The totem of Broadway

EVG reader Doug pointed out that workers recently removed the construction netting from the all-new 809 Broadway between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The building — 10 floors stacked on top of the previous five-story structure — will house 10 luxury condos, including a triplex penthouse on the top floors.

ODA-Architecture describes the project like this:

Situated on a diagonal segment off Broadway, Lot 809 stands like a totem indicating the visual entrance to Union Square. The neighborhood’s characteristic street scape is extended to the building’s façade by stacking and shifting the floor plates, thereby creating enlarged spaces, and protected outdoor terraces.

This address was once the longtime home — until 2013 — to Blatt Billiards, a pool table manufacturer that had owned and occupied the building since 1972.

Blatt principals Ronald Blatt and Bruce Roeder reportedly sold the building to 809 Broadway Holding LLC, a partnership of three private investors led by its principal Ariel Rom.

Previously on EV Grieve:
'Concrete blowout' at Broadway condo project damages neighboring building

Monday's parting shot

A scene today on Avenue A today featuring Giblet ... photo by Derek Berg...

On National Dog Day, here's a new City Kitty mural

Here's a look at the just-completed mural outside Avalon Chemists and the Second Avenue F stop by City Kitty... featuring the 99-cent pizza slice...

Noted

Perhaps you saw this traveling billboard today... Vinny & O spotted it at First Avenue and 14th Street ... and caught up to it on 23rd Street...



Staten Island artist Scott LoBaido drove his Trump 2020 billboard around the city today.

And the reaction? Per SILive:

“It’s been a hell of a ride so far actually … no violence,” LoBaido said. “One person threw a plate of food on [Trump], but I have a power washer and a mop just in case people throw eggs or whatever.”

LoBaido said he received the worst feedback from folks on the Lower East Side and students from New York University.

“I’m just expressing myself, art is to provoke emotion and I know how to do that,” he said.

The McDonald's on 1st Avenue is back in McAction

The McDonald's on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street reopened today as promised after a nearly month-long renovation.

Among the upgrades: There are now four self-service ordering kiosks where you can use a credit/debit/gift card or some mobile payment system. You can order here then use cash and coupons at the register. (You can also bypass the kiosks and order from a cashier.) In case you're having problems figuring out the ordering system, there were two McDonald's employees roaming the kiosk area.

You can customize your order at the kiosk, adding, say, butter, cheese or sausage to your Sausage Egg McMuffin, not that we're recommending this.

Aside from those uncomfortable-looking stools we noted the other day, there are a variety of booths and chairs for your dining-in experience in the renovated dining area ...

Book Club makes it official on 3rd Street

The coming soon signage is now up at Book Club, the independent bookstore featuring a cafe that's in the works for 197 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

As I first reported on July 15, two East Village residents are behind this project. Erin Neary, who's operating the space with her fiance, Nat Esten, told me previously that the book portion of the storefront will carry a broad selection of adult fiction, non-fiction and a children's section ... they'll also offer a variety of greeting cards and gifts. As for the cafe section, they'll be serving MUD coffee, among other items.

"As East Village residents for the last decade, we're committed to having Book Club be a celebration of the spirit and diversity of the neighborhood," Neary said.

The shop has a website with a sign up for a mailing list ... as well as an Instagram account, where you can find the top photo.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Book Club — an independent bookstore with cafe — coming to 3rd Street

The Marshal has seized Savor Por Favor on 2nd Avenue

Another restaurant has not been able to make 157 Second Ave. work.

This past Thursday, the Marshal seized Savor Por Favor, putting the retail space here between Ninth Street and 10th Street back into the legal possession of the landlord. (Thanks to blog friend Nick Solares for the photos and tip!)



The Mexican restaurant-bar opened last October. If this closure turns out to be permanent, then they didn't last quite as long as the previous tenant, Yuan, which shut down in July 2018 after a year in business.

As noted in previous posts on No. 157, this has been a challenging space to make work for any length of time. Before Yuan, Biang! — the sit-down Chinese restaurant via Xi'an Famous Foods owner Jason Wang — closed in March 2017 after 15 months in business. The previous tenant, Wylie Dufresne's bistro Alder, called it quits after two-and-a-half years at the end of August 2015. Other recent restaurants here (before 2013) included Plum and Cafe Brama.

Also as noted before, if Wang and Dufresne, given their other successes, couldn't make the space work ... not sure who can.

Check in: Moxy East Village closer to opening

In developments happening in and around the Moxy East Village on 11th Street... for starters, the sidewalk is now open in the front of the 13-story hotel from the Marriott portfolio here between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

The Tao Group, which is running the food-drink establishments for the Moxy, is hiring... with a open call today (Monday, Aug. 26) ...



Plans include a lobby bar and café, a 2,600-square-foot rooftop bar and a French-Mediterranean restaurant from chef Jason Hall.

And here's a look at the 286-room hotel lighting up the EV night...





Reservations are now being accepted for dates this fall — we spotted the first one available starting on Sept. 19.

The foundation work got underway here in August 2017. Workers demolished the five residential buildings that stood here in the fall of 2016.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the rally outside 112-120 E. 11th St.

6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million

Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district

Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel

New building permits filed for 13-story Moxy Hotel on East 11th Street across from Webster Hall


[112-120 E. 11th St. photo from May 2016]

Broadway Apothecary coming to the old Milk and Hops spot on Broadway

Signage is up at 779 Broadway for Broadway Apothecary. (Thanks to EVG reader Cecily Millen for the photo and tip!)

Not sure at the moment exactly what Broadway Apothecary will be — a pharmacy in the more traditional sense or maybe like Rose Apothecary, the general store that David and Patrick run on "Schitt$ Creek."

A Milk & Hops outpost closed here last November after three years in business on this bank-branch-drab stretch of Broadway between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Boticarios has apparently closed on 1st Street

The landlord has draped a for rent sign across the front of 58 E. First St., presumably marking the end of Boticarios.

There isn't any mention of a closure on the Mexican restaurant's social media properties (last Instagram post is from Aug. 15) ... their website is offline and the phone goes to a full voicemail box.

The Mexican restaurant, which opened in January 2018, was closed by the Department of Health on June 20.

According to DOH public records, the restaurant received 106 violation points, including for:

1. Potable water supply inadequate. Water or ice not potable or from unapproved source. Cross connection in potable water supply system observed.
2. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
3. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
4. Insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures.

The DOH still lists them as closed as of Friday, and there isn't any other notice of a follow-up inspection in these public records...



Despite the violations, the restaurant was observed to be open after the inspection (with Instagram posts promoting their various specials).

This address has seen several quality restaurants come and go in recent years. Esperanto Fonda lasted nine months here, closing in May 2017. Before that, this was home to BARA for two years and Prima for three years. The Elephant, a Thai restaurant, was previously here for 17 years.