EVG Etc.: Potential jurors in Daniel Penny trial face further questioning; election races to watch

Photo from Houston and the Bowery

• Jury selection continues in the manslaughter trial of Daniel Penny (Courthouse News ... Remembering Jordan Neely (ABC News) 

• The nonprofits that operate NYC's homeless shelters are engaged in widespread corruption, officials say (The New York Times... UPI) 

• The mayor's defense team is arguing that law enforcement agencies deliberately tried to tarnish his reputation (Gothamist) 

• Races to watch in NYC this election season (THE CITY) 

• Panhandler attacked a customer at Mee Noodle on First Avenue (PIX 11) 

• A look at the fourth annual FranCon gathering at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge on St. Mark's Place (Vogue) 

• New gallery exhibit on Second Street near Avenue A: Survivor-Girl, "women-identifying artists exploring the spectrum of womanhood and the survivor-body" (Ruby/Dakota ... previously on EVG)

• In praise of "Energies," a new exhibition at the Swiss Institute on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Cultured) 

• The man fighting to save the Elizabeth Street Garden (Interview)

• A fall-time look at Christo and Amelia, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)

• A Taiwanese food crawl in the East Village (Gothamist) 

• A Sixth Street co-op "embodies East Village cool, all grown up" (6sqft) 

• Dirt Candy, which got its start on Ninth Street, turns 16 (Forbes) 

• The NYC restaurants going old-school with the return of the reservation book (Eater) 

• Two chances to see "All the President's Men" on the big screen, today and Wednesday (Metrograph) 

 ... and on Avenue B between Eighth Street and Ninth Street this afternoon...

 

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Reconnecting with 'Past Lives'

Top image via A24 

"Past Lives," one of 2023's more celebrated films, was recently made available to stream. 

Writer-director Celine Song's generation-spanning film follows two childhood friends from Seoul to the East Village. This neighborhood is the backdrop for the adult characters (played by Greta Lee and Teo Yoo) and former sweethearts as they contemplate what might have been... and maybe could be.

Locations here included First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

... and the Holiday Cocktail Lounge on St. Mark's Place. 

Here's an interview with Song and Steve Buscemi at the Angelika, discussing the climatic last scene on First Street ... and how she found this block (thanks to FocusPulling for this clip)...

   

"Past Lives" received two Oscar nominations: best picture and original screenplay... and likely deserved more.

And you can see it still on a big screen at Cinema Village on 12th Street between University and Fifth Avenue.

A list of East Village crowdfunding campaigns

In recent weeks, many East Village merchants — or their patrons — have established GoFundMe pages to help them stay in business or compensate employees during the COVID-19 crisis.

What follows is an alphabetical list of the crowdfunding campaigns that we've received. Let us know in either the comments or via email of other East Village businesses who are crowdsourcing right now...

• Ace Bar

• Amor Y Amargo; Honeybee's and Mother of Pearl

• Anyway Cafe

• Avant Garden

• B&H Dairy Cafe

• Barcade St. Mark's

• Beauty Bar

• Bibi Wine Bar

• Big Bar

• Bite

• Black & White

• Boilermaker

• Bowery Ballroom/Mercury Lounge

• Brindle Room

• Butter Lane Cupcakes

• C&B Cafe

• Cafe Mogador

• Cooper Still

• dba

• Dlala Salon

• Death & Co.

• Double Down Saloon

• Dream Baby Dream

• Factory Tamal

• Gem Spa

• Gnocco

• Gray Mare

• Holiday Cocktail Lounge

• The Izakaya NYC

• Jane's Exchange

• Jeepney

• Josie’s, Mona's and Sophie’s

• KGB Bar

• Kafana

• Khiladi (The Indian restaurant on 11th and B is collecting money to deliver meals to hospital workers.)

• La Sirena Mexican folk art

• Lavagna

• The Library

• Limited to One Records (via Patreon)

• Lucien

• Lucky

• Maiden Lane

• Mary O's

• Mimi Cheng's (specifically for their Dumpling for Doctors plan)

• Mochii

• Niagara, Lovers Of Today, Tompkins Square bar, Cabin Down Below

• Nomad

• Nowhere Bar

• Nublu

• Otto's Shrunken Head

• Pangea

• Paradise Hospitality (the parent company of East Village bars Boulton & Watt, Drexler's, Mister Paradise, Paper Daisy)

• Parkside Lounge

• The Phoenix

• Pink Olive

• Pinks

• Planet Rose

• Porsena

• Raclette

• The Roost

• 787 Coffee

• The Roost

• Sake Bar Satsko

• Scratcher

• Shampoo

• Sing Sing Avenue A

• SOMA Cakes (for hospital workers)

