Thursday's parting shot

As seen on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... photo by Andrew Adam Newman on Ave C.

Noted

Spotted in the curbside trash today on Second Avenue ... won't need this for awhile. Photo by Derek Berg...

Bronx Brewery opening an East Village outpost on 2nd Avenue this fall

The Bronx Brewery is headed to the East Village.

Yesterday, ownership announced its expansions plans with a two-level outpost opening this fall at 64 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street...


[Photo by Steven]

Some details about the new Bronx Brewery East Village via their announcement:

The Bronx Brewery East Village will combine limited-release brewing, the brewery’s signature events, art & music from rising stars across NYC, and a special guest in the kitchen.

The space will bring the brewery’s goal of building community through a diverse, creative and inclusive environment to an iconic neighborhood long known for its creative energy.

The Bronx Brewery East Village will be designed as a communal space, no matter the time of day. From brunch to a beer with friends to a night of live DJs, its multilevel layout – including immersive seating in the pilot brewhouse – will feature a variety of ways to engage with the space.

Murals and revolving street art will cover the walls and hi-fi sound will saturate the space, creating a showcase for New York City’s top up-and-coming artists, DJ’s and live acts.

The space will also give the brewery another vehicle to give back to the local community, with the limited-release brew series set to be used as a recurring fundraising platform for community organizations in the South Bronx and East Village. Earlier this year, the Brewery supported Puerto Rico relief efforts in collaboration with Bronx performer Richie ‘Crazy Legs’ Colon, while the Brewery will continue to open its doors as a venue for charitable causes.

They opened the Taproom, Brewery and Backyard in the South Bronx nine years ago.

The Bronx Brewery team is planning a Meet the Neighbors party in the space before construction begins this spring. No word on a date just yet.

No. 64's retail space has been vacant for nearly four years. NYC Velo moved next door to No. 66 in the spring of 2016.

The building sold to an LLC with a West 22nd Street address for $6.95 million in March 2018, per public records.

First hint of future development at the current home of B Bar & Grill

[EVG file photo]

On Tuesday, reps for the owners of 358 Bowery filed a work permit for this space on the southwest corner of the Bowery and Fourth Street.

The job description reads this way, in the all-caps style of the Department of Buildings:

REMOVE AND REPLACE ALL COMBUSTIBLE STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS WITH NON COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS. CHANGE CONSTRUCTION CLASSIFICATION OF BUILDING FROM CLASS 3 NON-FIREPROOF (38 CODE) TO CLASS 1-E (1968 CODE).

Not the biggest breaking-news type of work order. What makes it interesting is the hint of future development on this corner that it offers: Prolific architect Morris Adjmi is listed as the applicant of record, per the DOB.



Adjmi's high-end residential projects in the neighborhood include 45 E. Seventh St., 363 Lafayette, 250 Bowery and 116 University Place. (He also designed the building that will eventually go up at 3 St. Mark's Place.)

As reported last fall, CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery — the current home of the B Bar & Grill. Hotelier Eric Goode, who owns B Bar, has been assembling air rights to build a larger project on this corner space.

This warehousing of parcels will likely also mean the end of B Bar & Grill, which opened in 1994. There aren't any announcements on the B Bar's website, though they are only taking reservations now through April 9.

Previously on EV Grieve:
CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

The former Hot Kitchen space is for rent

[Photo by Steven]

The for rent sign arrived back on Monday for 104 Second Ave., the former Hot Kitchen space at Sixth Street.

This officially brings a close to the revolving door of restaurants in the space spanning several months, from Hot Kitchen, the occupant since 2011 to, briefly, Sushi & Sake, to, also briefly, Jiang Diner, which returned to its original Fifth Street outpost.

Now a new tenant can give the space a go. The asking rent is $17,500 for the 1,500 square-foot main space (with another 600 square feet in the basement), per the listing.

Sexyflow moves on from Avenue A

After nearly five years at 205 Avenue A, the Sexyflow hair salon recently moved away... there's a note on the door for patrons interested in finding their undisclosed new location...



