 15 years in service.

On tonight's CB3 SLA committee docket: Balkan cuisine for the former Starbucks on 2nd Avenue

Here are several more applicants seeking new liquor licenses during tonight's CB3-SLA docket... the virtual meeting starts at 6:30. This is the Zoom link.

• Sugar Mouse LLC, 101 E 10th St (op) 

Sugar Mouse is the name of the concept proposed for the NE corner of Third Avenue at 10th Street, in space (pic above) that TD Bank previously used before downsizing. 

The bar, offering pizza and snacks, will feature a variety of table games (foosball, billiards, shuffleboard, etc.). The hours are daily from 2 p.m. to, depending on the night of the week, 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. Read more on the application here. 

Ownership also operates Sour Mouse on Delancey, billed as "the Hottest underground social club in the LES." 

We've heard from several residents who live nearby with concerns about the business,  particularly the late-night closing times. Flyers on the block noted (in all caps): "Nothing less than the quality of life on these streets is at stake."

• Lava Ground LLC, 4 St Marks Pl (wb) 

There's not a lot of information about the bar concept proposed for the lower level of 4 St. Mark's Place near Third Avenue. 

The unnamed establishment will offer bar food such as wings and beef patties with daily hours of 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. According to the questionnaire, which you can read here, the owner previously worked as a security guard and now owns a beverage company.

The space was previously (and briefly) an outpost of the Wanyoo Cyber Cafe. 

• Balkan Streat (Wolf of 3rd Ave LLC), 145 2nd Ave (wb) 

A fast-casual restaurant called Balkan Streat is in the works for the NW corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street (the former Starbucks).

As the name implies, owners William Djuric and Jason Correa plan to provide a menu with food from the Balkans. (The questionnaire here includes a sample menu.) According to his bio, Djuric, who worked at Gramercy Tavern and Momofuku Ssam Bar, decided to "pursue his dream of opening a Balkan restaurant that would be inspired by his [late] father's Serbian heritage and childhood summers spent in Yugoslavia." 

The restaurant has proposed daily hours from noon to 11 p.m., with a 2 a.m. close on Friday and Saturday. 

There's also a Balkan Streat set for Sixth Avenue.

This storefront has remained empty since Starbucks closed in April 2019.

• El Primo Red Tacos (El Primo Red Tacos NYC LLC), 151 Ave A (wb) 

The Miami-based taco shop is back on the agenda this month without the full-liquor ask.

There are still concerns from neighbors about the use of the backyard space here.

• Corp to be formed by Ronan Downs, 210 Ave A (op) (Public input occurred on this item in August and in September will only have committee discussion)

Also returning: The bar-tavern concept from a management team led by Ronan Downs, whose numerous credits include Becketts Bar & Grill down on Pearl Street.

You can read the questionnaire here. 

Several applicants have looked at this space on the northeast corner of Avenue A and 13th Street since Percy's Tavern closed in 2017. 

El Primo Red Tacos primed for 151 Avenue A

Renovations continue inside the north storefront at 151 Avenue A, where the first NYC outpost of Miami-based pop-up hit El Primo Red Tacos is in the works here between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

As the name suggests, El Primo specializes in "red tacos," which Eater Miami describes as "birria tacos dipped in a soup-like liquid that gives them a red glow." 

And more from Eater:

El Primo "focuses on one thing only: birria, beef shoulder that is slow cooked in a “red” stew made with tomatoes and seasonings. The chefs then fill tacos with the beef, which also stains the tortilla giving them that red color, and then serves it with a side of broth made with the birria cooking liquid to dip the tacos in."

Reps for owner Frank Neri, who hails from Tijuana, will appear before CB3's SLA committee on Aug. 22 for a new liquor license for the space. According to the questionnaire on file with CB3, the quick-serve spot will have seating for 10 guests inside. They also plan on getting the backyard space licensed, which could accommodate 28 people. Proposed hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, with a 3 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday. (The outdoor space would close at 10 p.m., per the questionnaire.) 