• Spiegel

• Standings

• Superiority Burger

• Swift Hibernian Lounge

• 2A/Treehouse ... as well as Berlin Under A

• Takahachi

• Think Coffee

• Third Rail Coffee

• Three Jewels

• TIC Restaurant Group (includes Sobaya, Rai Rai Ken, Hi-Collar, Sakagura, Decibel, Curry-Ya, Otafuku, Shabu Tatsu, Hasaki, and Cha An)

• Tile Bar (along with Magician)

• Tompkins Square Bagels (All donations to this fund will be used to support the hospitals, first responders and homeless shelters in New York.)

• Tuome

• Turntable Lab

• Village Square Pizza

• The Wayland (plus Goodnight Sonny, The Wild Son and Lost Lady)

Updating: What's open in the East Village for takeout and delivery

[Photo by Steven]

First draft as of 9 a.m. on March 17. Here are East Village cafes-restaurants open for takeout and delivery — many with contact-free options. Yes, this is an incomplete list. But it is a start. We'll continue to update throughout the day. Additions are welcome via the comments and email. Find the in-progress list of closures here.

Please call ahead or check the restaurant's website or social media for updates. All this is subject to change. Several of the vendors we talked with we're unsure how long they'd be able to stay open. Thanks to Lola Saénz and Steven for the reporting!

Updated 3/21: Continuing to update. Some of the information below may be outdated. Several restaurant owners told us that they have decided not to continue at this time. One restaurant owner said he had two orders the entire day.

Updated 4/5. Updated the list. Removed the closures and put the restaurants in alphabetical order.

• Abraço, 81 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Alphabet City Beer Co., 96 Avenue C. They've expanded their grocery items, and added fresh fruits and vegetables and dairy products. Open from noon to 7 p.m.

• Artichoke Pizza, 321 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, is open for takeout and delivery.

• Barnyard Cheese Shop/Brix Wine, 168 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street

• B Cup Cafe, 212 Avenue B at 12th Street is open for picks up deliveries

• The Bean (Third Avenue/Ninth Street and Broadway/Ninth Street) are open for takeout and delivery. They also have touch-free pick up.

• Bin 141, 43 Avenue A at Third Street, is open from 3-7 p.m. They are offering a variety of grab-and-go dinners for $10. See the list here.

• Bite, 211 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, is open for takeout and delivery.

• Brodo, First Avenue at 12th Street. The to-go Brodo window is open 100 First Ave.

• Brick Lane Curry House, 79 Second Ave. near Fifth Street.

• C&B Cafe, 178 E. Seventh St. near Avenue B. Open for takeout and delivery.

• Caffè Bene, 208 Avenue A at 13th Street

• Calexico, 99 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

• Casa Adela, 66 Avenue C between Fourth Street and Fifth Street, is open for takeout.

• Craft + Carry St Marks, 118 Saint Mark’s Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. Only beer to go. 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

• Dallas BBQ, 132 Second Ave. at St. Mark's Place. Pick up, takeout and delivery.

• Dan and John’s Wings, 135 First Ave. between Saint Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Takeout, pick up or delivery via their website or DoorDash.

• Desi Galli, 172 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street, is open for contact-free takeout and delivery. Customers can save 15 percent off all their orders on www.desigalli.com with coupon code DESI15.

• Dim Sum Palace, 59 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street.

• The Dip, 58 Saint Mark’s Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Takeout and delivery.

• East Village Meat Market, 139 Second Ave. between Saint Mark's Place and Ninth Street

• East Village Pizza, First Avenue at Ninth Street

• ElevenB, 174 Avenue B at 11th Street. Takeout and delivery. They are also offering a special to the neighborhood: large pizza for $12, which is $3 off the usual price. Pick up only.

• Eliza's Local, 2 St. Mark's Place, has beer and growlers to go.

• Esperanto, 145 Avenue C at Ninth Street, is offering takeout and curbside pickup (including a to-go happy hour!).

• Fonda, 40 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street, is open for takeout and delivery.

• Frank and Lil' Frankie's are open for takeout and delivery.

• Fresco, 138 Second Ave., between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street, takeout and delivery from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Gena's Grill, 210 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street

• Gnocco, 337 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. Takeout and delivery.

• Gomi Korean Wine Bar, 186 Avenue A. near 12th Street. Take out only.

• Grape and Grain, 620 E. Sixth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C, is now serving sustainable sushi from 2 p.m. - 10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday for take out and delivery. For a limited time only. Details here.

