Hellbound: Café de L’Enfer popping up on Avenue A this fall

Café de L’Enfer, an absinthe and champagne cocktail bar, is popping up for the fall starting tomorrow on the second floor at 95 Avenue A. 

Restaurateur Ravi DeRossi's Overthrow Hospitality is opening the bar above Amor y Amargo here at Sixth Street ... inspired, DeRossi said, by the original Hell-themed café (Cabaret de l'Enfer!) that debuted in Paris in 1892. 

Café de L’Enfer will be open Wednesday-Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. 

Updated:

Here are a few interior shots...

Thanks to @vegan.nyx for the tip! And this song for headline inspiration.

Noted

An EVG reader shared these photos (thank you!) from last night around 10 from the Citi Bike docking station on Sixth Street at Avenue B...

Not sure why there's a pile of Citi Bikes here... this station has had a valet in recent weeks... perhaps the valet was off-duty? Or someone was sacrficing the bikes that don't work...

Gallery Watch: Sei Smith: Portraits of You at Ki Smith Gallery

Text by Clare Gemima 

Photos by Grace Shine Jeon

Portraits of You by Sei Smith

Ki Smith Gallery, 197 E. Fourth St.

I feel lucky to live so close to Ki Smith Gallery — not because of the geographic convenience or their fun and social openings. I visit Ki Smith Gallery for the art and its engaged, intellectual, and fascinating artists.

I would like to applaud this gallery for presenting and committing to an ethos that positions itself within an art historical context. A special thanks to Gallery Director Claire Foussard for offering such support to the artists at Ki Smith and to artist Sei Smith for his enthusiasm and willingness to talk to me about his new show, Portraits of You. 

Smith has created a series of figureless portraits, forcing an audience member to immediately question ideas around contemporary art jargon or any preconceived notion of what a portrait-painter could be today. This wit and finesse at articulating such are consistent throughout the eight works that line the gallery's space. Smith uses an iridescent adhesive film throughout this body of work which acts to obscure identity informing under-paintings. 

Eight works represent Smith's various relationships to eight different friends who range in backgrounds (and statures). Smith has reinforced this concept of diversity in highly creative ways, including height-specific installation techniques, his choice in titling the work and through the materials he chooses to play with. 

The work comes full circle to me conceptually because, by nature, these works are reflective. Seeing yourself within the work teases and tests your impulses to look for things you didn't think were ever there. It wasn't until I read more about the work that I realized the under-coats of acrylic were really the ID of the painting, and deciphering all of them was challenging but in a slow reveal sort of way. 

It was also a beautiful experience because of the tonality of the film coating (think reds, pinks, oranges, ruby, purple, etc.). Having this knowledge was not imperative to the viewing experience. Still, it definitely made me want to go back after reading the artist's viewing instructions to learn more about who his muses were, or at least through their instructions for Sei, who they wanted to be portrayed as. 

There is more than meets the eye in Portraits of You. Because of the iridescent top coating of the paintings, the work changes color depending on your angle. As you move from one piece to another, the light in the gallery hits differently, creating new narratives for each of the works. A live personification happens before your eyes. It is intimate and almost self-indulging. 

The show is fun but also wrapped in intellect that will excite you about the direction of Smith's career. I'm looking forward to seeing more. After the last show I covered at this space, the artist's inquiries and concept handling have already been embraced, updated, upgraded and re-navigated. 

Please read more about Sei's practice here. And follow the most up-to-date events and openings from Ki Smith Gallery here.

Portraits of You is up through Oct. 17 at the gallery, 197 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Alternative times available by appointment.info@kismithgallery.com

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Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

To get Corey Johnson's attention, East River Park activists chain themselves to tree at City Hall

Yesterday morning, two local activists, identified as JK Canepa and Jmac, chained themselves to a tree outside City Hall to demand Council Speaker Corey Johnson allow an oversight hearing for East River Park.

Other activists from East River Park Action were also on hand during the day.   

To date, Johnson has refused to hold an emergency hearing on the pending demolition of the park. He has also not provided any comments as to why. 

Per Curbed yesterday afternoon:

Johnson has not yet got in touch with the group, though a representative from the mayor's office has and is mediating between his office and the demonstrators. That's not going to get anyone unlocked though. "We don't want a meeting," Canepa said. "We want an oversight hearing, and we want to hear it from Corey himself."

This fall, workers are expected to start razing the 57.5-acre park and cutting down the 1,000 mature trees, and eventually rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. 

East River Park Action other advocates say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction, so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. 

Photo via @eastriverparkaction

MAJOR changes coming to the aisles of Key Food

Top photo from the collection of EVG; all others by Stacie Joy 

If you've been inside Key Food on Avenue A and Fourth Street in recent days, then you likely noticed some changes... especially on aisle 2, where the non-dairy milk brands moved across the aisle and now featuring seemingly more varieties...

Meanwhile, the apple sauce randomly took over the former nut milk space on the shelf in aisle 2. 

Anyway, Key Food sources tell EVG contributor Stacie Joy that this is JUST the beginning of a renovation that will see some significant changes in how you navigate the aisles.

Here's what we know so far. 

Remember the bulk paper towels randomly placed atop the freezer section in aisle 1? 

MOVED!

Those bulk items are now across from the milk/eggs/dairy section, where shoppers may actually be able to reach them...