The questionnaire includes a menu from Miami...

El Primo's Instagram account lists a September opening for the East Village. 

The CB3 SLA meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 22. You can tune in via Zoom here.

This north storefront at 151 Avenue A has been vacant since Mamani Pizza, a 99-cent slice joint, closed in June 2017. (Because someone will mention it: San Loco was in the south storefront at No. 151 until February 2014.)

A new East Village home for Virginia's

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Virginia's looks to have a new East Village home at 200 E. Third St. ... the former Root & Bone space...

The restaurant's ownership will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a new liquor license for the address just west of Avenue B. 

The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website shows proposed hours of 11 a.m. to midnight Monday-Thursday, with a 10 a.m. start Friday through Sunday (with a midnight close). A sample menu with the questionnaire shows a brunch service. The plans call for seats/tables for 52 diners with a four-seat service bar. 

Virginia's closed on 11th Street at Avenue C this past New Year's Eve. Their lease was up, and ownership decided to look elsewhere for a new space for the bistro that opened in May 2015.

The Virginia's website lists a fall opening here. 

Root & Bone shuttered in April after eight years in business.  

New bar-restaurant planned for 132 2nd Ave., the current home of Dallas BBQ

A new bar-restaurant is in the works for 132 Second Ave., the current home of longtime tenant Dallas BBQ at St. Mark's Place.

Hospitality vet Curt Huegel is one of the principals behind this unnamed project. Huegel and company will appear before CB3's SLA committee on Wednesday night for a new liquor license for this address...   

According to the questionnaire on file for public viewing, the restaurant has proposed hours of 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. The menu posted with the questionnaire features a variety of burgers, sandwiches, bowls and salads ... including a weekend brunch service.

Huegel's portfolio includes concepts such as Bill's Townhouse, Campagnola and Printers Alley ... closer to home, he's part of the ownership team at Jackdaw on Second Avenue and 13th Street. 

If all this goes through, then this likely means the end of Dallas BBQ — at least at this location. We reached out about a possible closure or relocation. 

The family-owned Dallas BBQ has 11 locations in the metropolitan area. The original Dallas BBQ opened on the Upper West Side in 1978, and the EV location debuted in the 1980s (1984?). They have a solid following who enjoy the enormous platters of reasonably priced food (onion loaf!) and supertanker-sized drinks. 

There were rumors in 2018 that this outpost would relocate, but management decided to stay put after a few protests from regulars.

The Dallas BBQ on University Place and Eighth Street shuttered in 2007... the original UWS outpost closed in December 2014 — both the result of rent hikes.  

More burgers for the former Black Iron Burger on 5th Street

There has been a lot of activity recently at 540 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... the former home of Black Iron Burger.

New owners are taking over the space... and they will appear before CB3's SLA committee on July 13 for a new beer-wine license for the address (Black Iron also served beer and wine)...

We don't know who the applicants are just yet (the questionnaires haven't been posted online). However, we're told they will have a menu similar to Black Iron Burger — milkshakes, fries and burgers.

Workers have cleared out the inside of the space, which had been used for storage in recent years (photo below by Stacie Joy)...

Black Iron "closed for renovations" in July 2019 and never reopened.

The East Village location of BIB was the first for the brand, opening in 2008 (with new ownership taking over in 2013). The three other outposts remain open.

A new Korean concept for the Oiji space on 1st Avenue

Updated July 1. The CB3 questionnaires are now online. The new restaurant is NOT affiliated with the previous tenant, Oiji — despite the fact that the person collecting signatures for the new concept told us so. Kihyun Lee, the founder of the successful Hand Hospitality, and Hand Hospitality partner Jinan Choi, are behind this venture.

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This spring, the owners of the well-reviewed Oiji on First Avenue opened a new, larger restaurant called Oiji Mi on 19th Street near Sixth Avenue.