• Gruppo, 98 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, is open for takeout and delivery from noon to 9:30 p.m. (No fee delivery when ordered via their website.)

• Hanoi Soup Shop, 119 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue, is offering takeout and delivery from noon to 9 p.m. They are also offering the full beer, cocktail and wine menu available to-go, as well as 20 percent off bottles of wine.

• Holiday Cocktail Lounge, 75 St. Mark's Place, is open for takeout and delivery.

• Hub Thai, 103 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street

• Iggy's Pizza, 173 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street

• IHOP, 235 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Open for takeout and delivery.

• Jiang Diner, 309 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Open for to-go or delivery from 5 to 10 p.m.

• John's of 12th Street, 302 E. 12th St. near Second Avenue, is open for delivery and takeout.

• Juicy Lucy, 85 Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. Open for takeout and delivery.

• Katz's, 205 E. Houston St., is open for takeout and delivery.

• Kitchen Sink, 88 Second Ave. at Fifth Street. Open for pick up and delivery.

• Kona Coffee and Company, 57 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street. Open to-go from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Kotobuki, 56 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street, has pickup, delivery and curbside service.

• La Palapa, 77 Saint Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Takeout and delivery.

• Le Petit Parisien, 32 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

• Le Sia, 11 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Takeout and delivery.

• Love Mama, 174 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street. Delivery and takeout.

• Lower East Side Coffee Shop, 442 E. 14th St. near Avenue A, is open for takeout and delivery.

• Madame Vo, 212 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Open for takeout as well as delivery on Caviar

• Makiinny, 32 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Takeout and delivery

• Mamoun’s, 30 St. Marks Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue

• Mary O's, 32 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street, is open for takeout and delivery.

• Mimi Cheng’s, 179 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street. Delivery and takeout. Currently only serving hospitals.

• Misoya, 129 2nd Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

• Mother of Pearl, 95 Avenue A at Sixth Street, has pickup and delivery options.

• Native Bean, 36 Avenue A. Open for takeout and delivery.

• Nolita Pizza, 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

• Numero 28 Pizzeria, 176 Second Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street. Delivery and takeout.

• Odessa, 119 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. Takeout and delivery only. 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Weekdays and Sunday. 11 a.m. to 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Original Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwich Shop, 209 Avenue A at 13th Street. Open for takeout.

• Paquito’s, 143 First Ave. between Saint Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Take out and delivery.

• Paul’s Da Burger Joint, 131 Second Ave. near Saint Mark's Place. Takeout only.

• Pink's, 242 E. 10th St., near First Avenue, is available for takeout and delivery.

• Porto Rico Importing Co., 40 Saint Mark’s Place near Second Avenue

• Post, 42 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street. Takeout and delivery.

• Proto’s Pizza, 50 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street.

• Pylos, 128 Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue (pick up and delivery)

• Rakka Cafe, 81 St Mark's Place near First Avenue

• Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A. To-go window is open. They are also delivering via services like Seamless, Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash.

• Ray’s Pizza, 2 St Mark's Place at Third Avenue.

• Remedy Diner, 245 E. Houston St. at Norfolk Street, is open for takeout and delivery.

• Royale, 157 Avenue C near 10th Street, which is open for takeout and delivery from 5-10 p.m.

• S'MAC, 197 First Ave. at 12th St. They will continue to offer takeout and delivery during regular operating hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

• Sammy’s Halal, 109 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. Takeout and delivery.

• San Loco's Stanton Street location is open for takeout and delivery from noon to 10 p.m.

• Sauce, 345 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue [Only open on weekends]

• Shake Shack, 20 Third Ave. at Astor Place. Takeout and delivery.

• Souen, 326 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, is open for takeout and delivery.

• Starbucks, 125 St. Mark's Place at Avenue A. Open for takeout via the mobile app.

• Stromboli Pizza, 83 First Ave. between Saint Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Hours to be determined depending on how business is.

• Sweet Generation, 130 First Ave. between Saint Mark's Place and Seventh Street. Takeout and delivery only.



• TabeTomo, 131 Avenue A. between St Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Pick-up orders.

• Tacos Cuautla Morelos, 438 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. Takeout and delivery

• Taqueria Diana, 129 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

• Thai Direct, 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. (They have contactless takeout and pickup.)

• Thai Terminal, 349 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. [Reopened on 4/20]

• Thailand Cafe, 95 Second Ave. near Sixth Street.

• Tompkins Square Bagels (both locations)

• Village Square Pizza, 147 Avenue A. Take out and delivery.

