Noted

Multiple media outlets (like ABC 7 and the Post) are reporting on a jacket or bag fire that happened on a northbound F train as it pulled into Second Avenue early Saturday morning.

This social media user captured the fire...

Ahh, New York ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/d6kG7A7AIf

— Stephen (@Stibbanski) January 21, 2018

The incident snarled subway traffic for an hour, as the F trains were rerouted first to the A line, then over to the E line. Service resumed within an hour.

Per ABC 7: "Authorities have not confirmed how the fire started or who caused it."

Cinnamon Garden, a new Indian restaurant coming soon to 6th Street

Signage is up for a Indian restaurant called Cinnamon Garden on Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... promising "authentic Indian cuisine."

The restaurant has a website (here!) with a menu — and prices. There isn't much info on the site about who will be operating Cinnamon Garden, other than this line: "From an outstanding chef with amazing taste."

This will be the fifth restaurant to serve Indian food on this block, joining Apna Masala, Raj Mahal, Malai Marke and Taj.

For further reading ... this piece from 2016 by Robert Sietsema at Eater has some history on the Indian-Bangladeshi restaurants that have populated this block and adjacent Avenues through the years.

Chelsea Thai closes ahead of move to former Neptune space on 1st Avenue

As noted back in the fall, Chelsea Thai, which has operated a stall in the Chelsea Market for 19 years, signed a 10-year-lease at 192-194 First Ave.

Turns out that Chelsea Thai isn't opening a second location, rather closing their space on Ninth Avenue ahead of a move to the East Village. EVG regular Bayou shared the top photo, noting that the quick-serve Thai restaurant's last day was Friday.

Meanwhile, on First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street, renovations continue at the former Nepture diner space...



Chelsea Thai (not sure if they are keeping that name with the move east) is only taking half of the Neptune storefront. The other half is on the market for $7,500, per Eastern Consolidated.

No word on an opening date.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Chelsea Thai coming to former Neptune space on 1st Avenue; Filipino fare for Avenue A

Ciala has apparently closed

Several EVG readers have noted that Ciala at 77 Second Ave. has been dark in recent weeks.

Google says that the restaurant between Fourth Street and Fifth Street is permanently closed. Their social media hasn’t posted since December and their phone just rings without an answer.

The restaurant serving Georgian cuisine opened last July. Two months later, they closed, with a sign noting that they would reopen with an "all new and exciting menu." They made a pivot to French cuisine — specifically crepes. (The Ciala Facebook page said that they are "a new bistro and wine bar serving Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian fare.")

Here's what one EVG commenter had to say in September:

It's been sad to walk by and see this empty restaurant. With the doors wide open, there was always a view of the long faces of the staff waiting for customers to cross their threshold.

Unfortunately, their menu was mostly heavy meat dishes, unappealing in the heat of summer. I would certainly have considered that menu on a cold winter night, but not in June, July and August (and this hot September).

I hope their new menu is more appropriate to the season and wish them great success. This stretch of 2nd Ave is becoming desolate with so many empty storefronts.

In denying their liquor license last March, CB3 wrote (per the meeting minutes): "the applicant has no experience operating a licensed premises and has no experience working in a similar type of business."

1st sign of Target on 14th Street

An EVG reader said yesterday that a sign for the incoming Target had arrived on the southwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue A.

I guess I was expecting something like this...



But it's more like this for now... just a sign for workers...



Right there...



In any event, as noted before, the Target small-format store will cover two levels here. Per the Target newsroom:

Merchandise includes men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, home, food (with grab-and-go selection spanning sandwiches, salads, beverages and more), health and beauty and electronics assortment.
Services offered: Target Mobile and Order Pickup.

The East Village Target has an expected July opening date.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Last day for Unleashed by Petco on 2nd Avenue

The Unleashed by Petco on Second Avenue between First Street and Second Street is looking pretty cleaned out ...

A worker said earlier this month that the last day is Jan. 23 (aka today).



There's no word why Petco decided to shutter this location, which opened in August 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Unleashed by Petco is unloading its pet supplies as store is closing on 2nd Avenue

Discarded theater seats and goodbyes at the Sunshine Cinema

There was a lone dumpster outside the just-closed Sunshine Cinema late this afternoon... workers have started discarding some theater seats...



A little later, EVG reader Karen spotted a now-former Sunshine employer putting up "There Goes the Neighborhood" on the marquee...



The message was later changed to Closed...



Workers will demolish the building here on East Houston near Forsyth to make way for a 9-floor office building.

Post updated at 7:30 p.m.

Today in discarded cat paintings

Derek Berg spotted this on Seventh Street earlier today... not sure what the cat is doing... Deejaying? (scratching records?) Cooking?

Remembering Adela Fargas

[Photo by @polimorfos]

On Friday, friends and family paid their respects to Adela Fargas, owner of the Avenue C institution Casa Adela, who died last week at the age of 81.

There was a well-attended viewing Friday from 4-9 p.m. at the Ortiz Funeral Home on First Avenue.

The entire LES & PR/Latino community came out tonight to pay our final respects to one of the LES matriarchs: #AdelaFargas from #CasaAdela — having a meal at Casa Adela meant that your soul, heart and belly would be filled with love as well as authentic PR cooking. QueDescansePaz pic.twitter.com/rk3hxhzGnQ

— Rosie Mendez (@RosieMendez) January 20, 2018

The Puerto Rican restaurant, which opened in 1976 here between Fourth Street and Fifth Street, will be closed until Thursday.



Previously on EV Grieve:
RIP Adela Fargas

On East Houston, El Maguey y La Tuna will have to close after the landlord doubles the rent

[Image via Facebook]

On Friday, friends of El Maguey y La Tuna shared the news that the 15-year-old Mexican restaurant on East Houston between Attorney and Ridge will have to shut down at the end of March.

Here's part of a Facebook post from the Street Vendor Project:

We're sad to announce that El Maguey y La Tuna, a classic mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant on East Houston street, will be closing at the end of March due to ... yep, the landlord doubling the rent.

Maria Cortez and her family are considering opening a food cart to keep serving the community, and we'll be helping her as we see if anything can be done to save this EV/LES staple. Can you help?

Despite what New York City Hospitality Alliance would have you think, vendors do not drive restaurants out of business — greedy landlords (aided by city policies that encourage gentrification and allow landlords to raise rents with impunity) do! Vendors ARE mom-and-pops, and we stand with all other independent small business owners in NYC.

Cortez told the Lo-Down that the unnamed landlord is increasing the monthly rent from $7,000 to an unmanageable $14,000.

Per the Lo-Down:

Cortez told us it was difficult enough to sustain the small business before the increase. In addition to the higher rent, the property owner wants El Maguey to pay half of his property taxes.

Public records list Habibollah Ghatan of Roslyn, N.Y., as the building's owner.


[Image via Streeteasy]

The restaurant started in Williamsburg, but relocated here after a fire in 2002. According to a feature in The Villager from 2008, "Cortez, who was born and raised on the Lower East Side, said the family decided to reopen there in order to give back food and culture to the Lower East Side."