But what about the nuts, Pringles and rando candy that used to be here? 

AISLE 2!

And as if aisle 2 could hold any more new items, crackers and cookies are here now too...

There are other shelving switcheroos underway that we have yet to track...

Arguably the biggest change is coming to aisle 1... and the freezer section (ice cream, pizza, etc.)

Key Food sources tell us that the freezers are being moved AWAY from aisle 1, which will eventually feature an expanded produce area. Also gone from this aisle: those random middle tables offering up potatoes and onions and stuff.

It's not immediately clear where the aisle 1 freezers will go. (Our source didn't even know.) Many things are being moved, added, subtracted.

All work is scheduled to be completed by Thanksgiving. No word yet if any of these moves will necessitate altering the grocery's 24/7 schedule. 

To be continued... 

Afternoon bringing Korean hot dogs, mochi doughnuts and croffles to St. Mark's Place

Afternoon is setting up a one-stop trendy-food eating destination at 34 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue (thanks to Steven for the photos)...

Here's more about Afternoon via their website:

Anytime is the right time to visit Afternoon, the ultimate one-stop destination for what you're craving. Our well-curated selection of the hottest food and beverage brands allows you to enjoy multiple drinking and dining destinations all under one roof. There's something for everyone at Afternoon…what are you in the mood for today?

Brands under this roof will include Jongro Rice Hotdog, Machi Machi (bubble teas, etc.), Mochi Mochi Donut, Brooklyn Roasting Company and Croffle Haus (croissant dough baked in a waffle iron).

Afternoon currently has outposts out in Bayside and in Koreatown. Five more area locations (including St. Mark's Place) are in the works.

Meanwhile, the like-minded Mochinut, the quickly expanding California-born chain known for its mochi doughnuts and Korean-style hot dogs, just opened around the corner on Second Avenue.

Afternoon is taking over half of the former Khyber Pass space. (The other half is Lucky Star, the recently opened 1950s-style ice-cream shop.)  Khyber Pass, which dated to the mid-1980s, quietly closed during the pandemic. 

The new-look SW corner of 1st Avenue and 3rd Street

From the EVG tipline... the plywood came down yesterday on the southwest corner of First Avenue and Third Street... providing a look at the renovated storefront.

As previously reported here, a cafe "specializing in small, handmade wines" is in the works for the space from the owners of Urban Wine & Spirits a few storefronts away. 

Old-timer Exquisite Cleaners shut down here in the summer of 2020 as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the dry-cleaner business.

Desi Stop Deli signage arrives on 2nd Avenue

Two weeks ago, we mentioned that a new Indian restaurant called Desi Stop was coming to 75 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. 

The signage is now up... and it's actually going by Desi Stop Deli...

Signage points to a 100-percent vegetarian establishment... though we don't know if this will be a quick-serve place (as the Deli name implies) or a restaurant with a dining room. Or maybe both! We should find out quickly enough with the promise of an "opening soon" sign on the door. 

Desi Stop takes over for Nostro Ristorante, which debuted in October 2019. The Italian restaurant reopened briefly late in the spring of 2020 for pandemic-era takeout and delivery but closed soon after.

Thanks to Steven for the photos! 

The Mayfly debuts on East Houston

The Mayfly debuted yesterday at 269 E. Houston St. 

As previously reported, the bar-restaurant is from the team behind Gael Pub, Trinity Pub and Juke Bar, among others. This place has been in the works dating back to the fall of 2019. (There was previously an April 2020 opening date, though the pandemic put all that on hold.)

You can follow them on Instagram for updates. (Checking on hours of operation. They opened yesterday at 4 p.m.)

The space on the southeast corner of Houston and Suffolk has seen its share of bars come and go through the years. It has sat empty since Suffolk Arms shuttered in 2018 after two-plus years. 

Thanks to Vinny & O for the photo!

Scone mania: At Mary O's, an Irish blessing and 20,000 pounds of self-raising flour

Photos by Stacie Joy

As you may recall, Humans of New York featured Mary O'Halloran, the proprietor of Mary O's, the 11-year-old Irish pub at 32 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street, in early August. (Here's her story, courtesy of Brandon Stanton, about trying to keep her business alive while also caring for her six children.)

On a Thursday evening in August, Stanton followed up with a special promotion — the limited edition Mary O's "HONY" Irish soda bread scones. Stanton shared the deal with his more than 20 million social media followers worldwide. According to an Instagram post from Stanton, they took in more than $1 million in orders for scones by the end of the night.

Impressive, but there were some immediate logistical concerns. Such as! How to bake roughly 200,000 scones from Mary O's small kitchen.

There is a solution: Over the next two months, O'Halloran and some helpers will use the large ovens in the basement kitchen of St. Francis Xavier Church on West 16th Street to create these orders.

Fast forward to early last week, when 20,000 pounds of self-raising Irish flour was delivered (via Dublin) to Mary O's. To start the project, "the flour was infused with an Irish blessing by Mary herself, in an ancient ceremony featuring electric candles," as Stanton wrote in a Facebook post. (You can watch a video of the ceremony on Facebook.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by Mary O's to watch part of the flour-blessing ceremony...

The next steps will include packing up boxes of scones for delivery and preparing the 7,000 pounds of homemade blackberry jam to accompany them...