• Vinny Vincenz Pizza, 231 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street

• Westville Bakery, 443 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue

• Westville East, 173 Avenue A at 11th Street, is open for delivery between 11:15 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.

• Whitman's, 406 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, has pick up and delivery from 5 to 10 p.m. daily.

• Zaragoza, 215 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street, is open for food to go. They also have some groceries for sale.

You better watch out: Miracle on 12th Street pops up for the holidays

[Miracle on 12th Street]

For the fifth consecutive year, Miracle on Ninth Street — a Christmas inspired pop-up bar — opened inside Mace, the cocktail bar at 649 E. Ninth St. at Avenue C.

Mace owner Greg Boehm is behind the holiday pop ups, an empire that has grown to 80-plus worldwide.

And as 12th Street residents learned yesterday, there's also a Miracle on 12th Street that just popped up for business between Avenue A and Avenue B in the former Double Wide space...



Boehm also took over the lease from Double Wide, which closed back in March after seven years in business.

Apparently the address will serve as a pop up before the planned cocktail lounge opens. Unlike the Ninth Street location, the 12th Street bar will take reservations for five people or more during the holiday.

Said one local resident: "I feel duped as a neighbor. They sold this as an upscale cocktail bar that was going to be quiet as opposed to the loud shit show that we had to endure when it was Double Wide."

And if you need another holiday pop-up choice, Boehm's bar Boilermaker on First Avenue at First Street is now a tiki-themed Sippin' Santa (as it has been this time of year since 2015).

Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge opens for the month in the former No Malice Palace space

The former No Malice Palace space on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is now home to a pop-up holiday bar called Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge. They opened on Friday, and will close on Jan. 1

Via the bar's website:

We've decked the halls with pop-up magic and stuffed your stockings with craft cocktails and mulled wine. Fire places, grandma's quilts and xmas decorations galore... a visit to this heard's house party will make your Insta-Story lit.... we're not kidding, there are a ton of lights. Don't forget to grab a photo-op in front of the custom "Reindeer Playing Poker" mural in the back yard! Whether you have a last minute holiday party to plan or just need to get your yule-tide on, Donner and Blitzen's Reindeer Lounge is your home away from holiday ho-ho-ho... you get it.

The cocktails ($13) include Zuzu's Petals, Elf Nog and (seriously) Nog-Gonna Make to Work Tomorrow.

A feature on the bar in Metro notes, "The decor inside the East Village bar looks as if all the twinkle lights wrapped around the trees and houses in suburbia had been brought inside instead; let’s call it Enthusiastic Dad."

This is the second pop-up holiday bar to open in the East Village this season. Mace, the cocktail bar on Ninth Street near Avenue C, goes by Miracle on Ninth Street during this time of year. (Same bar, just with Christmas decorations.)

No Malice Palace never reopened after the death of its owner, Phil Sherman, in November 2016.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[East 7th Street yesterday via Derek Berg]

Suspect charged in shooting death of 33-year-old Shemrod Isaac on Avenue D (DNAinfo)

A look around the new Holiday Cocktail Lounge (Eater)

Scrubbing down 190 Bowery (Gothamist)

Egg Rolls & Egg Creams Festival is expanding this summer (BoweryBoogie)

The landmarked Tammany Hall on Union Square will be topped by a glass tortoise shell-inspired dome (Curbed)

Will the Will Pier 35 Eco-Park ever open? (The Lo-Down)

More about the Horn & Hardart Automat documentary (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

The new Holiday Cocktail Lounge opens tonight

[Photo from December]

The latest iteration of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge returns tonight after a three-plus year closure.

A quick recap. Stefan Lutak, the longtime proprietor who bought the place in 1965, died in early 2009 at age 89. Shortly before his death, Stefan decided to retire, and the bar closed for several weeks… only to reopen under new management on Jan. 17, 2009.

The post-Stefan Holiday lasted until Jan. 29, 2012. News broke a few weeks later that Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, which makes Pirate's Booty, bought the building at 75 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue. After some anxious moments, we learned that Barbara Sibley, who lives in the building and runs La Palapa next door, would be helping oversee the operation.

No. 75 needed a a top-to-bottom renovation, and it was a long process. Sibley talked to us about it back in January 2014.

The building was in terrible condition ... It’s been such an exercise in zen and archaeology. As much as we’ve been trying to maintain it, you couldn’t keep everything. We were lucky on their closing night that we didn’t all fall through. Every time we look behind a wall it’s been a major repair. It’s been an endless process.

And here we are.

