Renovations start at future home of Mee Noodle Shop on First Avenue

As you may know, Mee Noodle Shop is returning to the East Village after a seven-year absence ... just a few storefronts away from its former home on First Avenue at East 13th Street.

Anyway, EVG regular dwg notes that renovations have finally started on the space, previously occupied until March by Birdbath Neighborhood Green Bakery.

In June, Mee's Joyce Chi told The Villager that the restaurant will be reopening in about five months. So if you want to do the math...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Starbucks confirmed for 219 First Ave., former home to Allen Ginsberg's favorite Chinese restaurant

Mee Noodle Shop returning to First Avenue (28 comments)

The Art and Music of Peter Missing on Avenue A

An exhibit featuring Peter Missing's work starts tonight at the Art on A Gallery at 24 Avenue A near East Second Street... up through Sept. 26.

There's a post opening-reception event at 2A at 9, with projections of The Missing Foundation on the wall across the street... The Facebook Event page is here.

Lantern Thai Kitchen closes on Avenue A; Bangkok-based Somtum Der coming soon

Lantern Thai Kitchen has closed at 85 Avenue A... and a sign for its replacement is up (you could actually read it if this photo wasn't blurry). The Bangkok-based Somtum Der will be opening here soon...



The eatery is the first in the United States for Thanaruek Laoraowirodge, who is growing a mini-empire of restaurants in Bangkok.

Here's a quote from him in BK (Bangkok) magazine:

"People in New York already have a good perception of Thai food. They are not just familiar with tom yam, but regional dishes too."

Here's a 3-star (out of 5) review of Somtum Der via BK:

Together with Chef Kornthanut Thongnum, Khon Kaen-native Thanaruek Laoraowirodge has brought his Isaan roots to the capital in the shape of this somtam-focused restaurant whose objective is to steer our taste buds back towards Northern Isaan, and away from the sweeter flavors that Bangkokians so cherish.

And!

Of the score of somtam varieties available, standouts include the tam sua Sakon Nakhon (B65), which comes with freshwater crab and kratin beans, and the tam pla tu khao man (B85), which comes with mackerel and is served with a comforting side of rice cooked in coconut milk. In very different ways, they’re both exemplary of what Thai food does best: balancing a range of flavors and textures. Of course, there’s also a long list of usual suspects, from laabs to tom saep, all equally well executed. We’re less impressed with the deep-fried or grilled meats.

Lantern Thai Kitchen opened in January 2012, replacing Cafetasia, which sported the 100-ounce beer tube.

The Lantern remains open on Second Avenue at 18th Street.

Avenue A 7-Eleven expected to be completed by yesterday

The gut renovation of the space that previously housed Bar on A and Angels & Kings has entered the 11th month... workers are fitting the address here on Avenue A and East 11th Street for a 7-Eleven, of course...

A quick check yesterday shows that the work is expected to be completed by July 31, 2013, aka yesterday.



At this rate, the crew will have the place ready by July 31, 2014.

However, this photo that Bobby Williams took on Tuesday shows some slight progress...



The 7-Eleven franchise website still shows that the store will be ready for Go-Go Taquitos® action in October. This location is still without an owner.

Previously.

Of rats and parties

You may have seen Gawker's "Vermin-Party Index" from yesterday afternoon... in which they examined more than 260,000 311 complaints classified as "vermin" or "loud party/music" from January 2010 to July 2013.

How did this area fare? Pretty good! (Well, good as in bad.)

No surprises here...

Top Party Complaint Neighborhoods:
Interior Williamsburg (11211): 3,544 complaints
East Village (10009): 3,106
Lower East Side (10002): 2,985

Overall though, when you combine the number of vermin and party complaints, we just cracked the top 20 in the five boroughs. The 10009 zip was 20th with 3,761 total complaints about rats and parties... and 10003 was 29th with 3,120 complaints.

Tops? The 11226 zip (Flatbush) with 7,574 complaints, of which 5,847 were rat related.

Head over to Gawker for all the charts and what not.

H/T RyanAvenueA

EV Grieve Eatery Etc.: A theater sign for Archie & Sons; Everyman Espresso returns

And here's the sign for Archie & Sons... a 1950s-style luncheonette opening very soon at 23 Third Ave. The original Archie's operated on Long Island for nearly two decades...

-----



And a new sign for the incoming Han Dynasty on Third Avenue near East 12th Street...

-----


[Photo via Facebook by John C. Hume]

Everyman Espresson on East 13th Street closed for a "face lift" back in late June... it reopened yesterday ... in the lobby of the Classic Stage Company.

The sun also rises at 3 a.m.

Andrew Adam Newman on Ave C points us to tonight's forecast at The Weather Channel... where something extraordinary will happen ... as he noted on Facebook, "If you're still up at 3 a.m. ... be sure to look up at the sun poking through the clouds."

Noted

East Houston and Elizabeth.

What the hell was that?

We waited to post these photos until we spoke with NASA, NORAD, the U.S. Military and the World Weekly News.

Bobby Williams took these photos from his East Village apartment last night. Here is his description via email: "This flew by about 9:38 pm. Heading north then turning east."

Aside from anything related to the Hoboken Hoof or Amanda Bynes (just getting those guesses out of the way!), any ideas what this is/was?

AAA Amici Pizza has closed

AAA Amici Pizza on Third Avenue at East 12th Street has closed... there was apparently an auction on site yesterday. EVG regular Muzz talked to the owner, who said that the pizzeria was rent-hiked out of there. And they will not be looking to open anywhere else.

A rent hike isn't much of a shocker given the towering new retail-residential building going up at 84 Third Ave. across the street... and the incoming high-end Han Dynasty opening right next door...

"It's too bad, because it was another place where you could get a good meal — especially for takeout — for under $10," said Muzz. "The old way of doing business in the EV is just being hammered out, block by block."