What's going behind 43 St. Mark's Place?

EVG reader Danny writes in...

Something strange is going on in the backyard of 43 St Mark's Place. The concrete patio has been been removed, and dozens of orange five-gallon buckets full of dirt are stacked in its place.

Does anyone know what's going on here? Is it a police investigation of a decades-old crime scene? Have archaeologists found the location of Peter Stuyvesant's outhouse? Or maybe the owners just decided that they have more dirt back there than they need, and they're getting rid of some. There's probably no room for a wheelbarrow to maneuver through the building, so buckets are the only way out.

Ramen Zundo-ya softly opens tonight on East 10th Street

Over at 84 E. 10th St., the sign is up noting that Ramen Zundo-ya is having its soft opening tonight here between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

This is the first U.S. restaurant for Tatsuya Hashimoto, who launched Ramen Zundo-ya in 2002… there are now 15 locations throughout Japan.

You can read more about the restaurant chain here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ramen Zundo-ya opening first U.S. outpost on East 10th Street

[Updated] Air pollution today?

EVG reader George Cohen says that early this morning, from after midnight to the time he went to bed, "a severe air pollution smell came through my windows" in his East Village apartment.

"I was in Beijing in 2013, and the air smelled like this. At about 10 am I went out, and Avenue D, down past Houston Street was in a THICK STINKY SMOG."

He took the above photo late this afternoon, "and I still could smell polluted air."

Cohen said that he checked the air pollution stats online, which received a "good" rating on one site and "moderate" on another...

"I beg to differ. This is f----d up. This could be an example of faulty air monitoring, or it's a coverup. Not likely, but I certainly did not imagine the smell and the visuals. I wonder what's up?"

Updated 12/7 11 a.m.

Via the Weather Channel... in ALL CAPS:

... AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT...
THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION HAS ISSUED AN AIR QUALITY HEALTH ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
RICHMOND... KINGS... QUEENS... NEW YORK... BRONX... WESTCHESTER... ROCKLAND.

AIR QUALITY LEVELS IN OUTDOOR AIR ARE PREDICTED TO BE GREATER THAN AN AIR QUALITY INDEX VALUE OF 100 FOR FINE PARTICLES. THE AIR QUALITY INDEX... OR AQI... WAS CREATED AS AN EASY WAY TO CORRELATE LEVELS OF DIFFERENT POLLUTANTS TO ONE SCALE. THE HIGHER THE AQI VALUE, THE GREATER THE HEALTH CONCERN.

WHEN POLLUTION LEVELS ARE ELEVATED... THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RECOMMENDS THAT INDIVIDUALS CONSIDER LIMITING STRENUOUS OUTDOOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS. PEOPLE WHO MAY BE ESPECIALLY SENSITIVE TO THE EFFECTS OF ELEVATED LEVELS OF POLLUTANTS INCLUDE THE VERY YOUNG, AND THOSE WITH PRE-EXISTING RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS SUCH AS ASTHMA OR HEART DISEASE. THOSE WITH SYMPTOMS SHOULD CONSIDER CONSULTING THEIR PERSONAL PHYSICIAN.

A TOLL FREE AIR QUALITY HOTLINE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED SO NEW YORK RESIDENTS CAN STAY INFORMED ON THE AIR QUALITY SITUATION. THE TOLL FREE NUMBER IS: 1 800 5 3 5, 1 3 4 5.

Openings: Hou Yi Hot Pot, Kingsley

Hou Yi Hot Pot is now open at 97 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street...



This is the second location for Hou Yi Hot Pot, which also has a spot on Hester Street in the northern fringes of Chinatown. Serious Eats called Hou Yi "comfortable and friendly" and "This is your Manhattan Chinatown go-to for hot pot."

And at 190 Avenue B between near East 12th Street, Kingsley, a seasonal French-American restaurant, opened this past Wednesday...