According to The New York Times, who first reported on tonight's reopening, "enough of the bar’s ancient innards have been retained that old regulars will recognize a familiar friend."

The tight horseshoe bar where W. H. Auden and Allen Ginsberg (and possibly Leon Trotsky) once presided has been given a rubdown, though it has been moved about 20 feet and now stands in the center of the space. Also still there are the battered awning, an old wooden phone booth and an exotic mural from the place’s earlier days as a burlesque cabaret.

The resurrection could not have happened without Robert Ehrlich, the snack-food mogul who created Pirate’s Booty, who decided to buy the building and preserve the bar.

The bar will include some beer-and-shot combos for $8 … and $6 cocktails served in glassware used by the old Holiday. But it won't all be the old Holiday. There are a few craft cocktails on the menu, via Michael Neff (the Rum House) and his brother Danny.

Said Michael Neff: "You have to honor the past without trying to duplicate it — that would be Disneyland."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

There goes the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Last night at the Holiday

The Holiday Cocktail Lounge is closing Saturday night

"Beat writers...spent considerable time with the bookies, dope dealers, working girls and alcoholics for whom the Holiday was a second home"

A new (old) awning arrives at the Holiday

This morning, workers installed a new awning outside the former Holiday Cocktail Lounge at 75 St. Mark's Place.

And it's an exact replica of the previous awning...



Back in July, some dude on a skateboard came by and slashed the name off of it.

The new awning is the next step for the new venture here. As previously reported, Barbara Sibley, the owner of La Palapa next door, will help run a tavern-restaurant in this space.

First, though — the building had to undergo a top-to-bottom renovation. And it has taken awhile. Sibley has firsthand experience — she lives in the building. She talked to us about it back in January.

The building was in terrible condition ... It’s been such an exercise in zen and archaeology. As much as we’ve been trying to maintain it, you couldn’t keep everything. We were lucky on their closing night that we didn’t all fall through. Every time we look behind a wall it’s been a major repair. It’s been an endless process.

The Holiday 2.0 closed Jan. 28, 2012.

No word yet on an opening date... but the new place will go by the name the Holiday.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher
Name: Barbara Sibley
Occupation: Owner, La Palapa Cocina Mexicana
Location: St. Mark's Place between 1st and 2nd Ave
Time: Noon on Monday, Jan. 13

I’m from Mexico City. My dad was an engineer from New York and my parents moved to Mexico for a project, but when it finished they decided to stay. I had never really traveled to New York as a kid, but I came to go to school when I was 17 and ended up staying. After I got here, I first realized I could live here when I went into the subway and everything was in both Spanish and English. I realized I could be at home. And once you come to New York it’s hard to leave. I always thought I would go back but I never did.

I never thought I would end up having a career in the restaurant business even though I always cooked. I studied anthropology and I’ve always been fascinated with how cultures come together in their food. I started working as a dishwasher while I went to college at Barnard and my sister was at NYU and living at 13 St. Mark's Place. Then I got a job as a waitress at this place called Bandito on Second Avenue between 9th and 10th, around 1984.

For me, with a restaurant you almost have a front row seat to the neighborhood. You see your community and you know the people. You are part of the surroundings in such a tangible way. Even though there is so much change in the neighborhood there is also so much continuity. In the restaurant business I like to say that you get a lot of people who are going through their life sideways and so you have a chance of helping other people fulfill their dreams. We’ve helped a lot of people get through school and they come back and say, ‘Thank God you got me off the streets back then.’

At that time, the staff and the customers in the East Village restaurants were an incredibly talented pool of people. It was very artsy. They were crazy days. There were so many artists and all the galleries were just booming. There were a lot of performance artists. And then you had a lot of actors living here. It was very vibrant. There were a lot of people who had been in squats. People were starting to homestead a little bit. The community gardens were literally cleaned by hand by the people from the squats.

I was waitressing at Bandito until they needed a manager and I said OK and gave them a six-month commitment. It was this little Mexican restaurant, which was not very authentic. That’s where I really started to cook. I would cook behind the scenes, backstage for me and the guys. For one thing, I could go back and forth to Mexico and bring things back. The menu itself was great but the restaurant wasn’t owned by a Mexican. It was owned by a Czech guy from Slovakia named Rudy Mosny, who was friends with Abe Lebewohl from the 2nd Avenue Deli. Abe gave him the idea to do the Mexican place.

Abe was an amazing guy. I used to laugh when he would come over to eat something that wasn’t kosher and he had a knack for popping in anytime I would be cooking Mexican food. I’d be making a big pot of Chilaquiles for the guys in the kitchen and without fail he’d show up. If you’d ever go out to dinner with him and he liked what was on your plate, he’d help himself.

