Construction watch: 100 Avenue A

[Bobby Williams]

Prep work for the demolition of 100 Avenue A is getting serious... the scaffolding has arrived... and workers put up the plywood along Avenue A...

The city OK'd a demolition permit in June for 98-100 Avenue A, which housed East Village Farms until Feb. 7, 2012.

Developer Ben Shaoul purchased the former theater turned market in May for $15.5 million, according to public records.

We don't know specifically what will be here... Shaoul's reps filed the plans in the hub self-service... and they will not be made public until the city approves them.

But a rendering on the plywood shows a building looking like this:



...six floors of residences above the retail component here between East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street.



A retail listing that we posted in May stated that the building will contain 40 residential units.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A

East Village Farms is closing; renovations coming to 100 Avenue A

Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A

Reader reports: Village Farms closing Jan. 31; building will be demolished

Asbestos abatement continues at 98 Avenue A, Ben Shaoul's latest East Village trophy

Otto's Tacos (soft) opens today

Otto's Tacos has its soft opening today at 141 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and East Ninth Street.

Per the Otto's website:

Otto's Tacos is an LA inspired grab and go taqueria focusing on freshly prepared tacos. We make all of our tortillas, salsas and marinades from scratch every day.

(Otto Cedeno told us more about his first restaurant back on Aug. 21.)

You can find Otto's menu here.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Otto's Tacos, opening this fall on Second Avenue

[Photos via Facebook/Otto's Tacos]

Identity has closed on East 6h Street

Identity Bar and Lounge closed after service last Thursday night. The bar on East Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B had a bit of a strip-mall vibe until former bartenders from Bar 82 took over the space for the owner back in the spring.

However, despite helping create a better neighbor ambiance, we understand that the owner was still in arrears ... and could not pull himself out of the financial hole that he was in before the Bar 82 folks came aboard. No word on what's next here.

Former AAA Amici Pizza space for lease on 3rd Avenue; no coffee, Chinese food, sushi or burgers

AAA Amici Pizza on Third Avenue at East 12th Street closed last July. At the time, EVG regular Muzz talked to the owner, who said that the pizzeria was rent-hiked out of there.

The Newmark Grubb Knight Frank listing has the asking rent at $21,000 per month for the 1,600 square feet of space.

Description
Vented Corner for Lease. HOT NYU / UNION SQUARE AREA.

NO COFFEE. NO CHINESE FOOD. NO SUSHI. NO BURGERS.

And dreams of a coffee-Chinese food-Burger-sushi bar are squashed.

A Slice of Naples now open on the Bowery

The space at Forcella on the Bowery between Bond and Great Jones has been cut in half... proprietor Giulio Adriani is now offering up slices at the appropriately named A Slice of Naples next door ...



Time Out previewed A Slice of Naples:

The rolled-thin specialty is built atop rectangular, meter-long crust and slow-cooked in an imported electric oven. The Naples native turns out five varieties, including the Stracchino-cheese-and-prosciutto Ripiena and a Caprese topped with hand-pulled mozzarella, tomatoes and pesto, plus a rotating pie of the day.

Find their menu here.

The former Sushi Lounge is for rent

As we first reported this past Friday, Sushi Lounge has closed on the corner of St. Mark's Place and Avenue A... a "for rent" sign quickly went up...



We didn't call Mr. Josh at Gibraltar Management Co. to inquirer about the asking rent... a Sushi Lounge manager told a reader that their rent was $27,000 ... So, any thoughts on what will take this space with rents at that level?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Sushi Lounge has closed (17 comments)

The T.G.I. Friday's space is for lease on Union Square

[Currently]


[The possibilities]

Sad news to report for fans of T.G.I. Friday's Sesame Jack™ Chicken Strips, Jack Daniel's® Chicken & Shrimp, and Bacon Mac & Cheese Bites ... the national chain's Union Square location is for lease... the space has been on the market for several months, apparently... the rent is currently "negotiable."

Per the listing:

Retail/Restaurant space available at 34 Union Square East. Located on the Southeast corner of 16th Street. Frontage is 140 ft wraparound. Ground and second floors can be leased seperately. Can create ground floor entrance on 16th Street and combine with the second floor. Currently TGI Friday's.

Located on the southeast corner of 16th Street in Union Square. Neighbors include, Union Square Greenmarket, Nordstrom Rack, Whole Foods, W Hotel, Barnes & Noble, Diesel, Sephora, Babies R Us

The restaurant remains open for now. And this is just the latest T.G.I. Friday's to likely close in the city. The location on Eighth Avenue — one of like 23 TGIFs in Midtown — is expected to close early next year.

The Standard East Village unveils its new sidewalk cafe

[Friday]

The plywood came down Friday to unveil the Standard East Village's new sidewalk cafe concept on Cooper Square...


[Saturday]

... and a more final look from yesterday...





...complete with Christmas trees...



The Cafe at The Standard Café Standard is expected to open today, according to Eater, who has more Standard-related restaurant news here.

We first reported on the changes here back in April 2012.

Updated 9:48 a.m.

EVG reader Robert Miner notes the pace this morning... ready for action...