Since then, Oiji at 119 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place has remained closed. It was unclear what the owners, Brian Kim and Max Soh, would do with the space.

The other day, a rep was outside No. 119 collecting signatures supporting a liquor license for a new Korean restaurant here...

We were told that the Oiji owners are behind this new concept. Why the need for a new liquor license? There's a corporate name change that requires an updated license.

The applicants will appear before CB3's SLA committee this July 13. The questionnaires for this meeting aren't online just yet.

Oiji opened here in the spring of 2015 and drew praise from Pete Wells and others. 

Coming soon: Ando Patisserie on 10th Street; Unique Omakase on 1st Avenue

Photos by Steven

Signage is up now for Ando Patisserie at 214 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

We're told this will be an Asian-inspired bakery that will also serve a variety of teas. There's an Instagram account here. 

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Meanwhile, signage is up at 120 1/2 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place for Unique Omakase. 

Restaurant reps were scheduled to appear before CB3's SLA committee back on Monday for a liquor license. 

According to the questionnaire, Unique Omakase will have an 11-seat sushi bar with daily hours of noon to 11 p.m. The sushi chef here previously worked at Shinn East on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

An outpost of the London-based Bubbleology Tea chain was the last tenant here, closing in late 2021 after nearly two years in service.

Previously, the building's landlord, convicted felon Steve Croman, didn't/wouldn't renew the lease of the International Bar ... which closed in November 2017 before merging with the Coal Yard down the block.

Team behind Ichibantei eyeing 100 3rd Ave.

CB3's SLA committee meets tonight at 6:30. (Find the Zoom link here.)

There are just a handful of applicants this month, including MayRee on First Street and Gen Korean BBQ House on 14th Street and Third Avenue.  

Here's another item of interest. The team behind the 12-year-old Ichibantei on 13th Street is looking to open a bar-restaurant serving Japanese cuisine at 100 Third Ave. 

The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website shows the still-unnamed concept would feature room for 24 tables/98 seats spread over two floors... with proposed hours of 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. during the week; a 4 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday. (The 69-page questionnaire also includes a sample menu.)

No. 100 between 12th Street and 13th Street last housed the vowel-deficient club VNYL, which shut down at some point during the pandemic. Until September 2015, the renovated building featured the second iteration of Nevada Smiths. 

Gen Korean BBQ House next for 14th Street and 3rd Avenue

Gen Korean BBQ House is opening an outpost on the SW corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue... the former home of 5 Napkin Burger. They are taking the entire space — including the storefront that served as the 5 Napkin Express, then Taman Falafel.  

Reps for the California-based company will appear before CB3's SLA committee next Monday for a liquor license for this location...

The chain has 18 locations in California, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada and Texas ... with a handful more in the works. 

Gen Korean BBQ is apparently known for its all-you-can-eat specials. There's a menu with the questionnaire on the CB3 website here. 

This CB3 virtual committee meeting is Monday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. Find the Zoom link here.

The 5 Napkin Burger branch closed here in January after nearly 10 years. And a comeback for Disco Donut will have to wait!

MayRee to bring Thai food to 1st Street

A Thai restaurant called MayRee is in the works for 58 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

The principals will appear before CB3's SLA committee for a new liquor license for the space this month ...

The owner runs a similar establishment in Illinois. According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, food comes first here: 

The premises are a restaurant where the main emphasis is on food, not liquor. The restaurant will NOT have late hours. It will close by 11 PM, five nights a week. On Friday and Saturday, it will close at 11:30 PM so we do not anticipate customers will be coming to the restaurant for the purpose of drinking. 

The premises are a small family-style Thai restaurant with only 25 seats, including the small, 7-seat bar area. There will be no televisions so it will clearly be a place where customers are coming for the food, not to watch sporting events or listen to music.

This CB3 virtual committee meeting is Monday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. Find the Zoom link here.