Sexyflow opened in July 2015 in the retail space of Icon Realty's expanded residential building here between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photos last week!

The new-look 107 Avenue C

Workers recently painted over the Zum Schneider murals on the rolldown gates here on Avenue C and Seventh Street, as these photos by Steven show...



The Zum lettering came down on Feb. 27.

Local mural legend Chico created the gate art here back in August 2016...


[Photo from 2016 by Daniel Root]

The biergarten closed at the end of February after 20 years at 107 Avenue C. The co-op board here reportedly didn't offer the Zum team a lease renewal. Owner Sylvester Schneider has said he will reopen elsewhere in NYC.

No word on a new tenant for the space at No. 107, but someone always likes to say Starbucks.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Last Christmas for Zum Schneider on Avenue C: Biergarten on the move in 2020

• More details about Zum Schneider's February closing date on Avenue C

A visit to Russo’s Mozzarella & Pasta

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

As a longtime fan of Russo’s Mozzarella & Pasta I was excited to be invited to watch head cheesemaker and longtime store manager Jimmy Paleta create their delicious fresh mozzarella.


[Michael Paleta with his father Jimmy Paleta]

Store owner Jack Cangemi welcomed me in the classic Italian foods shop at 344 E. 11th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. We spend a few minutes looking at the varieties of fresh pastas and sauces as well as the meats and cheeses before I am told the cheese curds are patiently waiting for us in the basement.









We venture down the steep steps to a basement with low ceiling (no small feat considering Jack is 6-7!) to watch the cheesemaking process, which went surprisingly quickly.

Jimmy soaks the shredded curds in boiling water and stirs until the smooth, ropy stringy cheese comes together. He smiles as he creates individual pound-size cheeseballs and braided twists. Following a brief cold saltwater bath, everything is wrapped, brought upstairs, and made available for sale.















Russo’s has been in existence since 1908. Jack, who grew up on East 10th Street, bought the business in 1986. Jack used to work part-time at Russo’s as a kid and was toiling in an "unhappy, not-fun job at EF Hutton" when the former shop’s owner approached him about buying into the shop.

Jack answers my questions about the business ("lease is good, landlord is great") and speculates on whether his son, Anthony, will one day take over with Jack’s longtime — 25-plus years — managers. He shows me around the tiny shop pointing out his favorite food (roasted artichokes), while Jimmy’s son, counterperson Michael Paleta, slices up some of the fresh mozz that his father just made.



"No such thing as a typical customer — it's no longer just old Italian people, people who have shopped here for 50-plus years," Jack says. "Now we also have East Village artists and musicians, families from Stuy Town, NYU kids — it's a diverse crowd. People know and appreciate good food. And, I like to think, good prices."

Jack says that he doesn't have any expansion plans: having three stores is enough (the original location on 11th Street and two more in Park Slope). He says the plan is never to close. "Where else can you feed two people a homemade meal for $10 to $15, a dinner that includes pasta and sauce and a salad? You can’t even do that at McDonald’s," he says. "You should have a Big Jack, not a Big Mac!"


[Cangemi with Bobby Giurdanella, owner of Bella Tile]

You can keep up with Russo’s on Instagram.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A moment with Wayne Diamond as he checks out 'The Wayne Diamond' at Russo's


[Cangemi and Wayne Diamond]

More 99-cent pizza for Avenue A; plus hot dog

Blink and you may have missed this coming soon signage at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street... Incoming: 99-cent pizza and hot dog (singular)...



This will mark the third 99-cent pizza shop on Avenue A between Houston and Ninth Street, joining Alphabet 99-Cent Fresh Pizza and 99¢ Pizza. (There's also FDR 99¢ Slice Pizza just off of A on Second Street.)

The latest 99-cent pizza shop takes over the sliver of a space last leased by Sorbet Cray Cray.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Tuesday's parting shot

Someone tossed a lotta locks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place ... photo by Derek Berg...