The Café Standard is open 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday-Wednesday and until 4 a.m. Thursday-Saturday.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Big changes in the works for the Standard East Village lobby, outdoor space; Café on the Bowery anyone?

Dusk, 1 hour earlier

Tompkins Square Park this evening via Bobby Williams...

At the Boycott 7-Eleven Rally today

Twenty-plus people came out today to hand out flyers in support of the Boycott 7-Eleven Rally ... the group handed out more than 200 flyers on Avenue A and East 11th Street ... find more photos at the No 7-Eleven blog here... You may also sign the petition here for amendments to zoning laws to prevent a chain store infiltration of the East Village.



Photos by Shawn Chittle

Week in Grieview

[This week's lost and found]

What's coming to the former Mary Help of Christians lot (Wednesday)

Out and About with 85-year-old Jerry (Wednesday)

Longtime counterman at Stromboli Pizza killed in cycling accident (Friday)

Did Mel Gibson save St. Brigid's? (Monday)

Westside Market opening on Third Avenue (Monday)

Scenes of fall in the East Village (Tuesday)

Enjoy this video of the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black from Halloween (Friday)

Kids on costumes on Avenue B (Thursday)

Sushi Lounge closes (Friday)

The Beagle has closed on Avenue A (Thursday)

New building for East 13th Street (Monday)

Biscuit Empire opens (Wednesday, 64 comments) and runs out of stuff (Friday)

Lets go vaping on St. Mark's! (Thursday)

Wigstock lives for a day (Wednesday)

Schnitz planned for former Something Sweet space (Wednesday)

Good news for fans of the Odessa Cafe and Bar (Wednesday)

Village Joker now Augers Well on St. Mark's (Thursday)

East 5th Street Tree Committee as badass as ever (Monday)

Burglar falls 5 floors making a getaway (Sunday)

Batmobile! (Wednesday)

New 7-Eleven christened in the East Village

[Via @jimnobu]

Over at the new 7-Eleven that opened Friday on Avenue A and East 11th Street.

As EVG reader Cartknocker said, "Not sure what it means, but we can imagine."



...and via VH McKenzie...



Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] The 7-Eleven signage is up, and someone has already spit on the front window (42 comments)

And how was your Saturday morning?

An East Village couple awoke yesterday morning to reportedly find a drunken man peeing in their bathroom sink.

To the New York Post!

It turned out the man was staying in another apartment in the building at First Avenue and East 13th Street. He was too inebriated to find the right apartment when he got home.

The couple whose apartment the man invaded called 911. But after cops showed up, they thought better of pressing charges.

The Post referred to the sink pee-er as "the drunken hipster."

[Bathroom sink file photo; not involved in actual incident]

There is a boycott 7-Eleven rally today

Via the EVG inbox...

Now that 7-Eleven has opened their East Village location, the community will be out in full force protesting 7-Eleven’s presence!

BOYCOTT 7-ELEVEN RALLY
THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1-2PM
CORNER OF 11TH STREET / AVENUE A
Why Boycott NYC 7-Elevens? The No 7-Eleven blog lays out the reasons here.

Image via the No 7-Eleven blog

[Updated] Billy Leroy's Banksy

Just about two weeks since Banksy dropped his Grim Reaper Bumper Car on the former Billy's Antiques on East Houston ... Billy Leroy reports the following discovery earlier today at The ANNEX flea market on West 25th Street...

"The guy I bought it from found it late Friday night on East 4th Street and 2nd Avenue on the sidewalk. He is a professional dumpster diver and every week he puts out all his finds at the flea market ... needless to say he sold it to me for a very low price...it's just such a coincidence that after all the bad mouthing I did on Banksy last week and here I am tooling around the flea market and, voilà, a Banksy appears ... Crazy."

Updated 11/3

Here's video testimony from the man who sold Billy the painting...

Sunrise and sunset today

Looking downtown from the East Village via Bobby Williams...

We can't top taking photos of East 10th Street

Take a Walken on the wild side

Just noting the recent arrival of "Christopher Walken Rex," the 16-foot creation in First Park... it's the work of some local teens. They have a blog, which you can find here. BoweryBoogie wrote about this back on Tuesday and has more details on how this all came to be.

The sculpture will be making the rounds in local parks around the city... so catch it here while you can...

[Sorry about that headline too. Been listening to a lot of Lou Reed this past week]

These adorable cats and kittens need homes

[Benny]

The folks at Social Tees Animal Rescue on East Fifth Street shared some news of new arrivals...

We rescued 10 kittens and cats from the euthanasia list (at Animal Care & Control) a few nights ago, and half of them arrived Thursday night! More are set to arrive. THESE KITTIES NEED HOMES!!! We are also pretty desperate for foster homes for cats and kittens. Fostering lasts a week or two, and for every animal we place in a foster home we can take another out of the kill shelter.

325 East 5th Street
5-7 pm weekdays; 12-4 pm weekends

And Social Tees is doing an adoption event today with cats/kittens at the Petco in Union Square from noon to 4 p.m.

Among the new arrivals...


[Harmony]


[Julie, Jazmine and Jackie]

8 a.m. or so, Avenue A, Nov. 2