As previously noted, many restaurants have come and gone here since The Elephant, a Thai restaurant, closed in 2011 after 17 years in business. Maybe people have been waiting for more Thai here.   

Calexico team trying Asian-Latin fusion with Big Cat on 2nd Avenue; a move for Keybar

Calexico is changing up concepts at 99 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. 

The Cal-Mex chainlet will its East Village outpost for Big Cat, "serving Asian-Latin fusion cuisine and a mix of classic cocktails, regional draft beers and a modest wine list." 

Reps for the company (founded as a food truck in 2006 by brothers Dave, Jesse and Brian Vendley) will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for this change in operation. 

The questionnaire on file on CB3's website has more info about the new concept, including this sample menu...

Calexico arrived in the EV in July 2019. The restaurant has been closed since late 2020. 

In other items on tonight's agenda...

The owners of Keybar on 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue are looking to relocate to the more high-profile SE corner of Avenue A and 13th Street (the former Caffè Bene). You can read the Keybar questionnaire here. 

And what about the soon-to-be-former Keybar space at 432 E. 13th St.? 

The team behind the Spotted Owl on Avenue A and Iggy's Keltic Lounge on Ludlow Street have designs on a yet-to-be-named bar. Questionnaire here. 

The committee meeting starts tonight at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here.

2 tenants for the renovated storefronts at 21-23 Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy

Friday saw the grand opening of a new business at 21-23 Avenue B — Gas on Deck (a Q Da Fool reference?).

Yoon Lee (below) is behind the recreational marijuana dispensary and accessories shop ...

Along with a partner, he has plans for an omakase restaurant for the space next door. This month he's on the CB3-SLA docket for a beer-wine license for the establishment, doing business as Domakase.

As previously reported, workers added two new floors and combined the two four-story structures here between Second Street and Third Street. 

H/T Salim!

Pouring Ribbons replacement 11 Tigers announces itself on Avenue B

Coming soon signage recently arrived at 225 Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street for 11 Tigers. (H/T Jake Bowling!)

As previously reported, the bar-restaurant serving an omakase menu is in the works for the second-floor space. (The questionnaire for the CB3-SLA meeting mentioned the occasional jazz musician or two for entertainment.) There's an Instagram account for the establishment, which describes itself as a "Speakeasy bar & Restaurant."

The cocktail lounge Pouring Ribbons closed here last month after 10 years in service. 

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: applicants for the former Sidewalk and Rue-B spaces

Here's a look at two of the items on tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting... (we wrote about Bar Veloce's application for a new spot on the Bowery here). 

• Offside (OT AT LLC), 94 Ave A (op) 

An applicant is looking to open Offside, a bar-restaurant serving "American comfort food" in the former Sidewalk (and August Laura) space on the NE corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street.

According to the questionnaire on the CB3 website, Offside has proposed hours of 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays, with an 11 a.m. start on weekends. The applicants also plan on having sidewalk and streetside seating. 

The applicant previously ran the Offside at 137 W. 14th St. The tavern, which opened in 2017, closed during the pandemic in 2020. Offside was known as a gathering spot for fans watching Islanders games. 

August Laura closed last December after a fall 2019 debut. Sidewalk, the restaurant, bar and live music venue (home of the Antifolk Festival), shuttered in February 2019 after 34 years.

• Next Best LLC, 188 Ave B (op) 

Hi-Note is a proposed coffee shop-karaoke bar combo for 188 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street in space that was previously the jazz club Rue-B. 

According to the CB3 questionnaire, daily coffee service will take place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. ...  with the bar component open from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. During the day, Hi-Note plans to serve cafe fare, including pastries, salads and sandwiches. 

Hi-Note's management team previously ran Baby Grand, the now-closed karaoke bar on Lafayette. 

Rue-B shut down last fall after 23 years in business. 

Tonight's virtual meeting starts at 6:30. You can find the Zoom link here.

 Thank you to Jake Bowling for the photo at 188 Avenue B.