Here's the Times with some thoughts on the restaurant:

Three spaces — a dining room with a long bar, a loungelike area and a back room, all softly done in neutral tones — serve the same menu that the chef Roxanne Spruance delivers from her semi-open kitchen. She worked at Blue Hill, WD-50 and Alison Eighteen. Gallic touches show through in roasted bone marrow with shallots and tarragon, monkfish with melted leeks and a chicken thigh napoleon.

Kingsley's website is here and the menus are here.

The previous restaurant at No. 190, the 7-year-old Back Forty, closed for good after service last Dec. 21.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Modern American in the works for former Back Forty space on Avenue B

A look at Kingsley, opening this fall on Avenue B

Let there be new lights on Cooper Square

Oh, just noting the recent arrival of new lamp posts for Cooper Square...



...as part of the ongoing reconstruction of Astor Place.

Anyway, the lamps look pretty nice, and will capably help illuminate the way to the new CVS on Astor Place.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Alamo has been away from Astor Place for 1 year now

Today in stretch limo parking on East 6th Street

Practice makes... via an EVG reader this afternoon...

The ghost in you

Today in Tompkins Square Park by Bobby Williams...

Openings: Autre Kyo Ya, Tac N Roll

Autre Kyo Ya, the sister restaurant of Kyo Ya, the Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant at 94 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, is now in soft-open mode at 10 Stuyvesant St.



As Eater points out: "Autre Kyo Ya is slightly different, with more affordable price points and more inspiration from western cooking." (Eater has a copy of the menu for the restaurant just off of East Ninth Street and Third Avenue.)

GM Erina Yoshida and her father Tony also own Sunrise Mart and the cocktail bar Angel's Share. Autre Kyo Ya last housed the tapas bar The Barrel.

Meanwhile, Tac N Roll, a quick-serve Mexican restaurant at 124 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, is also in soft-open operations.



Here's a look at their menu via their still under-construction website...



And for now, the second taco is free...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Autre Kyo Ya coming soon to the former Barrel space on Stuyvesant Street

For those about to Cookie Walk

In case you didn't see the signage up at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A at East 10th Street ... the 7th annual Cookie Walk is happening here next weekend...



Dec. 12 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Dec. 13 from noon to 3 p.m.

Head over to the official site for more details. But basically:

This is not your average church bake sale!
Let us transport you back in time.
As you enter the Cookie Walk, you will be greeted with the smell of baking cookies made from only the best ingredients. We have been baking non-stop for days so that tens of thousands of fresh baked cookies await you. There is nothing hi-tech here - just holiday goodness and old-fashioned fun.

Take a walk through our Cookie Wonderland and fill a box with your favorites from over fifty varieties of homemade confections. There are two sizes of boxes: $15 & $25 plus special Gluten Free options at our yummy Hot Chocolate Bar! And, the hot chocolate - no mix here - a secret recipe that is hand-stirred for a half hour and topped with marshmallows, whipped cream or both!

After the last cookie is packed, be sure to visit Tinseltown a holiday gift market for everyone on your list.

Perfect for young families! At our Little Elves Bakery & Workshop, children 10 and under can create their own sweet masterpiece to take home – no charge except to have FUN! Santa will also visit through the day for pictures at our awesome Photo Booth.

Let's hope that the wrong Santa doesn't show up on the 12th...

Developing/breaking: Lights going up on the Tompkins Square Park holiday tree

After waiting 75 minutes in line for lights at the Rite Aid on First Avenue, Crews were out this morning to start the annual tree decorating (aka putting up the lights in an often haphazard fashion)...


[Photo by John Greally]

Meantime, we haven't heard anything yet about the official tree lightning ceremony (this year will mark the 24th annual). Last year's event was on Sunday, Dec. 14. So maybe Dec. 13 this year? We'll find out!

Updated 10:43

Via Steven...





And later... via Bobby Williams...



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From the archives ...


[Photo by Bobby Williams]