I ended up helping [Rudy] open a restaurant in the West Village ... and they opened a restaurant called Telephone Bar and Grill. I was about to start graduate school and Rudy decided to move when the Berlin Wall went down. He had a chance to go back and reclaim some of the land that had been taken from his family, so he said to me, if you don’t stay and manage I’ll close Telephone, and I couldn’t do that. So I turned around and ended up running it on my own until I opened La Palapa. I realized that I loved my day-to-day life and so it became my career.

I opened La Palapa with a partner 14 years ago. It’s really what I’m homesick for; it’s recipes from my childhood. It’s great because I get to break the stereotypes that people have about Mexico and Mexican cooking. People expect it to be big, cheesy nachos, the salsa and chips. That’s not what you eat in Mexico. Unless someone gives me an incredible tortilla I don’t put a burrito on the menu, because if I did that people would not try the authentic stuff. If I opened today everyone would be like, ‘oh, it’s artisanal’ because we make our own cheese and we make everything from scratch. But I had to do that because you could not get it. And these days I can be even more creative than when I started.

I’ve also been helping and consulting with Robert Ehrlich, who bought the building I live in and the Holiday Cocktail Lounge, which has been a crazy thing. I was in the building and I said, ‘I’m here and I’ve got La Palapa, give me a call if you need help.’ It’s been a constant construction zone. The building was in terrible condition. Next week will be two years since he bought the building. It’s been such an exercise in zen and archaeology. As much as we’ve been trying to maintain it, you couldn’t keep everything. We were lucky on their closing night that we didn’t all fall through. Every time we look behind a wall it’s been a major repair. It’s been an endless process.

Taking down the paneling, there were doors going everywhere. There were old murals from when it was a burlesque house called Ali Baba. There were showers downstairs for the girls. It was a beauty parlor. I’ve got everything in a shed in the back. We found a tunnel that goes across the street to Theatre 80. I did a lot of research when doing all the permits and the space was TL50, Tavern and Liquor 50, the 50th liquor license after prohibition. And most of those were all crooked. And there was a bootlegging tunnel to First Avenue under Theatre 80. The buildings on First Avenue are all a bit cockeyed because of that tunnel.

There’s still a little bit of renovation. At this point I don’t know exactly how it will all end up. It’s remarkable, that any day if you were just camping on the stoop, 10 people would come by and have a memory about the Holiday Cocktail Lounge.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

July CB3/SLA highlights: Holiday Lounge, Brick Lane Curry and more tacos

[99 Second Ave. from August 2012]

The July CB3/SLA docket is now out... We'll look at the whole thing later... but a few quick highlights... (The meeting is July 15.)

Applications within Saturated Areas
• 117 Ave A Food & Drink LLC, 117 Ave A (op)

The mystery applicant looking to take over the Odessa Cafe and Bar on Avenue A is back on the agenda.

Sidewalk Cafe Application (unenclosed)
• Mighty Quinn's Barbeque (CMH BBQ Holdings LLC), 103 2nd Ave

• Brazen Fox Kitchen and Bar (106 3rd Ave NYC Inc), 106 3rd Ave

The folks from the White Plains-based bar The Brazen Fox are opening a bar-restaurant in the former Friend House space at East 13th Street ... the space is still under construction and they are already seeking a license for a sidewalk cafe. Very Brazen!

• Boulton & Watt (Downtown Dining LLC), 5 Ave A

New Liquor License Applications
• Holiday Lounge (75 St Marks Place LLC), 75 St Marks Pl (op)

Barbara Sibley, the owner of La Palapa next door here on St. Mark's Place, will be opening a bar-restaurant in the former Holiday Cocktail Lounge space... we're looking forward to the end results of the work... She told Grub Street last year that "We're going to try to preserve as much of the history as possible."

• Otto's Taco LLC, 141 2nd Ave (b)

Ah! Last week, contractors told EVG regular William Klayer that a "taco place" was opening at the former Good Guys, the burger-fries-salad-wraps-waffles-smoothie eatery that replaced a Subway on Second Avenue. Good Guys closed a few weeks ago.

• Bricklane Curry House (BLCH I LLC), 99 2nd Ave (op)

Looks as if there's finally activity here ... most recently home to Sea Salt, the upscale fish eatery that closed in early 2008 after a seven-month stint... Brick Lane announced in April 2011 that they'd be taking over the space ...

