Thai Direct is under renovation on Avenue A

[Photo from Saturday]

As you may have noticed, the windows at Thai Direct on Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street are now covered with paper...


[Photo by Steven]

The paper is also covering the closed-for-renovations sign that appeared last week. In an Instagram message, management confirmed the renovations, with a reopening date set for Feb. 14.

The quick-serve establishment, which bills itself as offering a healthy take on Thai street food, also has a beer-wine license in the works. CB3 gave approval back in December.

Thai Direct opened here in September 2018.

The Whale Tea beaches itself on 14th Street

The Whale Tea has set up shop at 209 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... we're told it's part of an international chain establishing its first NYC outpost.

They took over the space from another international bubble tea chain — Gong Cha.

It's a crowded bubble tea market on this stretch — PaTea and ViVi are less than a half block away.

Thanks to Shiv for the photo!

Tuesday's parting shot

Spotted today on Second Avenue... presumably an employee of Berkoff Supply, who may not have known that someone switched the B in Berkoff to a J on the back of his jacket...



Photo by Derek Berg...

North side L-train entrance opens at Avenue A on Monday

The L train's new Avenue A north entrance — for Eighth Avenue-bound commuters — will debut on Monday (Feb. 10). The Brooklyn-bound side arrived this past Nov. 4.



MTA officials note that the entrance is opening with "temporary finishes" ...



With this debut, the MTA will close the north-side entrance on First Avenue on Feb. 17 for renovations.

Here's the full schedule of what to expect from The L Project e-newsletter:

• Starting on Friday night (around 10), Feb. 15, you'll use the Avenue A north entrance to access trains in both directions on weekends and weeknights.

• On Monday, Feb. 17, the First Avenue north entrance will close for reconstruction. Like the other side, this will take about three months, so we're estimating a May 2020 completion. While this work is happening, both entrances to the First Avenue Station will be located at Avenue A.

• Once we complete the First Avenue entrances, the ones at Avenue A will close again for a bit so we can do the final finishes.

When all the construction is wrapped up, the revamped 14th Street First Avenue station will have four entrances — including the two on either side of 14th Street at Avenue A as well as two new platform-to-street ADA elevators that will be ready for use this summer. (Find more details on this MTA advisory.)

A visit to a poetry reading at Odessa

Odessa has been playing host to a literary reading series on Wednesdays in recent weeks.

Michael Graves, who started the Phoenix Reading Series in the West Village in the late 1990s, is the organizer at Odessa, the diner at 117 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by last week's event, where Amy Barone, Ron Kolm and Karen Neuberg were the featured poets.

Stacie reports that they were a very supportive bunch of readers and authors (and listeners) ...


[Michael Graves]


[Amy Barone]


[Ron Kolm]


[Karen Neuberg]

The series, which takes place in the back of the diner (near the bar) on Wednesday evenings (from 6 to 8 or 9), features several guests as well as an open-mic portion. There's a suggested donation of $5 as well as a request to order something from Odessa ...

Factory Tamal now open on 4th Street

[Photo via @factory_tamal]

The new outpost of Factory Tamal debuted yesterday at 63 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

This is the second location for Factory Tamal, which first started selling its reasonably priced (and homemade) tamales, egg sandwiches and panini from a small take-out space on the Lower East Side in January 2017. (They moved from Essex Street to 34 Ludlow St. in August 2017.)

Owner Fernando Lopez makes his own masa — "faithful to the ancient Mayan way," as the Times put it in an August 2017 feature. And the result of his hard work? "Mr. Lopez’s tamales are beautifully fluffy, clingy and crumbly at once, a texture that calls to mind the airiest of poundcakes."

An EVG reader snapped these photos of the menu...





Their hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Factory Tamal bringing its freshly made tamales to 4th Street

Melt Shop closes on 4th Avenue

The Melt Shop at 135 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street has closed — less than a year after its arrival. (Thanks to @jcooper911 for the photos!)

A sign on the door directs patrons to the other NYC locations of the quick-serve restaurant that specializes in grilled-cheese sandwiches and tater tots...



Melt Shop took over from Make Sandwich, which was an extension of their brand.

This closure comes on the heels of Liquiteria's departure right next door.

The southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and 13th Street has also been a challenge for businesses since the longtime deli was rent-hiked out of here in November 2012. The space has been home to Fresh & Co., Pie Face and Sandwicherie in fairly quick succession. Dig has the space now.

Monday's parting shot

A walk past the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Baby Yoda has left, but we have Princess Leia

The Baby Yoda mural's time has come to an end here at the Second Avenue F stop.

However, there is a Princess Leia wheatpaste courtesy of the Postman Collective as a consolation.



As for the new work here, Will Power, who created the Baby Yoda on Jan. 11-12, teamed up with Albertus Joseph for the mural, titled "Gritty City Style."

Reminders: This workshop will offer free legal resources for East Village small business owners

Reposted from Jan. 30

Several local organizations are joining forces to provide small business owners in the East Village with free legal resources during a workshop this week at Book Club on Third Street.

Via the EVG inbox...

Many small businesses and commercial tenants have concerns about non-rent charges and how they impact the bottom line.

Cooper Square Committee, East Village Independent Merchants Association (EVIMA) and Brooklyn Legal Services will bring free legal resources to neighborhood businesses and commercial tenants.

Join us for one or both of our upcoming sessions on non-rent charges. Lawyers will be available after each session to do one-on-one consultations.

Bring your commercial lease and your questions!

Morning and evening session available:

Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 9 a.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Book Club
197 E. Third St. near Avenue B