Citi Share docking stations arrive on St. Mark's Place at 1 a.m., quickly tagged

EVG regular Stephen Popkin notes that the Citi Bikes docking stations arrived on the north side of St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue (in front of the former Holiday Cocktail Lounge) ... around 1 a.m. (Per Stephen's estimation, the installers were working quietly...)



Plans called for 31 docks here in a no-parking area of the street.

Updated:

Well, later, someone felt compelled to write RAMEN on the docking station...



...and another angle via Shawn Chittle...



Meanwhile! On East Fifth Street at Avenue C... EVG reader Mish noted that workers installed the docking station here around 11 p.m.



Per Mish: "We're already taxed as it is parking wise, and the street is a dead end. Really failing to see the logic in this choice of location. I'm not sure they realize how much of an adverse effect this is going to have on commuters in the neighborhood."

East Village stories to watch in 2013, (Part 2)

• New housing at the former Cabrini Center

[Dave on 7th]

Work continues at the former Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on Avenue B and East Fifth Street. We've already seen the listings for the two retail spaces available here.

Some time this year we'll certainly see listings for the residential portion too, which might make for a rather delicate sell. After all, Cabrini was a nonprofit, 240-bed nursing home that provided health care for low-income elderly residents in the East Village. How do you spin the broker babble to make buying into a place where people were spending the last days of their lives desirable? Well, we'll find out soon enough...

• David Schwimmer moves to East Sixth Street

Plenty of celebrity types move in and out around here and no one really cares. Daniel Craig, for instance. And then there is David Schwimmer, who is reportedly moving to the former site of a circa-1852 townhouse demolished prior to the area's landmarking.

Per the Post on Feb. 6, 2012:

Schwimmer, 45, snapped up the property for $4.1 million in 2010 — and the city Landmarks Preservation Commission send him notices on March 31 and May 27 of last year that it could get landmark status by the end of 2012, said commission spokeswoman Elisabeth de Bourbon.

But by September 2011, the building was gone, just four months after the city’s latest letter was sent to Schwimmer’s representatives.

So, just to spell this out, Schwimmer and/or his people knew that the building was under landmark consideration, yet they hurried and destroyed it anyway. (All perfectly legal though. So lay off!)

Then there has been the matter of some 18 month's worth of construction noise to understandably annoy the neighbors.

Which may have inspired people to write messages such as this on the plywood on the under-construction 6-floor mansion:

[I forget now who sent me this]

----

• Welcoming a 7-Eleven to Avenue A

In recent weeks, we've seen signs of opposition against the incoming 7-Eleven on Avenue A and East 11th Street. First, someone carved "Fuck 7-11" into the sidewalk (twice) ... then we saw the anti-7-Eleven stickers ... and now... chalk signage on the sidewalk and crosswalks near the under-construction shop.

Meanwhile, workers are apparently getting testy, yelling at passersby who are taking photos from the very public street...

Construction worker gave me hard time for taking picture of the future 7-11... cc @evgrieve twitter.com/longom/status/…
— matt longobardi (@longom) December 31, 2012

Residents will be meeting again soon to discuss the incoming 7-Eleven. We'll post those details later.

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• New development for East 14th Street

[Click image to enlarge]

As we reported in late November, eight parcels consisting of 222 Avenue A and 504 - 530 E. 14th St. (exclusing No. 520) were leased for a 99-year period by the respective owner to East Village 14 LLC.

As some point this year, we expect to see a few more stores shutter along here (not to mention the Blarney Cove) ... as well as learn just what the new landlord has in store for these eight parcels of land.

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• A new bar-restaurant at the former Holiday Cocktail Lounge

The post-Stefan version of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge closed last Jan. 28. Barbara Sibley, the owner and chef of La Palapa next door, will eventually open a tavern-restaurant that serves staples such as fish-n-chips in the former Holiday space. She has said that she and her team will try to preserve as much of the history as possible.

Several longtime East Village residents have said that they are very optimistic about the new venture; that this will be good for the neighborhood. We're looking forward to seeing what transpires here.

We exchanged Facebook messages with Sibley back in November... she said work has been going slowly. Crews have been renovating the entire building, which Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, purchased.

-----

This isn't meant to be any kind of exhaustive list of stories to watch... What are you keeping your eye on here in 2013? Let us know in the comments...

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village stories to watch in 2013 (Part 1)

Mourning lost bars; early morning at Downtown Beirut

The 6th Floor, the blog of The New York Times Magazine, checked in yesterday afternoon with a piece titled "Manhattan’s Most-Mourned Bars."

The neighborhood is well-represented in the listicle: Mars Bar, Downtown Beirut and The Holiday Cocktail Lounge. (And two nearby: The Cedar Tavern and Good World Bar and Grill.)

A lot of room for debate in that list. Which was probably the point, of course.

But! It's a fine time to revisit this EVG post from Jan. 5, 2009 titled Downtown Beirut, around 1990, about 3 a.m. It included this video...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Downtown Beirut, around 1990, about 3 a.m.

Week in Grieview

[Bond Street looking east one recent nice day]

The Marshal seizes Kate's Joint (Tuesday) ... and the "for rent" signs quickly arrive (Wednesday)

Summering in Tompkins Square Park (Friday)

Filming at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge (Wednesday)

A bike rack for East Ninth Street (Wednesday)

CB3/SLA OKs Joe's to Josie's (Monday)

A campaign to save the library at the Neighborhood School (Thursday)

007 moving to East Fourth Street? (Friday)

A bigger Bean for First Avenue (Wednesday)

FDNY rescues resident from a Shaoul-owned building after staircase is removed (Thursday)

The Beat goes on at the Holiday today

A crew was on-hand today to film scenes for "Kill Your Darlings" at the dearly departed Holiday Cocktail Lounge on St. Mark's Place... set in 1944, the drama involves writers Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs and Lucien Carr's murder of David Kammerer...

Michael C. Hall, pictured here, plays Kammerer...

The Times has a lot of the backstory about the murder here; the version of the story for this film can be found in "And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks," the 1945 novel by Kerouac and Burroughs.

I'm sorry, I'm too distracted by the photo of the crew member ready to eat that slice to keep going...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

The Beats will live again at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge (for one day, anyway)

So you know that the Holiday Cocktail Lounge closed on St. Mark's Place back on Jan. 29. Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, and Barbara Sibley, the owner of La Palapa next door, will open a tavern-restaurant that serves staples such as fish-n-chips.

Allen Ginsberg, among many other literary luminaries, frequented the Holiday back in the day ... so it may not be so strange then that crews will film scenes for "Kill Your Darlings" at the Holiday on Monday.

IMDB simply puts the plot this way: "A murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs." The crew has been shooting scenes around the city, including at Columbia, the last several weeks. (The Times has a lot of the backstory about the murder here; that the version of the story for this film can be found in "And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks," the 1945 novel by Kerouac and Burroughs.)

Sibley told us that crew members will arrive today to transform the interior to look like the 1940s, which, given the bar's timeless look, likely won't take too much.

In the drama, Daniel Radcliffe plays a collegiate-age Ginsberg just as he's meeting Kerouac (Jack Huston) and Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). Elizabeth Olsen is Kerouac's first wife, Edie Parker, and Ben Foster portrays William Burroughs. Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Cross and Kyra Sedgwick round out the cast.

[Lucien and Allen in the movies. Via]

As for the rest of the renovations, Sibley says they are coming along slowly. There's major work ahead, including with the sewer line.

There goes the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Workers are cleaning out the space at 75 St. Mark's Place this afternoon, as this photo by EV Grieve reader David shows...

The bar closed back on Jan. 29. Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, and Barbara Sibley, the owner of La Palapa next door, are teaming up to open a tavern-restaurant that serves staples such as fish-n-chips.

Sibley told Grub Street that they were "going to try to preserve as much of the history as possible."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

Avast! The Holiday Cocktail Lounge is becoming a restaurant that serves fish-n-chips

So you know that Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, which makes Pirate's Booty, bought the building that housed the now-former Holiday Cocktail Lounge.

Last night, he went before the CB3/SLA committee and revealed his plans. (He never responded to our requests for an interview.) According to a report by Claire Nugent at Eater, the committee approved his plans to open "a new restaurant/tavern offering local, regional cuisine."

He is teaming with Barbara Sibley, the owner of La Palapa next door. Per Eater:

They said they hope their restaurant will echo the restaurants that have disappeared, with a menu offering those foods New Yorkers "miss" like Shepard’s Pie and fish 'n’ chips.

Ehrlich reportedly didn't win the rights to keep the Holiday name.

Updated 11:50 a.m.

Grub Street has more. Sibley, who will manage the space, said, "We're going to try to preserve as much of the history as possible."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

Reminders tonight: CB3/SLA committee meeting; plus, several scratches

Just a reminder that the CB3/SLA licensing committee meets tonight at 6:30 — JASA/Green Residence, 200 East 5th Street at Bowery. (We looked at the items on the agenda here.)

Here's an updated look at the February docket. As you can see there are a few scratches for whatever reasons... most notably, Nublu and Nevada Smith's...

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge